Steinbeck thinks that "The desert, being an unwanted place, might well be the last stand of life against unlife."

When thinking of a similar environment that might be true to Steinbeck's thinking, "The dessert, being an unwanted place, might well be the last stand of life against unlife" might be the artic regions. Similar to the desert, very little life inhabits this area and those who are living in this environment must fight to survive.
When looking at the artic regions, there are many aspects that make it similar to the desert that Steinbeck reefer to. Not many life forms live in the artic regions because of the extreme cold just as not many life forms live in the desert because it is extremely hot. In the winter the artic inhabitants must fight to stay alive by avoiding their predators, but while doing that they must also find food. There are no plants in the artic regions; therefore fish and other water animals serve as food. But we must consider that the artic is cold, and not many animals inhabit the waters there, making food scarce for the predators and more dangerous for the prey.
When looking at how the dessert and artic are similar, I see that life must fight to survive. We see that we are able to substitute the artic in place of the desert.