The Pearl
by John Steinbeck
Table of Contents
John Steinbeck
Steinbeck attended Stanford University beginning at the age of seventeen, but never actually completed his studies and never obtained a degree. His career choice after studying at Stanford to become a reporter, and then he was employed as a caretaker for an estate at Lake Tahoe. This was the location where Steinbeck met the acquaintance of his first wife, Carol Henning, whom he married in 1930. It was during these first five years after college that Steinbeck completed Cup of Gold, his first novel. Although Steinbeck had spent a great amount of time working on his writing, this was his first work to be published. However, it did not receive any notable critical acclaim, and Steinbeck was not able to support himself financially through his writing exclusively at this time. Critical recognition and commercial success arrived six years later in 1935 with the publication of Steinbeck’s second novel, Tortilla Flat, which was set in Monterrey, California. It was at this time that he was finally able to enjoy some financial comfort, and he built a ranch home in Los Gatos, California. The publication ofTortilla Flat was followed in 1936 with In Dubious Battle. Of Mice and Men was published in 1937, and The Grapes of Wrath was published in 1939.
Like most of John Steinbeck’s fictional...
