For instance, when Steinbeck accepted the Nobel Prize for Literature, in his acceptance speech he said, "The ancient commission of the writer has not changed. He is charged with exposing many of our grievious faults and failures, with dreding up to the light our dark and dangerous dreams for the purpose of improvement" (George, 83)
Among other jobs, Steinbeck was a journalist before becoming a well-known novelist. He also spent some time working on ranches in order to better understand the lives of the migrant workers" (Kew)
However, in the mid 19th century the biggest pull for people to come to California was the desire to participate in the gold rush and to find some immediate wealth for oneself. Much of what influenced Steinbeck's stories were the events in the nation that Steinbeck lived through himself (Meltzer, 73)
He once wrote, 'I want the participation of my reader. I want him to be so involved that it will be his story'" (Schultz, viii)
This stylistic choice is in many ways a complete necessity because "Of Mice and Men explores a lot of fundamental issues that were prevalent during the early years of the twentieth century: discrimination, the roles of women in society, the dangers and consequences of being injured on the job, the unsophisticated judicial system, the lack of opportunity for upward mobility, and the cruel hardships of farm life. Above all, Steinbeck tackles the never-ending universal issue of human rights" (Weisberg)
He was also sensitive about his reputation. Although he continued to write into the 1960s, he felt critics only praised his books from the 1930s" (Williams, 4)