Faysal Chandoo Ms. Hoelle English 101 12 December 2017 Cannery Row: Respect is Important Cannery Row is densely populated with a group of characters, in the narrative sense of the word and in terms of personalities. There is Dora, an imposing figure of a woman who runs a successful brothel, Henri, the non-French Frenchman, Lee Chong the shrewd but kind-hearted grocer, Doc the scientist, Mack, who leads a small group of men and is loved by the people of Cannery Row, and a host of other fascinating people who make Cannery Row so compelling. It may not seem obvious when reading John Steinbeck’s novel “Cannery Row,” but the main point or lesson in the novel is the importance of respect and Steinbeck uses his characters to tell this story about …show more content…
Respect was important for all the citizens of Cannery Row whether it was a showing of respect or a lack thereof. Respect could make or break the citizens of Cannery Row. An example of that would-be William, the previous watchman for Dora’s Bear Flag. William always wanted to be part of Mack’s group and tried to act as if he was part of it but was denied. He even brought booze for all of them to drink, which they did, but William soon realized after that they just didn’t like him.William realized that the tight society of Cannery Row rejects him and laughs at him. William had no friends and no respect from others, so he thought that suicide was his only way out. As a result of having no respect from anyone, William ended his own life. William was a casualty of the importance of respect. He didn’t earn the respect of others, even though it may not have been completely his fault. As Suzanne Kane said in her article “The Importance of Respect,” “If we want the respect of others, there’s no other way around it than to begin by respecting others first. If we act in selfish, self-centered ways, concerned only for our own wants and needs, others will likely steer clear of us.” “Men are respectable only as they respect.” – Ralph Waldo Emerson, American lecturer, essayist, poet, writer, and …show more content…
Doc is more than what he seems. For example, when the flu epidemic hit Cannery Row, Doc took in "patients" for help, even though he was not a certified doctor. This shows that Doc will go out of his way to help the people of Cannery Row at any cost. This also shows that Doc cares enough for the people of the town to exhaust himself helping their needs. Also, Doc's presence is so cherished by the people of Cannery Row that they decided to throw him two parties. This shows that even though he may seem like a drunken scientist at points, Doc is highly respected and loved by the people of Cannery Row. This also shows that Doc's actions eventually pay off for him, and he receives immense gratitude from the town. Doc, Dora, Lee Chong, and Mack and the boys all had one thing in common. They all were kind and respectful people who helped others. In return, people loved and/or respected them very much. When people are shown respect, they tend to be happy or feel like they fit in. These four characters were definitely accepted by society and beloved to the people of Cannery
As John Steinbeck publishes “Cannery Row” in 1945, the same year when World War II ends, some scholars claim that his book somehow relates to the war. The novel is one of the most admirable modern-American narratives of the 20th and 21st century. It is set during the Great Depression in Monterey, California. The entire story is attached to a sensitively complex ecosystem that creates different approaches for the reader. The system is so fragile that one’s mistake can be the town’s last. Steinbeck depicts unique characters like Mack and the boys (who will stand as one character and/or group), Doc, and Lee Chong. Although there are many themes that can be extracted from these characters, the theme that arises the most is the isolation of the individual as it can be split into two different categories, the psychological and the physical.
In two differing stories of departure, The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck and The Road by Cormac McCarthy, Steinbeck’s standard for a writer is met by the raw human emotions exhibited in the main characters’ success and defeat.
town they were heading to, he must come back to the pond and hide in
In conclusion, the phalanx of Cannery row expresses that when everyone comes together as a community, nothing bad will happen. However, if the rest of the community is not involved to achieve a goal, then it would happen otherwise. The idea of a phalanx creates a close knit community. With good intentions, a phalanx will allow individuals to work together and achieve goals. Once a phalanx is formed, the community sticks together during times of happiness and hardship. Therefore, Steinbeck attempts to create a utopian society through Cannery
The theme of Cannery Row, in short, is no less than a poetic statement of
Death With Dignity For several years you have been taking care of your grandma, who has been suffering in the hospital. You pray that she gets better. But day after day, you see the hurt in her eyes even though she tries to fight through it. You know that she won’t get better until you put her out of her misery and end her life.
In Cannery Row by Steinbeck, he reminds one that, “Its inhabitants are, as the 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”(1). Despite people perceiving you as unsuccessful or bad, if you yourself feels successful then it doesn’t matter what other’s think of you. In the quote, it implies that someone might perceive you in a bad way but if they got to know you personally and looked at you with a different point of view they might see you in a better light. There are many people who have their own ideas on who you are but because they do not know you like you do yourself, their negative words should have no meaning
To Kill A Mockingbird displays an environment where one must be inhumane to another in order to become socially compatible. Maycomb has established a hierarchy where social compartmentalisation is the way of life. Men with a profession and a career are superior, while the farmers are near the bottom of the social strata and are considered inferior. No matter which remarkable qualities Negroes possess, they are always s...
John Steinbeck was born in 1902, in California's Salinas Valley, a region that would eventually serve as the setting for Of Mice and Men, as well as many of his other works. He studied literature and writing at Stanford University. He then moved to New York City and worked as a laborer and journalist for five years, until he completed his first novel in 1929, Cup of Gold. With the publication of Tortilla Flat in 1935, Steinbeck achieved fame and became a popular author. He wrote many novels about the California laboring class. Two of his more famous novels included Of Mice and Men and The Grapes of Wrath. Steinbeck got the title for Of Mice and Men from a line of Robert Burns, a Scottish poet, “The best laid schemes of mice and men often go awry." In Of Mice and Men, Steinbeck includes the theme of loyalty and sacrifice between friends. Steinbeck illustrates the loyalty and sacrifice between friends through the friendship of Lennie and George.
This conversation is a perfect example of social prejudice occurring in the novel. To expound upon this theme, the Raymond family is also a perfect example of class rank; the Raymond's, specifically Mr. Dolphus Raymond, are looked down upon based on the interracial marriage and mixed offspring. The idea of this family is foreign to the residents of Maycomb and is, therefore, shunned by the other citizens. In addition, the Ewell family is also discriminated against; being of a less wealthy status, the Ewells are seen as unworthy. However, their status is partially due to personal choices and Mr. Ewell's habits of drinking; these components all add up to a shunned family. These families express the impacts of social discrimination within the society of Maycomb.
Respect is something you earn by being a good person or doing something admirable. All of the citizens of Maycomb look up to Atticus and see him as a respectable person. Atticus is the character in the novel that has the most respect. He is a caring, loving father, the only member of Maycomb who will actually defend a negro, and he always displays respect for other people.
They thought he was going to be just like them instead of him having his own individual interests. For example when they finally got a dog, they forgot to get the name of the dog so had think of a new one and the mother wanted to name the dog a scholarly name, ““You could name him after a passé school of literary criticism,”(pg 161) my mother suggested.”, even though he never really cared for their educated and uppity ways. Also that William corrected his mother that the dog was a she when she said “him” in the quote above. After that, the father brushed that off and kept calling it a “he” like on pages 161 “What’ll we name him?”, and 162 ““Dead,” he said. “Before we could even name him.”” which irritated
Furthermore, he is being derogatory and creates a negative picture of William in the minds of people supporting, him. However, in the end when William jousts with the Prince, he gets impressed by William's skills and gets the prince’s respect. A similarity that exists between this trait mention above is that they are both showing loyalty towards Prince Edward. This similar is in existence because the producer was trying to positively brainwash people’s minds and stop them from believe in the myth that only people of high class are well mannered and know how to behaviour accordingly. A difference that exists between the traits of both characters is the reasons for showing
The concept of loneliness and community is apparent throughout not only the book, but also throughout the chapter as an overlying theme. The tide pool, through its clear waters, provides an insight view to what Cannery Row is like, in it of itself. The animals are all separate entities, living in a community, lonely in their own way. But it’s not until the interaction between two animals that it’s apparent that the community is what connects everyone together. Hazel, just like the animals in the tide pool and everyone else in Cannery Row, is lonely. Steinbeck sets up this description by telling the audience Hazel’s background and how he “got his name in a haphazard way as his life was afterword” and how he “was named Hazel before the mother
Sum up, the social relationship between these people here, this old town Maycomb is complicated and pretty tense. This novel has taught us so much, thanks to Harper Lee – one of the greatest writers of all time. It has opened our eyes wider about racism at that time and compared it to nowadays it has become so much better. People are equally, no matter what skin color you are, what religion you have, or where you’re from, what you’re appearance looks like, we are all equal, and we are all the same – human. So instead of treating badly to one another we should all united and make the world a better place.