Summary:
In his novel Cannery Row, John Steinbeck presents the theme that friendship is vitally important in enjoying an enlightening and delightful life. Steinbeck effectively uses symbolism and events to prove his theme.
John Steinbeck uses his book Cannery Row to show how friendship is imperative for a delightful life. He uses symbolism and events to prove his theme.
One of the events that occur in Cannery Row is evidence for John Steinbeck's theme of how friendship is important for a happier life. During this point of John Steinbeck's novel, Mack and his group of friends talk about how nice Doc, the local marine biologist, is to him. Mac also tells his group of friend's examples of Doc's kindness toward him. Steinbeck (1945) page 39 writes, "Mack nodded his head soberly. "That Doc is a real nice fella," he said. "He'll give you a quarter anytime. When I cut myself he put on a new bandage every day. A real nice fella." These lines show how Mack is grateful to Doc because of his frequent acts of kindness. Mack also appreciates Doc because he trusts them. John Steinbeck uses this event to show his readers of how friendship is important. He does this when Mack tells his friends of how nice he is. This shows how Mack is also has a feeling of debt to Doc. A situation that is similar to this event is when a child's mother buys him a gift. The child would be grateful to his mother because of his gift. This event is similar to Mack's because they would both feel that they were in debt, and would want to repay them. In John Steinbeck's book Cannery Row he uses many events to prove his theme of how friendship is important for a happy life.
The renowned author John Steinbeck uses an event on page 161 of his book Cannery Row to show how friendship is necessary for a good life. This event shows a scene where Frankie is caught stealing a grandfather's clock with a few other items. When the police catch Frankie Doc, the local marine biologist, comes to bail out Frankie. When Doc asks Frankie why he tried to steal the items, Frankie just looks him in the eye and tells him that he wanted to repay Doc's kindness towards him. Steinbeck (1945) page 161 writes
"What's the matter Frankie?" Doc asked.
"He broke into Jacob's last night." The chief said. "Stole some stuff."
"I know. But maybe he had a reason. Frankie," he said. "Why did you take it?"
Frankie looked a long time at him. "I love you." He said.
This line in the book shows how the small boy Frankie steals various items to give to Doc, but if unfortunately caught. This event is also important because it shows how Frankie was able to turn to Doc when his life began to go downhill with his parents. When Frankie began to go around with Doc, he began to feel a sense of happiness and trust. John Steinbeck uses this event to show how friendship in a person's life by using the boy Frankie. Frankie also begins to be so thankful to Doc that he thinks he has to give something to him as proof of his appreciation. Because Frankie also has no money to buy Doc a gift, he resorts to stealing. A situation similar to Frankie's, is when an orphan feels in debt to one of his peers. Because his parents are not there to support him he has to think of ways to repay his peer. Like Frankie he would also be drawn to the temptation of burglary. He would also be caught and would be in trouble. This is important because it shows how he would do this all to thank his friend for his acts of kindness. John Steinbeck also uses symbolism to support his theme of friendship.
John Steinbeck wants to tell his readers that companionship is important. He does this by his uses of symbolism on page 109 of his book Cannery Row. During this point of the book, Mack and his friends begin to take care of a dog named Darling. Mack had been given this dog by a sergeant in the army while searching for frogs on a reserved area. In this quote, Mack and his other friends treat this new dog with the same respect that they treat each other with. This dog symbolizes their compassion and respect for one another. Steinbeck (1945) page 109 writes:
From the first she was a precious dog. She slept on the bed of the man who had given her the last bribe. They really stole for her sometimes. They wooed her away from each other. Occasionally all five agreed that Darling must be disciplined, but in the discussion of the method the intention invariably drifted away. They were in love with her.
This quote tells the readers how Darling is cared for by every one of Mack's friends. It also shows how Darling symbolizes their love for one another. When John Steinbeck writes, "Occasionally all five agreed that Darling must be disciplined, but in the discussion of the method the intention invariably drifted away." He means that the men all eventually thought that they loved Darling for what she was right now and did not want to change her. An example of this event is when a child's mother asks her child if she can repair her stuffed animal or any other toy. The child would not want to give away the toy for fear that it would be completely different than it is now, and would never be the same. This is like Mack and his friend's who also do not want to change their dog Darling. John Steinbeck uses many events and symbolism in his book Cannery Row to prove how friendship is very important for a happier life.
John Steinbeck also uses events and symbolism in his book Tortilla Flat to prove how friendship is imperative for an enlightening life.
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