John Steinbeck

Context:

Mentioned as an example of the cultural image of poor Midwesterners moving west to California, similar to Marilyn's mother's story.

Context:

Referenced as an example from 1907 of a novel depicting someone sucking scorpion venom from a baby, used to illustrate common but incorrect survival tropes found in literature and media.

Context:

The book is discussed in relation to abalone harvesting and the setting of Monterey Bay. Steve asks Joshua if he has read it, noting that Steinbeck wrote about the Great Depression era. They discuss specific content from the book, including characters who worked in a bar and collected leftover drinks in a bucket, and how the characters were avid abalone poachers. The discussion occurs when they're talking about abalone diving and the history of abalone harvesting in California.