I picked up a 123-page paperback copy of Cannery Row by John Steinbeck at our county's recycling center. It took me sixty years to finally get around to reading this one, but I'm glad I did.
There is more to Cannery Row than its collection of colorful characters and amusing episodes. As I read, I found myself thinking about the hardships people faced during the Great Depression, the importance of kindness, and how easily we can overlook the struggles of those around us.
Horace Abbeville's story stayed with me. He has a wife and six children, and when he finds himself unable to pay his debts, he gives up his warehouse to Lee Chong. The weight of his circumstances becomes too much for him, and he takes his own life. Lee Chong pays for the funeral and helps the family afterward. I couldn't help wondering what might have happened if Horace had received that same understanding and compassion while he was still alive. Of course, we cannot know whether it would have changed anything, but it does make one think.
William, the former watchman at the Bear Flag, is another character whose story is troubling. He seems lonely and unable to find his place among Mack and the others, and his story ends in tragedy as well. Neither man is simply a young fellow trying to find his way. They are men struggling with their circumstances and, perhaps, with a sense of their own worth. During the Depression, when so many people lost their jobs, independence, and security, I imagine it was difficult for some to see a way forward.
There are other examples of kindness throughout the book. Dora Flood allows the older women at the Bear Flag to remain even when they can no longer meet the requirement of three tricks a month. Doc, too, seems to be liked by nearly everyone. He has a way of making people feel comfortable, and his value to the community has little to do with money or social standing. These are very different people, yet each offers something that makes life a little easier for someone else.
Mrs. Mallory's change in attitude after her husband becomes a landlord also caught my attention. It made me think about how easily some people can forget what it was like to have very little once their own circumstances improve. It reminds me of the expression about throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Perhaps, in our eagerness to leave difficult times behind, we sometimes leave behind the lessons those times should have taught us.
One thing I have always appreciated about Steinbeck is his eye for the small details that make people who they are. He notices things such as sausage fingers and the distinctive ways people speak, giving his characters their own quirks and personalities. Even the men sleeping among the pine needles tell us something about life on Cannery Row. They may not have much in the way of possessions, but they have found companionship and created a little community of their own.
I was pleased to come across a mention of a library in Chapter Five. As a lifelong reader, and someone who has spent so much time among books, I always enjoy finding these little literary connections. Monterey has its own place in literary history, too. Robert Louis Stevenson spent time there in 1879, long before Steinbeck made the waterfront and its people so memorable in his writing.
The evening scenes along Cannery Row offer another glimpse into the lives of its residents. As the working day comes to an end, soldiers and girls stroll the streets, and there is a sense that time has slowed down. Life continues beyond the canneries, with people looking for companionship, amusement, and a little comfort. Steinbeck gives us a look at a world that might otherwise be overlooked by those who consider themselves more respectable.
Frankie's story is another that gives me something to think about. He steals a clock and a bronze statue in an effort to please Doc, although his intentions and his actions are two very different things. Then there is Doc listening to Bach's Great Fugue. I wondered whether these episodes might be connected in some way. A fugue brings separate musical lines together to create a larger composition, and perhaps there is something similar in Steinbeck's storytelling. His characters have their own troubles, good intentions, shortcomings, and moments of kindness, yet their individual stories all contribute to the larger picture of life on Cannery Row.
Even the little Wiener pup being weaned made me think about change and how difficult it can be to adjust when something familiar is no longer there. It brought to mind people trying to find their footing after the hardships of the Depression. We all have to learn to manage change at one time or another, even when we aren't ready for it.
The gopher near the end of the book also left me thinking about resilience. He keeps searching for a place to settle, and I found myself connecting that search with the determination people need to carry on. We can work hard and keep trying, although life doesn't always reward our efforts as we might hope. Sometimes circumstances get in the way, but the desire to find a place where we belong remains.
There is something almost epic about the way Steinbeck brings this small stretch of waterfront to life. It reminded me, in a different way, of how Gone with the Wind captures a time and a community. The two books are very different in scale and subject, but both give readers a world filled with people whose lives are shaped by the times in which they live.
What I appreciate is that Steinbeck doesn't tie everything up neatly. Still, there is friendship, kindness, laughter, music, and the occasional moment of beauty.
One of Steinbeck’s greatest strengths is his reminder that we can never truly know the burdens another person carries or the struggles they face behind closed doors. The rattlesnakes and rats may still be there, but so are the people, carrying on with all their faults, hopes, and determination to find their place in the world.
I came away from Cannery Row thinking about how much we can learn by paying attention to the people around us. We may not be able to fix someone else's troubles, and we cannot always know what another person is carrying. But we can offer kindness, remember our own difficult seasons, and try not to judge someone simply because their life looks different from ours.
On my " Why This Book " page, I discuss many of Steinbeck's works that I have in my collection.
