The Hamiltons and Steinbecks in Fact and Fiction

Steinbeck's father could be a moody man, much like Adam Trask. Many of Steinbeck's recorded comments about his father note his quietness, his sense of failure, his remoteness. After his financial reversals of 1912–1918, Mr. Steinbeck, much like Adam Trask, felt like an old man and was in his late 40s and early 50s. But like Adam, there was much to admire in Mr. Steinbeck. Steinbeck wrote of him in an article on Arthur Miller, written in 1957: "My father was a great man, as any lucky man's father must be. He taught me rules I do not think are abrogated by our nervous and hysterical times. These laws have not been annulled; these rules of attitudes. He taught me—glory to God, honor to my family, loyalty to my friends, respect for the law, love of country and instant and open revolt against tyranny, whether it come from the bully in the schoolyard, the foreign dictator, or the local demagogue."

Source: "The Trial of Arthur Miller," Esquire, June 1957.

Photo Credit: The Steinbeck House / Valley Guild  

• Mother Olive Steinbeck
• Grandmother Liza Hamilton
• Grandfather Sam Hamilton