Cannery Row by John Steinbeck is a novel containing the problems that people in old Monterey, California, dealt with. Steinbeck grew up in this broken town and watched how life worked around him. Steinbeck himself went through these struggles of having multiple secret insecurities while others perceived him as much different. John Steinbeck now writes about the reality of how people are not always what they seem to be.
First of all the theme can be clearly seen when the novel compares expectations versus reality. The first example is, “In spite of his friendliness and his friends Doc was a lonely and set apart man” (Steinbeck 100). In the beginning of the novel Steinbeck portrays Doc as someone who is friendly and very nice, although deep
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An even better example is, “When there was laughter at a joke he didn’t understand Frankie laughed delightedly behind his chair and when the conversation dealt with abstractions his brow furrowed and he became intent and serious” (Steinbeck 59). Frankie pretends to understand what they are talking about to fit in with them and try to be more adult-like. He feels as though if he acts different the adults will like him more.
Last but not least is that no matter what something or somewhere may look like, it can always contain beauty. The first great example is, “House-ridden, the boys grew tired of squatting on the floor. Their eyes became outraged by the bare board walls. Because it sheltered them the house grew dear to them” (Steinbeck 40). This quote shows how something like an old beat up house can be something much more on the inside. The house contains love and care inside with family and friends living inside of it. An example even better than the first is, “...as a man once said ‘whores, pimps, gamblers, and sons of bitches,’ by which he meant Everybody. Had 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). This quote shows how perspective works, someone may look at a town such as Cannery Row and not
Achieving “The American Dream” is a great desire for all but rarely does it ever come true (website). Discrimination is a major theme in Of Mice and Men. Most of the characters are discriminated against for various reasons. Another major theme is male friendship. Friendships are symbiotic relationships, where people share their talents and qualities to help each other through life (website). An important additional theme is loneliness and companionship. Most of the characters are lonely for the reason of they are working on a ranch with no companionship. Steinbeck illustrates how the characters respond to discrimination, male friendship, as well as loneliness and companionship.
Nyerere’s “One Party Government” and Lao-Tzu’s “Thoughts of the Tao-te Ching” are both relevant/ applicable to aspects of Steinbeck’s Cannery Row. Nyerere’s essay, “One-Party Government” highlights the idea of community, which is prevalent throughout Steinbeck’s Cannery Row. The idea of community is a major theme in Cannery Row, it is shown in many different ways. The idea of community is most prominent when there was an influenza outbreak and the community had to come together to get through it. In Nyerere’s essay, the idea of community is greatly emphasized; he emphasizes that the idea of community is an essential part for the success of any society.
The Cannery Row is like a domino, if one member drops than the rest are affected by it. Cannery Row was written by John Steinbeck. He was one of the finest authors during 1900s. His stories mostly take place during the Great Depression in Monterey, California. He wrote about migrant workers and people lifestyle during the Great Depression. Even though he was a fictional author, he kept his books close to reality and connected to the current event. This story is identical to a domino because Cannery Row use to be a happy and beautiful town but after Macks and his friends fallout it turns into a dull and sad place. The reason behind their fallout was when Mack and his friends decided to give a surprising party. When they were preparing for the party, some drunks broke into the party from La Ida created a chaos. This chaos caused the boys to fight with them and fight with them which led to Doc’s laboratory. In Cannery Row, John Steinbeck, shows how everyone is interconnected in the community and if one part of a community fails then
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 Steinbeck’s Cannery Row, the gopher story parallels the story at the beginning about the silk worm. Steinbeck used the story to portray his approach to writing the book and “let the stories crawl in by themselves”. It sets up the book as the gopher story closes it out. The gopher seems to convey the overall destiny of Cannery Row. They start out in great environments. Even in the prime of the life to achieve the desires. The patience wears thin to and is convince to make a way. Then there is an acceptance of doing what they have to truly be satisfied. Even if it means risking being uncomfortable and trapped, what their hearts desire is worth it. The story ends open ended, leaving the reader unsure of the fate that is ahead.
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 is a tight community that Steinbeck uses as an example of common life. A vital niche in this system of life is Mack and his gang of fellow bums. In the words of Steinbeck, “Mack is the elder, leader, mentor, and to a small extent the
In the story Cannery Row Loneliness is a main theme to the characters lives. One of these themes is Loneliness. 'He was a dark and lonesome looking man' No one loved him. No one cared about him'(Page 6). The severity of his solitude makes this theme one of the most important. The seclusion of this man can penetrate ones innermost thoughts and leave them with a sense of belonging after hearing of this
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.
The minor characters in John Steinbeck’s novel Cannery Row are a contradiction within themselves. Steinbeck shows two conflicting sides to each character; for example, Mack is smart and lazy and some of his colleagues are both good and bad. Doc is a father figure with some bad habits. Dora Flood is a kind-hearted saint who happens to run a brothel. Lee Chong is a shrewd businessman who likes to take advantage of others. Henri is an artist with a French background even though he isn’t from France. Through his characters, Steinbeck shows that humans are complicated and can have many faces.
John Steinbeck’s “Cannery Row” shows how people living there dealt with the hardships brought by the Great Depression. Steinbeck set his novel in the 1930’s in Cannery Row, California. The canneries are an integral part of the fish industry and Steinbeck makes the ailing American economy a critical part of everyone’s lives in his novel. He show how different characters, with different points of view with the exact same situation.
Cannery Row is a 208 page novel written by author John Steinbeck divided into 32 chapters with a loose but linear main storyline interrupted by various vignettes referencing acts of direct and indirect violence, and the cruelty of the world. The book begins with
Steinbeck uses feelings of happiness, obligation, and love to establish the theme of friendship is
The author I chose to compare and contrast two of his works is John Steinbeck, and the two works I chose is “The Cannery Row” (1945) and the Winter of our Discontent” (1961). The first story “the Cannery Row” takes place during the Great Depression in Monterey, California and a well market place were hard working go every day in a lower level part of town. This story surrounds a group of hard working individual who have a different outlook on what society thinks the typical successful person is. My second story, however doesn’t take place during the Great Depression, but does involve a very wealthy family that over time eventually became broke. During this story one family member does whatever it takes by any means necessary to put his family back on top after being pressured by the locals after his family name hits rock bottom. Even though both stories take place years apart the both have similarities to the characters that are in the stories.
John Steinbeck, an American novelist, is well-known for his familiar themes of depression and loneliness. He uses these themes throughout a majority of his novels. These themes come from his childhood and growing up during the stock market crash. A reader can see his depiction of his childhood era. In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck shows the prominent themes of loneliness, the need for relationships, and the loss of dreams in the 1930s through the novels’ character.