We visited the National Steinbeck Center in nearby Salinas this afternoon. Steinbeck is one of my favorite authors; in particular, I love East of Eden, which I've read three times. As a 14 year-old student in Barbados, we spent a term (semester) reading and discussing Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath - I can still clearly remember my Catholic school class of 30 young girls giggling over the phase "... them guys is so full of piss and vinegar..."And what self-respecting RV'er does not relate to Travels with Charlie?
The 20-minute drive to Salinas took us through a mere sliver of California's great Central Valley, providing a glimpse of the amazing variety and productivity of this 22,500 square mile alluvial plain.
Many people who have never been to this state think only of Hollywood, San Francisco, and or San Diego when the subject of California comes up. But there is a WHOLE lot more to California! This state grows immense quantities of produce and fruit, cattle-ranching is still prominent in many areas, and there are millions of acres stretching from San Diego to north of the Bay area where grapes of many varieties are grown to produce wines that are enjoyed around the world.
Having worked in the fields himself, Steinbeck had first-hand knowledge of the lives of migrant workers and tenant farmers, and he wrote about this in many of his works - in particular, his Pulitzer Prize winner Grapes of Wrath. He felt a deep empathy for the humble (and often mistreated) migrant workers, and Grapes of Wrath took a hard look at the plight of the poor during the Great Depression, provoking the ire of many who attacked Steinbeck's social and political views. The book was banned from some schools and libraries, and was even publicly burned. But, nonetheless, Grapes of Wrath was read by millions and earned Steinbeck the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962. It still stands today as a great American novel.
An afternoon with Steinbeck is always well spent.
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