Cannery Row: A Literary Excavation on Duality Cannery Row is a town located in Monterey, California. Despite being small, dirty and crowded, it is a well functioned town and is home to people from different walks of life. In the novel’s prologue, John Steinbeck wrote the following: “Its inhabitants are, as one man once said, ‘whores, pimps, gamblers, and sons of bitches’ by which he meant Everybody” and “[have] the man looked through another peephole he might have said: ‘Saints and angels and martyrs and holy men,’ and he would have meant the same thing” (Steinbeck 1). He basically comments that the difference in viewpoints given the same event results from the power of perspective and duality observed in people. One might see Cannery Row as a low-down place while the others might see Cannery Row as a lively, vigorous town. One would see a character’s actions disputable while the others would see their behaviors admirable. The viewpoints of the readers and the way characters behave at various times explain the fact that Cannery Row and its inhabitants possess qualities crossing good and evil.
Cannery Row begins with the character Lee Chong, a small grocery owner that supplies the town. Lee was depicted as a kind and generous man, and his good nature was reflected through his appearance and personality. Steinbeck states that “[his] mouth was full and benevolent and the flash of gold when he smiled was rich and warm” (Steinbeck 7). This simple passage gives us a clear first
In any form of written work, the author will give each of the character a set of different characteristics. John Steinbeck is no different. He does, however, gives many of his characters a similar, concurrent trait; that trait is dignity. It can be seen in characters of Steinbeck’s books, The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men. The Grapes of Wrath is about a family’s journey Oklahoma to California, in hopes of a new life, after being evicted from their previous home. Similarly, Of Mice and Men is about two guys in California who travel together, trying to save money in order to buy a plot of their own land. Character’s from these two books that share the characteristic of having dignity, also share another similarity; they are all
In John Steinbeck’s Cannery Row, Mack and his ravenous companions depart the inhospitable coastal fog of Monterey, California, and head east toward Carmel Valley, searching for sun.
In describing the land, Steinbeck is showing humanity is continuously immersed in a struggle of good versus evil; he suggests “the way in which this sense of opposed absolutes rises from deep within man, representing something profound and inevitable in human consciousness” (Owens).
The final noteworthy theme in the story Cannery Row was Remuneration. Remuneration is the most memorable thing a person can do
Human behavior is a function of the environment that he/she is brought up in because it is the environment that shapes the person’s morals. This statement is openly validated in the novel Cannery Row where an inclusive community is built as a result of good morals that have been developed and shaped by the environment. Cannery Row is novel that was published in 1945 by John Steinbeck in Monterey. It was named after a waterfront street in California which had sardine caning factories. According to Grasse et al (75), fellowship and warm-heartedness is all that is required to form a united and successful community. Wealth is important part of one’s life but it should not take away the person’s happiness. Steinbeck in his work uses the characters of the novel to communicate this message in a clear and understandable manner. The name of the novel matches with the actual meaning that the writer wanted to communicate the readers. He used the name to enable the readers to be able to relate the novel’s actual meaning with authentic opinions.
Mistreated because of difference, because of gender, because of race, because of mental ability, mistreated because of “otherness”. Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck, describes the hard life of working on a ranch during the Great Depression. It is possible that Of Mice and Men is written to inform readers that otherness is when a character is excluded because of their characteristics. However, I believe Steinbeck’s point is much deeper, establishing that otherness is the weak inflicting pain on the weaker because of their shared pain of ostracism. He does this by illustrating the lives of Candy, Crooks, and Curley’s wife as they all struggle with being oppressed because they do not fit the societal standard or “norm”. Steinbeck pulls our attention to the interactions between each “other”, the characters that don’t fit the “norm”. He wants us to realize the consequences of a norm lead to weakness, starting oppression between the oppressed.
“Listen to me, you crazy bastard,” “Don 't you even take a look at the bitch. In this quote, it shines light on how people treat each other during the book and how they act when they are near each other. Instead of saying nice words, they bring people down in Mice and Men. Individuals in the story use mean phrases and words to use against people that are not the same as them or that doesn’t look like them. Why does the author use derogatory terms in his book Mice and Men, what message was he trying to send to his readers? “In John Steinbeck 's novel Of Mice and Men, the author illustrates that people discriminate against one another because they want to feel better about themselves and to gain self-pride.
The social setting in Maycomb County has a profound effect on the expectations in the novel. Initially, all individuals of Maycomb know about each other’s background and upbringing for
In John Steinbeck’s novel Of Mice and Men characters in the novel are segregated by sex, race, age, physical and mental disabilities. John Steinbeck portrays the intolerance and bigotry of 1930’s America through the separation of his characters based on their handicaps. Lennie, Candy, Candy’s dog, Curley’s wife and Crooks all face social pressure from the other characters on the ranch based on their intelligence, physical disability, age, sex and color. Stereotyping based on ethnic or physical characteristics is typical to the 1930’s depression where civil rights for minority groups had not yet been addressed. Almost all of the characters who, in
“Prejudice is a great time saver. You can form opinions without having to get the facts.” This quote, once said by E. B. White, excellently states what the novel, Of Mice and Men, is trying to clearly state. Of Mice and Men is a profound novel that has many things to teach society. This novel, written by John Steinbeck, reflects many flaws in the world today. It mirrors many of the characteristics that every human possesses. Prejudice is still a common way of thinking in today’s society, and to the people who feel victimized, it can be hard to overcome. Curley’s wife, Lennie, and Crooks all deal with prejudice against themselves different ways.
Characters in The Grapes of Wrath are often contrasted to emphasize certain qualities in their relationships, the most notable being a lack of empathy versus a caring and generous nature. Steinbeck’s use of juxtaposition is key to understanding the significance of the contrast involving the landowners and the migrants and why they cannot share sympathies and opinions. These two groups are both rivals and continuously reinforce differences in their lifestyles, and such is the case for the landowners and migrants, which are two drastically different classes that will not cooperate. The migrants are searching for job opportunities and safe places, but are often cheated by the landowners, who are corrupted by their drive for cheap labor and, ultimately, riches,
Southerners are known to be proud of their traditional beliefs. To Kill A Mockingbird allows its readers to question and consider those beliefs. Maycomb represents a typical old southern town. Not many people move into Maycomb and not many people who live there journey beyond its boundaries. As a result, the opinions held by many of the citizens of Maycomb are left to grow and foster in the same families for many generations. The circumstances in Maycomb are less than ideal for generating change and more prone to sustaining traditionally accepted codes. Two codes embedded within southern social beliefs are class and race.
The novella, “Of Mice and Men” by John Steinbeck , is set in California in the 1930s. The story revolves around and Lennie and George, two workers who travel together. They find their way to Salinas Valley, where they hope to begin work. They hope to make it big, get rich, and buy some land for themselves. However, they encounter some challenges that could possibly be a roadblock to their dreams. One of these challenges is discrimination because not everybody in the novella is treated equally. Discrimination is displayed in many ways in the book, especially with the characters of Lennie, Crooks, Curley’s wife, and Candy. Lenny is discriminated against because he is mentally disabled, Crooks is black, Curley's wife is a woman, and Candy is old.
In Steinbeck’s novel, Of Mice and Men, power struggles are an evident topic in social groups, racial groups and between individuals. Lennie struggles against his ill-equipped mind’s way of viewing the world, Crooks faces discrimination because of the colour of his skin, and three separate people all experience feelings of loneliness and isolation.
Maycomb… a small town, but with a huge amount of different perspectives. Depending on their perspective, their view on the world around them can either be favourable or atrocious. Harper Lee shows perspective through the characters in her novel: To Kill A Mockingbird, she shows different perspectives through the lives of the citizens of Maycomb County, one of whom being Atticus Finch. Atticus Finch is the down-to-earth, well-mannered father of Jeremy ”Jem” Finch and Jean Louise “Scout” Finch. He shows us a level-headed perspective on his surroundings, therefore making him the symbol for morality and reason in this story.