“Ideas are like rabbits. You get a couple and learn how to handle them, and pretty soon you have a dozen.” John Steinbeck was a firm believer in the idea that literature could change the way that people think and perceive the world. John Steinbeck was born in California in the early 1900s. Around this time, Theodore Roosevelt was president, the Philippine war was coming to a close, and Cuba was gaining their independence from the United States. Living in the more undeveloped frontier in California, John Steinbeck found that the nature and the environment around him inspired him to be more creative. As he matured as an author, he transitioned from writing short stories to writing novels. A number of his works such as, Of Mice of Men and The Pearl are highly…show more content… John Steinbeck even went on to earn a Nobel Prize for his literature in 1962. John Steinbeck was one of the most successful authors of the 20th century. His works are still discussed and widely read today. John Steinbeck wrote on a variety of themes that ranged from political and cultural issues to environmental and moral issues. His books Of Mice of Men and The Pearl had a very large impact on American literature and continue to inspire readers today. He changed the way many think and see the world that they live in and was one of the most influential authors of the 20th century. John’s early life greatly factored into the type of writer that he turned out to be. According to Tom Ito’s The Importance of John Steinbeck, John was born in 1903 in Salinas Valley, California.He was the third child among the four total kids that John Ernst Steinbeck and Olive Hamilton Steinbeck. His three sisters names were Elizabeth, Esther, and Mary. When John was born most of the environment around him was undeveloped,