Morality is often praised in a society. Sometimes the morals of society differ from the morals of individuals. This is how Steinbeck presents morality in Cannery Row. Steinbeck utilizes society’s contradictory treatment of Mack to reveal the moral ambiguity of Cannery Row.
When one has morals, they have principles that define what is right and wrong. A society can have a set of morals, but individuals can also have their own morals. Often these morals overlap with each other, and the society as a whole benefits from it. But in other cases, the morals of society and individuals contradict, causing a disruption. Harmful effects can protrude from a multifaceted sense of morals.
Steinbeck’s depiction of Cannery Row justifies society’s contradictory
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treatment of Mack. Cannery Row resembles a tide pool. Everyone that resides there is caught in this recurring system. During the day, it is filled with “hurrying, fighting, feeding, and breeding animals”(30), all trying to survive in the crazy world they have entered. But the people “gracefully”(30) do their work because it has become a routine. They make the dirty jobs they do into an art that appears beautiful to those watching. In reality, they have to fight to survive in Cannery Row, causing them to make selfish decisions for their benefit only. The only one who does not follow this rule is Mack. Mack is initially presented as a character that has no significant role. Society treats him as a thief and a “[bum]”(19). This implies that he only harms society and has no morals. He is an “exploiter”(9), taking advantage of the boys since they follow him. Lee “stiffens” (10) when Mack walks in the room, showing his distrust of him. But on the other hand, only “good will and good fellowship and a desire to make everyone happy”(11) are seen in Mack’s eyes. Mack later confides that he is aware of his immoral actions that he must do in order to survive in Cannery Row. He steals from storeowners in order to provide for himself, causing people to view him in a “[dubious]”(11) manner. He “hate[s] a guy that lies to himself”(80) and recognizes that he himself has been doing this. Furthermore, he doesn’t want to “take advantage of [Doc]”(81) because Doc has been nothing but kind to him. Mack knows what is right and wrong according to his, and what is supposed to be society’s, standards. Mack confirms the morality that people in Cannery Row know is present in him. But because of the lifestyle prevalent in Cannery Row, most are forced to think in a selfish way where the only benefactors in a situation are themselves. Steinbeck reveals the moral ambiguity of Cannery Row through the contradictory treatment of Mack.
The society of Cannery Row is uncertain of how they should treat Mack. Those that attempt to find the contentment that Mack has only “destroy themselves and fall wearily short of their target”(10). They try to succeed at obtaining the morality Mack holds, but because of how Cannery Row works, they find themselves going down the opposite path. They “destroy everything about them” as they search for the contentment that everyone wants. The only person in society who has achieved this craved contentment is Mack. He has “avoid[ed] the trap, walk[ed] around the poison”(15). By doing so, he was not contained to the cycle of life that is Cannery Row, where men become “trapped” and “poisoned”(15). Most individuals are not consistent with the morality of their decisions once they are caught in Cannery Row. Lee knowingly allows Horace Abbeville to “build a grocery debt”(7) that would take years to pay off. This immoral decision only benefits Lee, while detrimentally harming Horace. On the other hand, Lee shows moments of morality when he provides for the Abbeville family by making sure “no Abbeville child… knew the lack of a stick of spearmint”(9) after they lose their father. But when they look at Mack, whose path to morality has been the exact opposite of everyone else’s, they don’t want to believe that he could have what they want. These situational perspectives of each individual have caused varying ideas of what morality looks like. The society of Cannery Row has not proclaimed a universal guideline of what is right and wrong. This moral ambiguity has emerged when it comes to individuals making ethical decisions. The correct and moral action is unclear for many. Mack has set an example of the ideal morality that Cannery Row should have, but individuals choose to follow their own ethics, which have allowed them to survive. Cannery Row has produced various forms of morality,
rather than a single, clear form. So, clearly, Steinbeck utilizes society’s contradictory treatment of Mack to reveal the moral ambiguity of Cannery Row.
As John Steinbeck publishes “Cannery Row” in 1945, the same year when World War II ends, some scholars claim that his book somehow relates to the war. The novel is one of the most admirable modern-American narratives of the 20th and 21st century. It is set during the Great Depression in Monterey, California. The entire story is attached to a sensitively complex ecosystem that creates different approaches for the reader. The system is so fragile that one’s mistake can be the town’s last. Steinbeck depicts unique characters like Mack and the boys (who will stand as one character and/or group), Doc, and Lee Chong. Although there are many themes that can be extracted from these characters, the theme that arises the most is the isolation of the individual as it can be split into two different categories, the psychological and the physical.
The minor characters in John Steinbeck’s novel Cannery Row are a contradiction within themselves. Steinbeck shows two conflicting sides to each character; for example, Mack is smart and lazy and some of his colleagues are both good and bad. Doc is a father figure with some bad habits. Dora Flood is a kind-hearted saint who happens to run a brothel. Lee Chong is a shrewd businessman who likes to take advantage of others. Henri is an artist with a French background even though he isn’t from France. Through his characters, Steinbeck shows that humans are complicated and can have many faces.
O Brother, Where Art Thou? was phenomenal, and I found myself laughing an abundance of times throughout the movie. After viewing the film and the video essays, I agree that part of the reason why this story is truly successful is because Joel and Ethan Coen play with morality and in some ways, punish the characters repeatedly. Every time that something good occurred for a character, I was on the edge of my seat waiting for the next bad thing to follow. I feel that their constant play on morality kept the audience 's attention and left them wanting more. It also added a more humorous aspect, as Everett, Pete, and Delmar would grow confident and let their "seven deadly sins" (i.e. Everett struggled with pride) arise once again when they
What Steinbeck does so well is to show people's struggle for simple human decency in the face of meanness and ignorance. He toes a fine line, but there is no romance or pity in his work. He loves his characters, warts and all, as an author must. He shows those who polite society might find wretched and despicable to have real humanity. The bums and whores of Cannery Row. The lost imbecile of Of Mice and Men.
Society establishes their own rules of morality, but would they be accepted in these days?
A distinct conscience is formed by the values and desires of one’s unique identity. However, common beliefs of societal standards can influence conscientious desires. In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee introduces a young girl named Scout, who learns about the difference between social conformity and human conscience. Through this, she notices the conflict it brings: choosing to conform or stand with your desire. Through Maycomb’s discriminatory principles, Atticus’ actions against common beliefs, and Scout’s comprehension of Boo, Lee reveals how society’s standards and conformity hinders personal desires for righteousness.
The first half of To Kill A Mockingbird contains many classic dilemmas that serve as models for more important problems later to come. For example, Atticus is forced into a choice between disobeying Scout's teacher and doing what he feels is right for Scout. Atticus wants Scout to retain her respect for the teacher and to continue following her instructions. Yet, he knows that the time he shares with his daughter is very important and is something that will h...
The characters in “Cannery Row” value morality a lot . Lee Chong owns a grocery store in “Cannery Row” and people living in “Cannery Row” usually have no money. Lee Chong is a benevolent person who doesn’t press charges at his customer. As one day a customer named Horace had his debt to high , Horace traded the money he owned with a building he had . Mack heard of the place and asked Lee Chong to let them live there. With some hesitations Lee Chong had allowed even though he knew he “suffered a total loss, at least his mind did not work that way”(Steinbeck , 12). Lee Chong may have lost a lot because Mack didn’t pay rent or anything.He knew it was a bad idea but his mind had told him a different answer. His mind was telling him that it was a good thing because he was helping out someone who have no home. Lee Chong had done...
Morality is defined as "beliefs about what is right behavior and what is wrong behavior (Meriam-Webster). In The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, the main character, Huckleberry Finn evolves throughout the book. Although Huck begins as a reckless and uncivilized boy, he turns into a person with justifiable moral values and a good sense of what's right in the world.
Ethics are the principles that shape individual lives in modern society. It is a subjective idea that seems to have a standard in society. Ethics and morals are the major factors that guide individuals to make right and wrong choices. Something that is morally right to one person might be the very opposite of what another person would view as right. There are many factors that can trigger a change in an individual’s view of morality.
John Steinbeck is an intriguing and intelligent author native to the grapevine-woven and sun-soaked Salinas, California. Many of his works, including Of Mice and Men, and Cannery Row, have striking similarities such as similar characters, and setting , seeing as they ‘took place’ near each other in real life. As any good book, both of these novels have many ideas that are in fact complete opposites, like the overall story progression and the plot, or absence of one in the case of Cannery Row. To understand these two books clearly, this essay will compare and contrast the setting, characters, plot, and the themes present in both books.
When one thinks about morals, he or she often find himself in difficulty. It is a fact that morals are mostly passed from one generation to another. However, we all face challenges when trying to understand whether they are all accurate or not. To start with, Morals are those values that normally protect life and always respectful of the dual life value of individual and others. Therefore, Morals are those rules that normally govern actions that re wrong or right. We know that morals may be for all people in the society or individual beliefs in the society. Some of the great morals include freedom, charity, truth, honesty and patience and all of them have a common goal. It is a fact that when they function well in the society, they end up protecting and enhancing life. These morals need to be examined always to make sure that they are performing their mission of protecting life. As a matter of fact, morals are derived from the government and society, self and religion. When morals are derived from the government and society, they tend to change as the morals and laws of the society changes. An example of the changes is seen in the cases of marriage versus individuals living together. It is true that in the past generation, it was quite rare to see any couple living together without having any legal matrimonial ceremony. However, this
Morality has always been defined as having either a good or evil conscious. There is always a choice that a character makes that defines their moral integrity in a literary work and distinguishes them as the hero. In Mark Twain’s story, “Adventures of Huckleberry Finn”, not only does Huck encounters a number of moral circumstances where he or other characters displays situations in which moral ethics is called to questioned, but it proves that despite the religious influence and social expectation, it is through Huck that in order to do what is morally right, one must challenge the moral teaching of the world. Through observation of his world, Huck makes morally ambiguous choices that though may be against his moral teachings. Choice proves that to act on one’s own judgement despite societies expectations demonstrates that hypocrisy of the community as Twain clearly depicts and satirizes Southern society, he depicts the violence and racism that was described as “silvilization”(Kelly). As the community in Twain’s novel follows the general religious teachings and distinguishes the binaries associated with good and evil, Huck is forced to forsake these teachings and goes on a journey to discover his own moral understanding.
Morals can vary from person to person, and culture to culture, but many are universal. They differentiate between right and wrong or good and bad behaviour regarding human decision making. Throughout history, there have been many examples of both positive and negative moral conduct from individuals and collective groups. Moral behaviour in any circumstance is accompanied by moral responsibility, which refers to deserving consequences for an act with one’s moral obligations. For example, an inhumane action may call for punishment or blame of a specific individual or group.
“The books that the world calls immoral are books that show the world its own shame.” Oscar Wilde acknowledges society’s habits of censoring anything that may make people uncomfortable and ignoring the wisdom it has to offer. Mark Twain’s The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is a prime example, with all of its controversy on whether or not it should be taught in schools. In reading this novel, students are exposed to the necessary ambiguity of morals in society through Huck’s inquisitive nature.