No writer portrays more vividly than John Steinbeck what it was like to live through the Great Depression of the 1930s. His stories and novels capture the poverty , desperation, and social injustice experienced by many working-class Americans during this bleak period. As in the works of Naturalist writers like Stephen Crane and Jack London, Steinbeck's characters struggles desperately against forces beyond their understanding or control. While many of his characters suffer tragic fates they almost always exhibit bravery and dignity in their struggles