Journal: Journal for Baptist Theology & Ministry
Volume: JBTM 08:2 (Fall 2011)
Article: The Meaning Of Life In The Writings Of John Steinbeck
Author: A. Ronald Tonks

JBTM 8:2 (Fall 2011) p. 138

The Meaning Of Life In The Writings Of John Steinbeck

A. Ronald Tonks

Dr. Tonks is retired Professor of History at Middle Tennessee University. He was a fellow doctoral student in Church History with Dr. Holcomb at Southern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Understanding the meaning of life has long challenged humans. The str the inconsistencies of one’s environment can test the human spirit. How do we make uggle to understand sense of life?

The struggle to comprehend the meaning of life has also challenged many modern writers. Increased study of the theme in numerous authors does not alleviate or mitigate the problem but often seems to compound it. The issue of the meaning of life seems to gain greater attention in times of insecurity, particularly when the suffering and hardships of man come clearly to the fore. The question persists. How does one determine meaning and still make effective moral choices?

This short study of John Steinbeck’s writings offers some insight into his interpretation of the meaning of life. Extreme care must be taken to avoid the impression that Steinbeck’s writings are religious or theological in emphasis. Writing at mid-century, John Killinger asserted that few works of true literary merit in recent times have adequately presented the Christian faith.1 In fact using the term “Christian literature” in referring to the writings of Steinbeck is to misunderstand seriously both the Christian faith and the emphases Steinbeck himself makes. It should not, however, minimize the realization that some specific Christian emphases do exist in his writings. In addition, one cannot assign single, dogmatic or even firm convictions to most authors’ writings. Steinbeck’s life spanned two World Wars, the Great Depression, the Korean War, and the Vietnam Conflict, and those events were indelibly impressed upon his mind. The intent of this paper is to note some progression of thought as well as the change of emphasis throughout Steinbeck’s writing career. The thought patterns found in The Grapes of Wrath (1939) are clearly different from those seen in The Moon is Down (1942) or The Winter of Our Discontent (1962).

John Steinbeck (1902–1968), was born in Salinas, California, to parents of Prussian ancestry with modest means.2 His father served as treasurer of Monterey County, California, and his

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mother was a school teacher. In his early life he seems to have lacked a clear sense of direction and moved frequently from one job to another. Even though he constantly moved from one place t...