John Steinbeck was a man of many talents. One of them being writing, he used several
parts of his life to write this novel. Where he grew up, his failures, and his daily chores all
became a part of his story. In his novel, he does not describe all the details of his personal life,
but he makes unmentioned parallels which can be linked up to most of his life. The assumption
of this linkage cannot be made or even considered until his backround is told.
The setting of John Steinbeck's novel, takes place in many parts of California, USA.
Steinbeck's birthplace is Salinas, California, and the opening setting is based in Soldad, but the
Salinas river runs through this town. The setting at the start of each chapter is quite detailed and
specific. He says,
On one side of the river the golden foothill slopes curve up to the
strong and rocky Babilan mountains, but on the valley side the
water is lined with trees-willows fresh and green with every
spring, carrying in their lower leaf junctures the debris of the
winter's flooding; and sycamores with mottled, white, recumbent
limbs and branches that arch over the pool. (1)
John Steinbeck had lived most of his life in California, and his description shows his source of
inspiration and great knowledge of the setting. His memories of California give him a clear
picture of his home-town, which he employs as the setting obvious in his writing style.
As a child, Steinbeck had dreams of becoming a writer. He left home to attend Stanford
University, hoping to get into journalism. Falling short of his ambitions, he left Stanford without
a degree to become a sales clerk, farm labourer, ranch hand, factory worker, and a construction
worker. When he moved to New York to begin a career in construction, he started to write small
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