Cannery Row Dbq

The Great Depression was the worst economic crash in American history, playing a major role in developing the era’s national identity and societal mentality. During this period, people began to stray away from isolationism, an underlying cause of the financial panic due to reckless market speculation. Instead, the millions of affected families relied on their neighbors and the government for the necessities of survival. In addition, long overdue reform for women and minorities was dismissed in favor of New Deal economic relief plans. Straying from the extravagant details of Realism, writers of the 1930s and 1940s sought to understand the fiscal chaos through Modernist literature, which is characterized by stream of consciousness and alienation,

A prominent author of the Depression-era was Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winner John Steinbeck, who is credited with popular novels such as The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men. One of his lesser-known novels, Cannery Row, recounts the peculiar lives of the people in the Californian canning district of Monterey as they try to arrange a thank-you party for their quasi-leader, Doc. John Steinbeck’s Cannery Row truthfully conveys the 1930s by depicting the transition to collectivism and adherence to sociocultural norms, as well as the economic struggles and resulting resilience of the townsfolk. Cannery Row also portrays the departure from Realism through its fragmented narration, poetic language, theme of loneliness, and somber mood, while remaining close with its verisimilitude and humor.
Steinbeck’s Cannery Row demonstrates the 1930s trend toward community involvement through Doc’s “birthday” party. The people of Monterey feel indebted to Doc since he cares and provides for the town. For instance, Doc accepts responsibility for the welfare of a mentally handicapped boy named Frankie, and he provides free healthcare services during the influenza epidemic. At first, Mack and the boys throw a party for Doc by themselves, but Doc’s lab is left in ruins.

Malloy and the old Chinaman. The Malloys live in a vacant boiler room; and during a housing shortage, Mr. Malloy brings money home by becoming a small landlord. Although the Malloys are still poverty-stricken, Mrs. Malloy becomes obsessed with furnishing the boiler with useless goods, “first it was a rug, then a washtub, then a lamp with a colored silk shade” (Steinbeck 47). Back in the 1930s, women were seen as wasteful consumers who spent their husband’s money on frivolous items, like Mrs. Malloy’s desire for curtains when the boiler lacked windows. Furthermore, the discrimination experienced by the Chinese immigrants of Cannery Row, notably the old Chinaman, displays the narrow-mindedness of Depression-era Americans. While walking to and from the beach, the Chinaman is either completely ignored or verbally abused with racial slurs like “Ching-Chong Chinaman” (Steinbeck 25), and the children persistently fear him. Carmack, a PSU professor, notes, “The old Chinaman and Lee Chong, the grocer, both represent an ethnic group targeted during Steinbeck's time” (59). Instead of making Cannery Row out as a utopia of equality and tolerance, Steinbeck adheres to the discriminatory mindset of the 1930s. Row exemplifies 1930s bigotry and sexism through the portrayals of Mrs. Malloy and the old