Cannery Row Dbq

The Great Depression was the worst economic crash in American history, playing a major role in developing the era’s national identity and societal mentality. During this period, people began to stray away from isolationism, an underlying cause of the financial panic due to reckless market speculation. Instead, the millions of affected families relied on their neighbors and the government for the necessities of survival. In addition, long overdue reform for women and minorities was dismissed in favor of New Deal economic relief plans. Straying from the extravagant details of Realism, writers of the 1930s and 1940s sought to understand the fiscal chaos through Modernist literature, which is characterized by stream of consciousness and alienation,

among other aspects.

A prominent author of the Depression-era was Nobel and Pulitzer Prize-winner John Steinbeck, who is credited with popular novels such as The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men. One of his lesser-known novels, Cannery Row, recounts the peculiar lives of the people in the Californian canning district of Monterey as they try to arrange a thank-you party for their quasi-leader, Doc. John Steinbeck’s Cannery Row truthfully conveys the 1930s by depicting the transition to collectivism and adherence to sociocultural norms, as well as the economic struggles and resulting resilience of the townsfolk. Cannery Row also portrays the departure from Realism through its fragmented narration, poetic language, theme of loneliness, and somber mood, while remaining close with its verisimilitude and humor.
Steinbeck’s Cannery Row demonstrates the 1930s trend toward community involvement through Doc’s “birthday” party. The people of Monterey feel indebted to Doc since he cares and provides for the town. For instance, Doc accepts responsibility for the welfare of a mentally handicapped boy named Frankie, and he provides free healthcare services during the influenza epidemic. At first, Mack and the boys throw a party for Doc by themselves, but Doc’s lab is left in ruins.

Learning from their mistake, they plan another celebration for Doc, this one being a “surprise” birthday party where all of Monterey is invited. People from all over Cannery Row help to organize the celebration, whether it is supplying materials like Lee or providing gifts like Dora and her girls. No matter where they are, the entire community is involved in the festivities, strengthening their dependence on one another through goodwill. Even Gay, who is stuck in prison in another city, “made a deal with the sheriff to get off [the night of the party]...” (Steinbeck 158) just to participate in the event. In the end, the party is a success and the town is in high spirits, strengthening its unity and camaraderie. This underlying theme of togetherness is a main focus of Cannery Row. Roemer, a literary scholar, discusses that “Cannery Row [concentrates] on poorer citizens who...focus on the mutual health and well-being of the community in which they live” (17). Thus, the theme directly relates to the Depression since the disenfranchised masses of the 1930s had to come together to face the financial hardships. Indeed, “during the Depression, many people lost hope. But even as some families left their farms, others gained strength from their community” (“Great Depression”). During these desperate times, Americans sought relief through cooperative efforts for community involvement, paralleling the actions of those in Monterey. Overall, Doc’s second party represents the Depression-era idea of collectivism since most of Monterey participates in the altruistic cause.
Additionally, the 1930s, while also a time of economic hardship and human suffering, was a decade of stereotyping and prejudice against women and immigrants like Mrs.

Malloy and the old Chinaman. The Malloys live in a vacant boiler room; and during a housing shortage, Mr. Malloy brings money home by becoming a small landlord. Although the Malloys are still poverty-stricken, Mrs. Malloy becomes obsessed with furnishing the boiler with useless goods, “first it was a rug, then a washtub, then a lamp with a colored silk shade” (Steinbeck 47). Back in the 1930s, women were seen as wasteful consumers who spent their husband’s money on frivolous items, like Mrs. Malloy’s desire for curtains when the boiler lacked windows. Furthermore, the discrimination experienced by the Chinese immigrants of Cannery Row, notably the old Chinaman, displays the narrow-mindedness of Depression-era Americans. While walking to and from the beach, the Chinaman is either completely ignored or verbally abused with racial slurs like “Ching-Chong Chinaman” (Steinbeck 25), and the children persistently fear him. Carmack, a PSU professor, notes, “The old Chinaman and Lee Chong, the grocer, both represent an ethnic group targeted during Steinbeck's time” (59). Instead of making Cannery Row out as a utopia of equality and tolerance, Steinbeck adheres to the discriminatory mindset of the 1930s. Row exemplifies 1930s bigotry and sexism through the portrayals of Mrs. Malloy and the old

Chinaman.
Subsequently, as nearly one of four workers were unemployed and millions displaced at the height of the Depression, families like the Abbevilles struggled to survive. Black Tuesday saw the lost of over $14 billion on the New York Stock Exchange, throwing the America and the world into financial chaos. The GDP fell by 18%; and, “at its peak in 1933, unemployment stood at more than 12.6 million without jobs, although some estimates placed unemployment as high as 16 million” (“Great Depression”). During the economic collapse, in the traditional male breadwinner family, the often father felt partially guilty for being unable to keep his children fed and properly clothed. For instance, in Cannery Row, Horace Abbeville approaches Lee Chong about his outstanding debt which “...[Horace] had managed through pleading and persuasion to build a [grocery debt] second to none in Monterey” (Steinbeck 11). With his two wives and six children in mind, Horace offers his fish meal shack as repayment. Lee agrees to the exchange, and Horace later commits suicide. Sadly, this self-slaughter was commonplace during the Depression with the suicide rate increasing by 82% as desperate individuals grew tired of their misery. Although a sounder economy was to come, the Abbevilles and other families took drastic measures to keep themselves and their children alive during the Great Depression.
While the bleakness of the Depression discouraged many Americans, those like the denizens of Monterey tried to cope through various means. Traditional activities like group picnics and sports along with new games like Monopoly distracted people from their desolate lives in the 1930s. Author Bill Ganzle writes, “Alvin Apetz [a man living during the Depression] says they never felt poor because ‘you made your own entertainment.’ Entertainment was one way to leave behind worries about crops, weather and money.” Although her depressed husband has a miserable job and can not pay the rent, Mary Talbot tries to cheer him up by planning block parties. When a irritated Mr. Talbot tells Mary to leave him alone, she decides to host a tea party for the neighborhood cats instead, “...a kind of play she enjoyed very much- a kind of satiric game and it covered and concealed from Mary the fact that she didn’t have any money” (Steinbeck 143). Even though Mr. Talbot does not appreciate Mary’s efforts to distract him from the Depression, she is able to amuse herself with cat tea parties. While some Americans gave up in the fight against depression and despair, those like Mary Talbot tried to persevere through different methods, thus symbolizing the spirit of the 1930s.
In conclusion, John Steinbeck's Cannery Row, through its collectivism, discrimination, financial struggles and resulting resistance by the people of Monterey, depicts the spirit of the 1930s. Moreover, the broken plot, poetic language, theme of solitude, and cynicism present in Row define it as a classic piece of Modernist literature, while its verisimilitude and humor develop its Realistic attributes. Overall, the Great Depression played the largest role in shaping Row. With the economy in shambles, many Americans, like those of Monterey, turned to their community for support. Nevertheless, those, like Mrs. Malloy and the old Chinaman, had difficulty finding aid in a bigoted society. As stores replaced Inquire Within signs to No Jobs, Keep Out, people like Mary Talbot and tried to cope with the psychological and economic headaches through various methods. Still, due to the Depression and other major events of the time period, solemnity became engraved into Modernism. Although Steinbeck wrote Row during the Modernist literary period, it was not without its Realistic aspects, like verisimilitude and humor. Overall, after examining Row and the hardships faced by Depression-era America, one is reminded that it is the most challenging hardships which truly develop intimacy of a community and a nation as a whole.