Cannery Row Essay

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

The novel Of Mice and Men written by John Steinbeck is set in America in the 1930’s and it describes the lives of migrant farmers as they go from farm to farm looking for jobs. It also shows the loneliness of the characters and the hard work that they put in. The main characters of the book are Lennie, a man-child, and George, a small man but very powerful character that takes care of Lennie in their journey. Also when they get to the farm they meet the bosses wife who is very lonely and looks for company in the workers. Steinbeck uses characterization to bring his characters to life using various techniques.

Steinbeck not only uses realism to make an impact on his readers but he also uses strong characterization to his advantage as well (Howard). By using characters such as Ma Joad and Curley's wife, he is able to personalize the novel for the reader. This technique that Steinbeck uses makes the reader feel like he/she can relate with the characters' struggles, therefore, creating a greater sense of understanding toward the characters' situations (Horn). These two characters can best be described as strong, courageous, and they show great amounts of

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 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.

A corpse is found by Doc and it reminds him of his deceased love, bringing back painful memories This shows the negative side of the world and society’s cruelties. Doc is handling of the situation suggests that in Cannery Row, no problem is too major to deal with. Another character was named Hazel because in his family the name was considered lucky with regard to wealth. This underscores how interested everyone was in increasing wealth.

            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

Deep down inside, each person has a strong desire for a companion. Someone you can trust, who you can learn from and teach, but most importantly, one who can always be there for you no matter what happens. The relationship between the intelligent and feeble George Milton and the imbecile, but vigorous Lennie Small is displayed as the main objective in Steinbeck 's novel, Of Mice and Men. The description among these two characters is a form of juxtaposition because the two characters vary in several ways. The author’s intention of using this technique points out the differences between characters and how their personalities counteract each other significantly.

Steinbeck has written ''Of Mice And Men '' about an adventure of George and Lennie trying to accomplish their American dream's during the Great Depression during the 1930's where thousands of people lost their jobs in the Wall Street Crash making them feel hopeless. George and Lennie come to work at a ranch near Soledad in California. There they meet fellow ranch mates and a woman called Curley's Wife. In this essay I will focus on how Curley's Wife's personality and actions change throughout the novella and who she affect her and other bunkmates throughout the novella. In addition to that I would be showing how Steinbeck creates tension by using Curleys Wife.

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.

In John Steinbeck's classic novella “Of Mice and Men” is set in the late 1920’s in Soledad, California. Throughout the book, Lennie Smalls and Curley's Wife are two characters who struggle the most. Lennie is a mentally handicapped man who is too strong for his own good, while Curley's wife is a woman who is barred to any interaction with others, besides her husband Curley. She is often looked over and treated like she is worthless and not worthy of anyone's time. Steinbeck developed many different themes throughout the book by portraying characters differently.

Throughout the novella, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck demonstrates his cynical impression of American society during the 1930’s. Whilst reading Of Mice and Men, readers gain the impression that Steinbeck used his novella as a medium of disproving many common ideologies of the time in hopes of creating a healthier society. One of the most prominent themes throughout this novella is that there are many in this world who suffer, but to no avail as the rest of humanity stands to the side and looks down upon them offering no aid. In order to prove this point, Steinbeck introduces an abundance of characters with different impediments, including their race, gender, and mental or physical state, all of which are unalterable

In Cannery Row, written by American author John Steinbeck in 1945, the story revolves around the people living there. The author describes the milieu as realistic as possible with a slight negative and disrespected twist. John illustrates the ambience as a stink and scattered street with grating noises, chipped pavement and substandard inhabitants. He almost wishes the reader to despise the area of Cannery Row, but at the same time, his aspiration is to let the reader dive deeply into the world of Monterey, California.

Despite the fact that Doc is respected and admired in town, he “[is] a lonely and a set-apart man” (Steinbeck 96). Like the gopher, Doc is at an unsuited place looking for what it doesn’t offer- love and happiness. Although Cannery Row is a rather perfect neighborhood for most of its populace, in terms of the town’s peacefulness and acceptability, it lacks what Doc is searching for. Because Cannery Row cannot provide Doc’s personal longings, the ending of the book insinuates that it is best for Doc to move out of Cannery Row and find a new place that is not necessarily perfect but perfect for him. Furthermore, Mack is often regarded as a social outcast despite his rather good intentions (Steinbeck 132). It is harder for Mack to be accepted in Cannery Row due to his longstanding unfavorable reputation, but the gopher suggests that perhaps Mack can start fresh if he moves to someplace where he isn’t known as an

In John Steinbeck’s Cannery Row, Steinbeck focuses on traditional society but a society with different values. His society is the traditional society including class, the homeless, uneducated, but instead Steinbeck captures the humanity in the homeless, the bums, and prostitutes along with the uneducated. Steinbeck carries out the riches parts in the characters personalities and isn’t defining them for riches in their bank accounts. He uses friendship and sacrifice as their “humanity scale” in the novel.