About This Novel
The story takes place on a seaside street in Monterey Bay, California before World War II. In the early 1940s, the production of canned sardines was the main feature here, so it was called Cannery Row. The central character of the novel is a marine biologist named "The Doctor". Being highly educated, he did not look down on his neighbors - gamblers, traders, prostitutes, and homeless people. In his eyes, these people were "very healthy and surprisingly clean." Another group of characters, Mark and his friends, are a group of penniless vagrants with no ideals or pursuits. They live happily in Cannery Row. Their lives are simple. They neither hide their desires nor let money corrupt their souls. They are sincere and helpful. The 1930s and 1940s were a turbulent decade in American history. The sudden economic crisis put pressure on all social strata and shook Americans' cultural values. The entire society fell into a spiritual crisis. This ideal state of life in "Cannery Row" is the value system established by Steinbeck for Americans in crisis. "Cannery Row" was first published in 1945 and is one of John Steinbeck's masterpieces. It shows the mental outlook of the lower class in Monterey during the Great Depression.
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