Cannery Row by John Steinbeck

Published in 1945, Cannery Row is about the characters and happenings in a section of the central Californian city of Monterey during the Depression. (The characters return in Sweet Thursday, written nine years later.) Driving through Cannery Row and visiting the National Steinbeck Center in Salinas, CA, inspired me to read this book.

Doc, a local marine biologist, has always been nice to the people of Cannery Row without asking for anything in return. To thank him, Mack and “the boys” arrange a party at his house, but Doc never makes it. The party spins out of control, and the next morning Doc returns to a house turned upside down. Mack and the boys feel awful and vow to throw Doc another party for his birthday. This time, the party is a success.

Cannery Row has a simple plot and its characters don’t change much but these factors do not affect its ability to engage the reader. In fact, they enhance Steinbeck’s portrayal of the people of Cannery Row, who are essentially good despite being thrown with some of life’s toughest challenges. No one in the town is wealthy, yet everyone seems satisfied with what they have. Mack and the boys throw the party even though they cannot afford it. Even after the first party’s failure, they don’t give up on the idea of rewarding their friend. Doc, to be generous, will buy a frog from anyone for a nickel. Doc also takes in a mentally challenged boy, Frankie, and is always patient with him, even though the boy constantly makes mistakes. Almost everyone in Cannery Row owes money to Lee Chong, the owner of the local grocery. Lee never asks to be repaid. Despite economic hardships, Dora, the owner of Cannery Row’s whorehouse, always gives generously to charity. Through his illustration of these characters, Steinbeck is saying that good people can be found in the most obscure and dirty places and in the most difficult of times.

The most interesting character in the story is Doc. Doc frequently goes down to the coast to collect specimens and works in his lab doing experiments. He lets anyone help who wants to. He helps everyone with anything and is always honest. He also does some surprising things. After a hitchhiker warns Doc about having a beer while driving, Doc punches him in the face. Doc also eventually allows Frankie to go to an institution. Doc made the right decision, however, I had expected Doc to adopt Frankie.

John Steinbeck is a wonderful writer. His introduction is evocative: “Cannery Row in Monterey in California is a poem, a stink, a grating noise, a quality of light, a tone, a habit, a nostalgia, a dream.” By the time you finish the story, you discover all of those qualities to be true. Steinbeck’s descriptions of the sea creatures Doc finds and of the California coast are beautiful. His writing is also humorous and entertaining.

I believe that Cannery Row has much to offer the reader; a laugh, a tear, heartbreak, and a promise. A very solid five out of five stars.