Women's Role in Steinbeck's Novels John Steinbeck was born in 1902 in the Salinas Valley in California. This is also the setting for most of his early works in the 1930s. It is two of these works "The Chrysanthemums" and "The White Quail" that I will focus on when explaining the role of women in Steinbeck's novels during this period. The women in "The Chrysanthemums" and "The White Quail" are used to show the reader the …showed first 75 words of 1532 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1532 total…there is more to life than the mere mundane routine of everyday life. They are trying to use their relationship with Mother Nature to realize their dreams of being more than they really are. However, the world outside is unwilling to allow this to happen and this leads to frustration and antagonistic behavior in the women. In the end both women suffer because of their dreams and are harshly reminded of their place in society.