John Steinbeck's Way of Life and Critical Analysis of Cannery Row

John Steinbeck was born on February 27, 1902 in his hometown Salinas, California. His full name is John Ernst Steinbeck and his mother was Olive Hamilton, and his father was John Ernst Steinbeck Sr.. John Steinbeck's father was a bookkeeper who also worked as an accountant as the potion of treasure for the Monterey, County. As if his mother Olive Hamilton she was a school teacher. Which happens to be were John Steinbeck fell in love with literature and then wanted to pursue a career later on in his life. John Steinbeck was influenced by a book that he read which was “Le Morte d'Arthur” written by Thomas Malory. Later on, when Steinbeck grew up he worked as a agricultural labor and a laboratory assistant.

John Steinbeck takes these job opportunities to help support himself through the six year of education he took at Stanford University. Where he decided at the time to only attend and take classes he loved without knowing what he was gonna major in or graduate as. Afterwards Steinbeck decides to take a boat and travel to New York City. After arriving to the city that never sleeps. He decides to try to write his first romance novel. Which happens to be Cup of Gold which he wrote in the year 1929, but once he finished his novel and submitted it for printing. His novel was rejected and unsuccessful. Sadly afterwards Steinbeck decides to return back to California and decides to ditch all the non fiction novels and starts to writing more fictional novels. He soon develops a series of short novels starting with his first one called The Pastures of Heaven. Then followed many more, but once he wrote Tortilla Flat in 1935. Steinbeck received positive and successful reactions to his novel. Afterwards came along The Grapes of Wrath where he receives a Pulitzer Prize in the year 1940.

Years follow by when Steinbeck decide to enroll in the military during World War 1. He served as foreign correspondent. From that experience that steinbeck took he later developed his nonfiction novel The Story of a Bomber Team in 1942. Followed by a series of collections that he created while in the military serving as a correspondent. A few years go by and John Steinbeck had already married three times and had two sons. Carol Henning was his first wife and were married from 1930-1942 when they got divorced due to the fact that John Steinbeck was really getting into writing and using his wife's paycheck for support without her consent. He then later remarried in 1944 named Gwyndolyn Conger and they lasted up to four years which was in the year 1948 when they got divorced. Then after his second divorce Steinbeck decides to remarry for the third time with Elaine Anderson Scott. After many years of writing novels and living a crazy life and going through so many marriages, but finally settling down. Sadly, Steinbeck passess away caused by a heart dieases had. His death happen on December 20, 1968 at his home located in New York City.

Form, Structure, and plot:

Cannery Row is a story that is set in the great depression time in the Monterey County area. The story’s plot is based off Mack and his friends who are trying to do something spectacular and nice for there friend Doc. Who has been a wonderful friend and supporter to them without asking for any type of payment or reward in exchange. Then Mack decides to throw a thank you surprise party and the whole community quickly becomes involve. The way the novel is structured is really simple in my opinion. The book consists with thirty-two interesting and virtuous chapters. In total the book has 200 pages and is organized as any other chapter book. Some of the storylines are really simple and complex to read as Steinbeck uses some really interesting wording at the time. The time period it cover is the time frame of the great depression in the Monterey, County. The way the events are laid out in the book is like a really bumpy roller coaster do to the fact that some bad events happen really unexpectedly same thing with the good events.

Point of View:

The point of view that Steinbeck uses to write his novel is first person point of view, and second person point of view. Steinbeck also writes in third omniscient. The point of view also changes back and forth just because Steinbeck starts to throw in some different perspective from other characters. The effect that the author causes to the reader to feel and experience what the characters are going through at that point. Steinbeck also achieves with his point of view is that he is trying to tell the story of his community. By doing this Steinbeck is really wanting the reader to understand everyone's point of view and not just a one person perspective. Which shows how dedicated Steinbeck is to writing as he really wants readers to understand different point of views other then one which is amazing. This is what sets steinbeck apart from any other author who writes similar novels.

Character:

There are six main characters in the novel Cannery Row who take a huge part in the novel. There are two protagonist’s in the novel. Which happens to be Doc, and Mac. Then for the antagonist in the novel is Bummer who happens to be an authority figure in the novel. As for minor character in the novel include: The Old Chinaman, Mr. and Mrs. Malloy, Frankie, Dora's Girls (and Boys), Richard Frost, Mary and Tom Talbot, and Horace Abbeville. Basically their role in the novel is they add more tension and interest in novel.

Overall these minor characters add more detail to the novel in general. Frankie is a mentally handicapped who Doc ends up taking care and treating like his own son. He is short with light brown hair and has baby face but has bad hygiene as well. Then there is Doc who is the protagonist and is a very mysterious and gentle man. He was also known to be a womanizer even though his always described as the kid who likes to hang out by himself. Doc is described as a short and wiry but every strong. In the novel it clearly states “Doc is rather small, deceptively small, for he is wiry and very strong and when passionate anger comes on him he can be very fierce. He wears a beard and his face is half Christ and half satyr and his face tells the truth” (Steinbeck 25).

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Then there is Lee Chong which he is considered to be a minor character but really important in the novel. He is the owner of a successful business in Cannery Row. Chong is described as “round-faced and courteous” (Steinbeck 5). He is also describe as talking in english but never pronounces the letter r. Which is also clearly stated in the novel “English without ever using the letter R” (Steinbeck 6). Which is extremely hilariou when your read what Lee Chong say in the novel. Then we have Mack who is also a protagonist in the novel. He is described as the elder and leader of the row. As well as the mentor of cannery row, and the exploiter of a little group of men who had in common no families, no money, no ambitions and no purpose in life other than beyond food, drink, and contentment. Everyone in the novel loves Mack to a certain extent that the community members believe that his good intention are really not. Mack is also a coordinator Doc’s big celebration.

Another character is Dora who also happens to be a major character as well in the novel. Dora is a madam and the owner of the bear flag. She is described in the novel as “a great woman, a great big woman with flaming orange hair and a taste for Nile green evening dresses” (Steinbeck 15). Even though she has a weird taste of color and fashion she is known to be a very kind and genuine person. This is supported because in novel it clearly states “through the exercise of special gifts of tact and honesty, charity, and a certain realism, she made herself respected by the intelligent, the learned, and the kind” (Steinbeck 15). Although sometimes in the novel she could be seen as a tough and strict person. Dora treats the prostitutes who work for her fairly and with respect. As well, as a huge contributor to the city of Monterey by donating constantly.

The following character is Dora’s girls. Dora’s girls are also considered minor characters in the novel, but play a huge role in the novel. Dora’s girls are the prostitutes that work for her at the bear flag. Although there job is really erotic Dora has trained them properly and really strict on what they do or ask while with a man. This is supported clearly in the novel as it states “Dora’s girls are well trained and pleasant. They never speak to a man on the street although he may have been in the night before” (Steinbeck 17). Although many other authors view prostitutes as very bad and horrible job to do. Steinbeck portrays the life of the girls who work in the Bear Flag as being pleasant and good-humored during the great depression as there only result to earn income for themselves and their families. Even though these women were working as prostitutes trying to earn some coin for their kids they do too cared for their children so much. In the novel it clearly states “with the sleeping children until they dropped to sleep in their chairs” (Steinbeck 91). Which they really had to do because despite the great depression they also had to suffer a terrible outbreak of Influenza in cannery row that really affected young people, children and elders as well as adults.

Setting:

The setting of the novel Cannery Row takes place during The Great Depression in the year 1929 through 1939. Before naming the area Cannery Row after the book. The original name was Ocean View Avenue in Monterey, California during the height of pilchard canning a long time ago before World War 2 caused the population to decrease and force the canneries to close. The exact location the novel takes place in is Monterey, California. Monterey, California is now known for attractions Which consist of the Monterey Bay Aquarium, Cannery Row, Fisherman's Wharf and the annual Monterey Jazz Festival. Back then during the war and depression times it was known for the amazing canaries and fishing population with amazing views that still exist today. The specific area where the novel takes place is Cannery Row and the ocean side of coastline. Where Doc performed experiment and researched the tide pools which even years later people and tourist continue to explore the great tide pool pof Monterey, California.

The setting of the novel is what gives it such an interesting and unique name for a novel as it took place in a local area where I live and a historical event but of course with a small piece of fiction here and there throughout the novel. This important for the reader to have background knowledge on the setting because it truly sets the whole aspect of the book which is where steinbeck truly encounter when he was young and what he experience during that time and location of his life. Another reason why describing the setting in a novel is important is because it will help the reader full understand the time period, era and even the history behind the area where the novel takes place at. Which will eventually help explain to the reader why the author chose this title for his book which ends up revealing knowledge to the reader on the whole point of Cannery Row.

Diction:

The authors work overall is very formal at certain times in the novel, but he was also very informal as well. An example of when John Steinbeck writes in a formal way is clearly stated as is 'Why don't you take a flying fuggut the moon?' (Steinbeck 14). This clearly shows that the characters in Cannery Row speak in a pretty casual or formal way. Even when they probably shouldn't be talking in such a formal way. Which this quote made me think of the soldier on the beach at sunrise who asks the watchman the question such a very formal way. Steinbeck’s diction really does focus on small details that are meant to involve and truly hype the reader by making she or he feel as though he or she is really there, and personify objects and certain people through his diction to make them feel as if they were are also apart of the town and the story scene.

The first opening paragraph of the novel really contains words and phrases that Steinbeck specifically choses to relate to help the reader understand how the feeling of a town worn and dilapidated and corrupted by such horrible things like Influenza and war and even the great depression by hardship. Words that steinbeck uses such as “splintered wood”, “chipped pavement”, “weedy lots”, and “corrugated iron” and “junk heaps” illustrate this community to the reader and helps explains the way there diction was back then during those times . The community is truly shaped by poverty, and not only is it really evident and obvious in such slow economy that they were in, but physically visible at every turn in Cannery Row that they took at that time period and era. When reading his diction it really transports you to the neglected , corrupted and really seafaring town that characters such as Doc, Dora, Mack and etc had to live in.

Overall the author does supply some ironic devices in his novel. For example the row that represents Cannery Row is shown on the front which is really obvious if you haven't read the book yet you automatically thinks it's going to be talking about nature and how we should stop polluting it. In reality the title signifies the location where the novel took place and etiantly gives the reader historical background on where it located at.