Essays on John Steinbeck

The Chrysanthemums is a brilliant short story written by the most prominent writer of the Literary Naturalism movement, John Steinbeck. The writer brilliantly depicts the involvement of environment and stresses the necessity of social connections. The major symbols of the story are the beautiful, decorated flowers the chrysanthemums, which are closely connected with the protagonist Elisa Allen, in both a spiritual and physical way. At the beginning of the story the woman wore a filthy garden outfit , which was described almost in the end of the story : “Elisa turned and ran hurridly into the house. In the bathroom ...

Introduction

This paper critically analyses the book “Stories that Changed America: Muckrakers of the 20th Century” by Carl Jensen. This will involve trying to put the book into various perspectives so as to improve a better understanding of Jensen’s work. To undertake a critical analysis, the writer will examine the foreground and the background of the author. Examining the author is important because she is the pivotal point of influence in the analysis and understanding of the book. Apart from examining the author, the paper will go ahead and analyze the various themes which were portrayed by the book. ...

Background of the author

A professor at the University of Sonoma- California, in the United States of America, Dr. Carl Jensen is also an author of prominent publications in the field of sociology that have scaled to global heights. A few books under his name include “Censored: The News That Didn’t Make the News and Why (from1976 to 1996)” and “20 Years of Censored News (1997)”. In addition, Dr. Carl Jensen has also featured in Project Censored- a media research project in 1976 that attained international recognition.

Thesis of the book

The book delves into how the American society was adjusted to become more flexible to ...

Literature is the perfect mirror of the world society as the creative artists take resort to their works of art to portray the society and culture. A close scrutiny of the literary works of various authors ranging across time in the history of literature would be helpful in bringing an introspective perspective about the state of women in the society. For the purpose of the scrutiny, one can take into reckoning the short story The Story of an Hour penned by Kate Chopin, the short story, The Chrysanthemums by John Steinbeck, the seminal article by feminist film critic, Laura ...

John Steinbeck’s seminal short story, The Chrysanthemums, leaves a lasting mark in the core of the minds of the avid readers with its intricacies of expression and quintessence of literary technique. It needs to be noted that the very title of this story works as a symbol of the journey of life of the female protagonist of this story. A close scrutiny of the narrative would enable one to have a better idea of how the flower represents the emotions, nature and life of Elisa. Through the symbolic representation and association of the chrysanthemums with Elisa, the author ...

The harvest gypsies are a series of articles written by John Steinbeck. He was an American-born author who wrote twenty-seven books and sixteen novels. Among his writings were six non-fictional books and five collections of short stories. The Harvest Gypsies elaborated on the hardships and triumphs of American migrant workers during the great depression. These articles traced the stories and paths of migrant workers as they moved from crop to crop. They give an in-depth analysis of how these people eked out a stark existence. Eventually, these early migrant workers came to be known as “New Gypsies.” (Steinbeck 1). ...

What Kind of Truth is Steinbeck Trying to Explore in Cannery Row?

This essay deals with the novel of John Steinbeck, which is called Cannery Row. The main goal of this essay is to reveal the kind of truth that Steinbeck tries to explore. A lot of critics state that Steinbeck tries to create some sort of social utopia. He tries to do it by presenting a society where a group of misfits is able to coexist due to their tenderness and warm-hearted nature. However, there are also examples of violence and cruelty (eNotes). Cannery Row is the place on the map where all the people are poor, but thy have ...

Relating Literature to Experience: Literary Masterpieces that Speak.

Literature has existed in our lives since the invention of formal standardized writing. Writers have used literature to express their thoughts and opinions on various subjects relating to human life. Fundamentally, literature has always been about relating to the human life and experiences. Literature employs elements of writing such a plot, point of view and dialogue to express the ideas of the author. In most cases, authors approach a subject by writing about experiences and using humor to pass the point across rather than approaching the subject head on. Literature has been used over time to record experiences and ...

Introduction

Much of the human suffering and economic disadvantages that occurred during the Great Depression (1929-1933) were a result of the boom mentality and unregulated business practices of the 1920s. People with a corrupt kind of business acumen exploited the weakest segments of society in the poorest regions. Praying on a naïve boom psychology, businessmen led a devastating attack on the Midwest that ultimately was not curbed by politicians or financial institutions until the middle 1930s. New businesses exploited weak government controls and took on many of the same exploitative practices as the Robber Baron businessmen of the 19th ...

The short story, The Chrysanthemums, is an impressive work that appeals one and all. The stalwart literary artist, John Steinbeck, exudes his literary quintessence through this short story. A scrutiny of the work would enable one and all to understand the impressive use of literary style and expression to bring out the theme of the story. The story echoes with the emphatic use of symbols and figurative language so as to hog the attention of the readers and engage them in the text. This shows the literary skill and the creativity of the author who succeeds in accentuating the ...

Censorship is the demonstration or practice of smothering the discourse or open correspondence which is viewed as questionable, hurtful and delicate, by a legislature, media outlet or other controlling bodies. Censorship today is a path for parents and instructors of children to direct the perusing material of those they are connected with. They accept they are ensuring their children and learners from unforgiving language, rough diversion, viciousness, or for religious reasons. Parents and educators the country over have edited Of Mice and Men for comparative reasons. These individuals need to see the greater picture. Of Mice and Men ought not be ...

Renaissance has the connotation of a rebirth age after the dark age. It signifies changes, improvements, and development of a culture or a country from the chaos of the dark ages. One revolutionary cultural movement that happened in the span of 1920s is called as the Harlem Renaissance. Harlem Renaissance was previously referred to as the New Negro Movement which is named after the anthology in 1925 by Alain Locke. The new African-American movement that included their cultural expressions all over the urban areas of the North eastern as well as the Midwestern part of the United States that were affected by ...

Summary – Response of Cannery Row by John Steinbeck

Doc is one person who is lived and respected by everybody in the society. One would expect him to be a very happy man because his relations with the community may be at its best. But this does not reflect in his personal life because deep down inside of him is a very sad and lonely man. Perhaps this can be equated to Steinbeck himself after having moved from his home to New York never to return home. He may have been lonely after moving from home to a new place where he knew no one. Steinbeck’s moving away from home ...

In the second month of autumn in 1937 a short story by John Steinbeck ‘Chrysanthemums’ was published in Harper’s Magazine. It was not serene and stable times but on the contrary, the elections of the President were just held and Franklin D. Roosevelt gained his position of the Head of the country for the second time. The Great Depression laid its grave mark on the economy of the United States and both hardly started to recover. Significant changes touched upon a social sphere as well, meaning that now it was time for women to emerge as equal members of the ...

The Grapes of Wrath is a novel written by John Steinbeck as he gives the story revolving around the family of Joad. The novel illustrates oppression and hardship that faced the migrants’ workers during the great depression. In depth it is a political tract that governed collectivist action on oppressing those looking for jobs. In the same sense, the speech that was delivered by Martin Luther King on the oppression of the black people has a lot of similarities as compared to the The Grapes of Wrath. Martin Luther speech covers the oppression nature of the blacks as well. The Declaration's ...

A road trip can be defined as any journey by road, regardless of destination or stops en route. Characteristically, road trips in the contemporary society relates to long distances by automobile. Road tripping is typically about dreams; it encompasses dreaming on landscapes and cities and looking forward to exploring them. Road tripping and also entail hardships, paddling down rivers, slogging though thick canopies, confronting suspicious people, testing ones adaptability, exploring hostile places and anticipating for some kind of revelation. Both John Steinbeck and Dorothea Lange engaged in documenting what they saw on their road trip, one through books and ...

John Steinbeck wrote The Grapes of Wrath during the Great Depression that led to various problems in the United States’ history. The Great Depression lasted from the Black Tuesday’s Stock Market Crash of October 1929 to the Second World War, which got the people working again into the war. During this long time that lasted for about twelve years, a long period of drought and high winds affected a huge part of the American Midwest, which created a phenomenon referred to as the Dust Bowl. Most of the people in the lower Midwest, hoping to find fertile land to settle and ...

Introduction

The ability to convey information through exchange of messages or thoughts is enhanced by a good understanding of English grammar. Writing as a medium of communication is complement to the spoken language or speech. Writing is basically a powerful tool for studying since it plays critical role in education. Among the benefits of writing include generating new ideas, helping us to both absorb and master fresh information, and discover what we know. A number of English textbooks have in one way or another improved the use of English grammar in both writing and speaking among many students. One of these books is “ ...

Overview

The novel by John Steinbeck is set in the time of The Great Depression in the United States of America, and more specifically in California. The novel, which is set in 1937, uses a number of characters in bringing out the situation as it was back then, and explaining what relationships were like back then between the rich and the poor. The main characters, George Milton and Lenin Small, are ranch hand men who are displaced migrants, sharing a common dream. The two men, of different intellectual capacity are in pursuit of a better future. They hope to own a farm and reshape ...

The story Chrysanthemums was published in John Steinbeck’s 1938 short story collection The Long Valley. The story takes place in Salinas Valley in California. The story examines a troubled marriage involving the character Elisa and Henry. However, the story focuses on gender power plays. In Chrysanthemums, Steinbeck responds to the educational and political theorists of the twentieth century who did not believe women have equal rights as men. In this short story, John Steinbeck uses imagery and symbolism to show the repressed qualities of the chief protagonist Elisa Ellen. Instead of viewing women as ornaments to society or property ...