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Transcript

A presentation by

Michael James and Dejuan Gair

John Steinbeck Bio

Steinbeck's novels can all be classified as social novels dealing with the economic problems of rural labour, but there is also a streak of worship of the soil in his books, which does not always agree with his matter-of-fact sociological approach. After the rough and earthy humour of Tortilla Flat, he moved on to more serious fiction, often aggressive in its social criticism, to In Dubious Battle (1936), which deals with the strikes of the migratory fruit pickers on California plantations. This was followed by Of Mice and Men (1937), the story of the imbecile giant Lennie, and a series of admirable short stories collected in the volume The Long Valley (1938). In 1939 he published what is considered his best work, The Grapes of Wrath, the story of Oklahoma tenant farmers who, unable to earn a living from the land, moved to California where they became migratory workers.

Among his later works should be mentioned East of Eden (1952), The Winter of Our Discontent (1961), and Travels with Charley (1962), a travelogue in which Steinbeck wrote about his impressions during a three-month tour in a truck that led him through forty American states. He died in New York City in 1968.

Summary of "Breakfast"

The story “Breakfast” shows that the most important thing is contentment. If man has contentment, he can be happy even if he has no house, no permanent job, and no good food to eat.

Once, the writer is going somewhere. On his way, he sees a young woman working outside her tent. The writer is feeling cold and hunger. He goes to the tent. He finds the woman preparing breakfast.

An old man and a young man came out of the tent. They offer the writer to join them for breakfast. The writer agrees. All of them sit on the ground and enjoy a good breakfast. The old man and the young man thank God for that good breakfast. They have been eating good food only for twelve days, but they are happy.

After the breakfast, the young man offers the writer a job, but the writer denies and departs saying thanks for the breakfast. At the end, the writer expresses his feelings.

Importance in American Literature

Steinbeck's place in American literature is assured by his late 1930s novels about the plight of the working class: In Dubious Battle (1936), Of Mice and Men (1937), and the Prize-winning The Grapes of Wrath (1939). His travels across 40 states in the us allowed him to covey ideas from those experiences into his later novels.

"Breakfast"

from Grapes of Wrath

by John Steinbeck

Introduction

John Steinbeck (1902-1968), born in Salinas, California, came from a family of moderate means. He worked his way through college at Stanford University but never graduated. In 1925 he went to New York, where he tried for a few years to establish himself as a free-lance writer, but he failed and returned to California. After publishing some novels and short stories, Steinbeck first became widely known with his story Tortilla Flat (1935), a series of humorous stories about Monterey paisanos most artistically satisfying work.

Analysis

Overall Themes

One overall theme of Breakfast is beauty in simplicity. Through the use of simple setting, imagery, dialogue, and characters that are uncomplex yet stunning this idea is expressed.

Secondly, the idea that those who are disadvantaged are more willing to share what they have is expressed through the sharing of a meal and an offer to the narrator to work picking cotton.

Literary Elements

  • change in time period (flashback)
  • imagery
  • details
  • colloquial language
  • personification ("dancing reflections")
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