e wrote for William Randolph Hearst’s morning newspaper named the American in 1925 (French 13). He broke into journalism during World War II when he began writing about the war and in addition wrote articles about the war for the government (Rylant et al. 71). Steinbeck was always Pro-America and was continuously supporting American causes. An example of this was during the Great Depression (“Steinbeck, John Ernst”). This attitude did not always go over well with certain readers of his novels. During the 1950’s, the quality of his work and his popularity declined. Liberal intellectuals deemed his writing as unsatisfactory, due to the fact that Steinbeck held on to many All-American beliefs and was always pro-government. Steinbeck’s personal life also influenced some of his writing (“Steinbeck, John Ernst”). Steinbeck has been married to three different women. In 1930, he married his first wife Carol Henning, and in that same year he met his lifelong friend, Ed Ricketts. In 1943, he divorced Carol and went on to marry Gwyndolyn Conger, and with her he had two sons named Thom and John IV. In 1948, he divorced her and married Elaine Scott in 1950. The relationship that is important and documented is that of Steinbeck and his friend Ed Ricketts. He wrote his nonfiction book, The Sea of Cortez, on Ed’s and his own sea life research. This research has also been incorporated into the themes of many of Steinbeck’s novels (“Steinbeck, John Ernst”). Not only did he write about his human companions, but also his dog. In 1962, he produced the novel Travels With Charley. This was based upon his trip across America with his poodle Charley (“Steinbeck, John Ernst”). He was not only successful in his life’s endeavors, but he was also recognized and rewarded for his talent in writing (French 13-15). Throughout his life, Steinbeck received many award...
