Steinbeck's greatest contribution to America was his novel The Grapes of Wrath, which explores the struggles of a farming family as they flee the Dust Bowl for a better life in California. In order to create the book, Steinbeck “would take extensive notes for his novels … interviewing as many migrant workers as he could” (Parini 194). The first-hand accounts that Steinbeck collected would expose the terrible conditions and discrimination that refugees from Oklahoma face once they arrived in California, igniting major controversy almost immediately after its productivity (Parini 235). Critics attacked the novel for being, in the words of Congressman Lyle Boren, “'a lie, a black, infernal creation of a twisted distorted mind'”, leading to the
…show more content…
Acclaimed by the New York Times Book Review as “'the best of John Steinbeck's novels'”, East of Eden captures the essence of what Steinbeck believed to be the relationship between the people who lived in the valley with the land itself, and portrays the lives of the fictional Trunks family, who Steinbeck based on his on (qtd. in Parini 361). The appreciation for the natural beauty of California that Steinbeck displays in East of Eden, while part of a larger message, was what the novel would be remembered for by future readers (Ariki et al. 169). While critics of the time were impressed by the story and the central message of East of Eden, some argued the novel was overly complex and a confused narrative that failed to deliver its message effectively (Parini 369). The main contribution Steinbeck made to American culture through East of Eden was to awaken the minds of Americans with respect to the natural world and the importance of humanity's connection with Earth, themes that had not been explored by a writer in modern American literature until Steinbeck did so (Shellinglaw). These three works would prove to be Steinbeck's most important contributions to America.Steinbeck's greatest contribution to America was his novel The Grapes of Wrath, which explores the struggles of a farming family as they flee the Dust Bowl for a better life in California. In order to …show more content…
The product of Steinbeck's scientific work would be The Sea of Cortez, a journal that recounted Steinbeck's time at sea (Shillinglaw). As a piece of scientific research, Steinbeck's journal did not focus on identifying various species; nor did it focus on chemical or physical properties of the Gulf of California (Parini 255). Instead, Steinbeck centered his work around the “history of the Gulf, the history of science, philosophical speculation and descriptions of intertidal collecting sites” (Shillinglaw). The Sea of Cortez failed to gain the response that Steinbeck had received for The Grapes of Wrath, “due to its specialized nature”, which failed to interest as many readers as Steinbeck's previous, more controversial book had (Parini 261). However, The Sea of Cortez was Steinbeck's expression of his and Edward Rickett's philosophy of the “human tidepool”, and the journal served as Steinbeck's application of his ideas in a real setting (Shellinglaw). While The Sea of Cortez never became one of Steinbeck's most celebrated works, its impact on the themes later literature would explore made it one of Steinbeck's greatest contributions to
Acclaimed by the New York Times Book Review as “'the best of John Steinbeck's novels'”, East of Eden captures the essence of what Steinbeck believed to be the relationship between the people who lived in the valley with the land itself, and portrays the lives of the fictional Trunks family, who Steinbeck based on his on (qtd. in Parini 361). The appreciation for the natural beauty of California that Steinbeck displays in East of Eden, while part of a larger message, was what the novel would be remembered for by future readers (Ariki et al. 169). While critics of the time were impressed by the story and the central message of East of Eden, some argued the novel was overly complex and a confused narrative that failed to deliver its message effectively (Parini 369). The main contribution Steinbeck made to American culture through East of Eden was to awaken the minds of Americans with respect to the natural world and the importance of humanity's connection with Earth, themes that had not been explored by a writer in modern American literature until Steinbeck did so (Shellinglaw). These three works would prove to be Steinbeck's most important contributions to America.Steinbeck's greatest contribution to America was his novel The Grapes of Wrath, which explores the struggles of a farming family as they flee the Dust Bowl for a better life in California. In order to …show more content…
The product of Steinbeck's scientific work would be The Sea of Cortez, a journal that recounted Steinbeck's time at sea (Shillinglaw). As a piece of scientific research, Steinbeck's journal did not focus on identifying various species; nor did it focus on chemical or physical properties of the Gulf of California (Parini 255). Instead, Steinbeck centered his work around the “history of the Gulf, the history of science, philosophical speculation and descriptions of intertidal collecting sites” (Shillinglaw). The Sea of Cortez failed to gain the response that Steinbeck had received for The Grapes of Wrath, “due to its specialized nature”, which failed to interest as many readers as Steinbeck's previous, more controversial book had (Parini 261). However, The Sea of Cortez was Steinbeck's expression of his and Edward Rickett's philosophy of the “human tidepool”, and the journal served as Steinbeck's application of his ideas in a real setting (Shellinglaw). While The Sea of Cortez never became one of Steinbeck's most celebrated works, its impact on the themes later literature would explore made it one of Steinbeck's greatest contributions to