authors, John Steinbeck puts a lot of himself in his novels. In his novels we can see self-characters, representing Steinbeck himself in some ways and also hidden characters that represent his family, his friends and the events of his life. We also see how the people he met in his life resulted in his interest in some major themes that are seen in many of his novels. The greatest of these themes is the question of what is real wealth, which this question provoked by Steinbeck's own family and childhood and also his interaction with poor farm workers.

The greatest example of self-character is seen in East of Eden. In A Journal of a Novel: The East of Eden Letter Steinbeck calls the novel "the story of my country and the story of me." The story is narrated by Steinbeck as himself, telling the story as the Grandson of the...
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