Getting inside the author's life is to get inside the mind

Guess what. The reason why John Steinbeck wrote so much about poverty is the poor guy lived through the depression.  So impovered people and tough times  are all through his novels. I always tease that Alice Walker must have seen early on a lot of abuse women in her time.  She often writes about how these women over come.  Remember The Color Purple, In Love and in Trouble.  What about the main character in The Third Life of Grange Copeland. Understand that researching the author's background is huge when you are examining his or her short stories.  You may be able to weave a little of this information into your draft and final research paper.  So the perfect place to start is that database Student Research Center that I've shown you.  In this database, you want to search the biographies section. Just be open to the life of your author influencing the writing that flows outward.