The Great Depression had an enormous impact on Americans. Any number of programs were established to improve the well being of American citizens. The Federal Writers Project, which was part of the Work Progress Administration, was one such program. John Steinbeck would go on to become a major American literary figure. Steinbeck is the author of The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men. These books better reflect the hardships that many Americans had during the Great Depression, Dust Bowl and subsequent years. Steinbeck was a Federal Writers Project member and all literature he wrote was based on a single theme. To understand men, it is essential to be able to communicate with them. Steinbeck’s main goal in writings about the Great Depression was to encourage large-scale social change. In 1935, the Federal Writers Project was created to help writers, teachers, librarians, as well as others who would be benefited by literature being published. The original intent of the FWP is to publish a series of guides on the United States. Steinbeck was shocked by the quality of their lives after being displaced during the Dust Bowl. He admired their determination and willingness to continue to try to rebuild their lives. Steinbeck wrote Of Mice and Men from his experiences with these workers. The book is more about the hopes and challenges of displaced workers in reclaiming their lives and having their own land. Of Mice and Men became an immensely popular novella and stage performance. It was popular because of its mirroring of American citizens’ lives from not too long ago. Even those citizens who were not as badly affected as farmers or other members of lower classes began to see the impact of the Depression on the rest. Steinbeck would then write The Grapes of Wrath. The Grapes of Wrath chronicles the journey of the Joad families to California to rebuild lives after their farm was destroyed in the Dust Bowl. Steinbeck’s experiences working with migrants was a huge influence on the book. The camps of migrant workers spread across the country to California and played a major part in many scenes. Steinbeck won the Pulitzer Prize for The Grapes of Wrath and the National Book Award. But, many schools had to ban the book because of its crude language and obscenities. The Associated Farmers of America protested the book’s portrayal of corporate farmers throughout. The success of the novel led to a film version featuring Henry Fonda being released in 1940. However, production was stopped by the Kern County Board of Supervisors in order to prevent the negative portrayals in the book spreading beyond California. Steinbeck accomplished his main goal of social change with The Grapes of Wrath. Elanor Roosevelt was supportive of Steinbeck’s truthfulness. Roosevelt would influence congressional hearings concerning the conditions of migrant camps. Steinbeck spent his time traveling the world to learn more about the world. Steinbeck was a war correspondent for The New York Herald Tribune during this period. Steinbeck wrote East of Eden about America in the period from the Civil War up to World War I. Steinbeck described it as “the story of America” and “the tale of me”. Steinbeck earned many accolades and awards for his literary work on the American people. President Lyndon B. Johnson granted Steinbeck the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his contributions to helping Americans discover themselves through communal experiences. Steinbeck, accompanied with Robert Capa (a photographer), traveled to Soviet Union in 1947. Steinbeck was under FBI investigation for pro-worker sentiments he expressed during his writing. His trip to the Soviet Union seems to have confirmed suspicions that Steinbeck was a socialist. Despite Steinbeck meeting with many communists. organizers of labor, and strikers it was not clear that Steinbeck was a Communist card-carrying member. Steinbeck’s friendship and reporting pro-war during the Vietnam War led to more speculations about his morals. Steinbeck, who was 64 at the time, was a journalist working on the frontlines in Vietnam War reporting back. These letters would end up being the last Steinbeck’s published works. Steinbeck’s disturbing letters were originally published in Newsday. Newsday was owned by Harry Gugenheim during 1966 and 1967. Although the content of the fighting was shocking, Steinbeck’s earlier works shocked many readers. They were not published in Newsday until many years later. Steinbeck was primarily involved in Vietnam reporting because he wanted to. He and his sons became war veterans with the encouragement of President Lyndon B. Johnson. Steinbeck denied that he was there for Johnson. Steinbeck did not participate in the war. However, his son confronted Steinbeck about his support. Steinbeck felt that the United States was in Vietnam wrongly and unnecessarily. Steinbeck started to doubt whether the United States should be involved in the war later. However, Newsday never published these doubts. John Steinbeck was a writer before the Federal Writers Project was created. However, this program marked a turning point for John Steinbeck’s writing career. Steinbeck’s work for the FWP was based on his personal experiences as a displaced worker in the wake of the Great Depression. The Dust Bowl only added to the problem. The FWP’s mission is to unify Americans and help them look back on their lives. Steinbeck was also given a lot of popularity and respect by the American people. Despite many doubts about his political views and ties, John Steinbeck is still a key player in American literature.
