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Duality In Cannery Row

Decent Essays

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

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