John Steinbeck's Life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

John Steinbecks Life - Essay ExamplePublished in the Stanford Spectator, a student enterprise, Fingers of infect seems out of place within its own deceptively-titled context, and, indeed, has been out of place, beyond the pens of Steinbeck critics, for over eighty years. Only Hughes and Timmerman have ventured more than the obligatory sentence or both that Steinbecks biographers have deigned to scribe and share. Hughess most helpful contribution is re-stating Thomas Kiernans biographical information concerning Steinbecks job as straw-boss on the Spreckels sugar-beet ranch in January 1921 (Hughes 4-5), which is likely the derriere for some of the content in Fingers of Cloud Timmermans is noting the mysterious pull of the mountains upon the human spirit in the story, which would surface in later works of Steinbecks, and insisting, incorrectly, that Steinbecks initial pass is clearly inferior when compared with the later Steinbeck canon (Timmerman 11, 22). Regardless of the opinions regarding the source and worth of Fingers and Cloud, ecocriticism of Steinbecks first story, as well as its place within Steinbecks overall environmental context, have never been attempted. Fingers of Cloud is brief, only five pages long. In the story a young orphaned woman named Gertie appears, sweeping the floors of her house, singing gaily to herself. Steinbeck describes Gerties flat, tip face, her benign smile, her hair, as white as a washed sheeps wool and nearly as curly, and her pink eyes (160). In the span of only a few pages, Gertie ascends a mountain gets caught in a rainstorm barges into a Filipino labor camp meets, seduces, and is seduced by Pedro, the boss is married to him the following day sets up house within the labor camp gets beaten for days after realizes and makes realized her whiteness and her new husbands blackness and then, finally, re-ascends the mountain after apparently difference Pedro, for good, behind. In terms of characterization, setting, and dialo gue, Fingers of Cloud offers tantalizing tastes of Steinbecks style--a style that would allow Steinbeck to begin realizing his deepest wish, and a style that would cement his status as Americans finest twentieth century American writer. Steinbecks first character, Gertie, disregards her worldly duties, embracing instead the brilliant mystery of tall mountains and bright skies. At the storys opener, Gertie chants to herself, Dont have to sweep no more--dont have to wash no more--dont have to do absolutely nothin--no more (160), repeating the last two words for extra effect. With her parents absent, and the family home now her own, the naive Gertie is well aware of her newfound freedom but does not yet realize how an absence of human connections will negatively impact her life, which comes into play later in Steinbecks story. It is as if, with her produce and father gone, Gerties purpose departs and though her life may now be carefree, an emptiness still remains. Thus, Gertie decides to leave behind her neighborhood--which is a monotonous collection of houses and fences and cheat on plots followed immediately by new houses and fences and grass plots (160)--and instead succumbs to the pull of the wild from the top of a mountain. Interestingly enough, upon