John Ernst Steinbeck was born in 1902 in the Salinas Valley, California. Steinbeck was one of four children and the only boy. He attended Stanford University where he majored in English, but never graduated. He was married three times, the last being Elaine Scott in 1950, but only lasted until her death in 1968. He had two boys named Thomas and John Steinbeck. Using his inner passions, Steinbeck's writings attempted to make sense of the trials he saw and went through. On February 27, 1902, Steinbeck was born. After graduating from Salinas High School in 1919, he worked at various jobs, such as store clerk, surveyor, and ranch hand to pay for college. The reason Steinbeck enrolled at Stanford was to please his parents; to please himself, he only signed up for courses that interested him; like classical and British literature [Dr. Susan Shillinglaw]. Steinbeck's passion was writing, not only during his time at Stanford, but throughout his life. The English Club president said Steinbeck, who regularly attended meetings, asked him to read his stories aloud. In the 1920s, Steinbeck developed a "biological" view of human nature because he drew inspiration from literature and biology, a perspective that strongly influenced his fiction. From 1919 to 1925, Steinbeck left Stanford without earning a degree. Steinbeck moved in and out of college, sometimes to work with migrants on California ranches. After leaving Stanford, Steinbeck tried his hand at construction work and newspaper reporting in New York, then returned to his home state. In the late 1920s, during three years as caretaker of the Lake Tahoe estate, he wrote many drafts of his first novel, Cup of Gold (1929) about the pirate hen...... middle of paper. ... ..all concerns are evident in his novels. Using his inner passions, Steinbeck's writings strive to make sense of the difficulties he saw. Steinbeck's "biological" view of humanity influenced his fiction writing. Many of his fictional writings were influenced by what Steinbeck experienced in life. Through all the difficulties and struggles of his life, it helped him create his stories, such as The Pastures of Heaven and The Pearl. Although his stories were associated with American life, his reputation began to decline after World War II, but that did not stop him. Steinbeck's stories were his life and he couldn't give up and he didn't, because of the passion he had for writing. Using his passions within himself, Steinbeck strove to draw greatness from the trials he went through, creating inspiring stories in the process...