Outline For Cannery Row Essay

Cannery row by john steinbeck is well known across hundreds of cities all over the world, Despite what many might think.
A. cannery row by john steinbeck has been around for several decades and has a very important meaning in the lives of many.
1. When the book reflects people's lives, they tend to be more interested in it.
2.It would be safe to assume that cannery row by john steinbeck is going to be around for a long time and have an enormous impact on the lives of many people.
B. Cannery Row has a role in some American lives.
1. To many people, Cannery Row is a reflection of their lives.
2. The book hits people on a personal level and that is what makes them like the book
even more.
C. Cannery

Row is full of emotion and excitement.
I connected with this book on so many levels.
With the way John Steinbeck wrote the book, it just pulls you in and makes you want to read more and more.

D. Thesis: If you read Cannery Row and you'll find yourself involved in a well written book, each word builds a different level of emotion.

II. (First item from the thesis statement)
A. Cannery Row is a delightfully well-written book that highlights the complexity of people's interactions.
1.it is also interesting because it has virtually no real plot, yet has a clear beginning, an absorbing middle, and a haunting end, as all good books do.
2.Steinbeck taught me in this book that the most important aspects of any novel or memoir have to do with the characters within.

B. When John Steinbeck wrote this book, he made it personal.
1. He made Cannery Row connect with people on a personal level.
2. I believe that he did this in purpose to draw people closer to the book.

C. “Cannery Row in Monterey in California is a poem, a stink, a grating noise, a quality of light, a tone, a habit, a nostalgia, a dream.”- John Steinbeck.
1.Even John himself knows how addicting, and personal this book is.
2.I believe you can only get attached to something you

love.

D. (Transitional statement)

III. John Steinbeck did not have a plot for Cannery Row.
A. In a certain sense, Cannery Row does not have a cohesive plot.
1.Rather, it is comprised of a series of vignettes about individuals who live in an area called Cannery Row, and the sense is that Steinbeck was more interested in creating sketches of a place and a people rather than telling a story or conveying a message about those people and their circumstances and experiences.
2. It is a book about the lives of regular people.

B. Despite the brevity of this novel, Steinbeck introduces a variety of symbols that are used to effectively dramatize life on Cannery Row.
1.One of these symbols is the row itself; another symbol is the collecting activity of Doc
2.Steinbeck was very good at showing these symbols in this book.

C. Cannery Row is a low-down kind of place, but many characters are struggling to attain their version of success.
1.some of the characters in this book are finding it hard to have a successful living.
2. Characters such as Doc, is one of the people who is struggling.

D. (Transitional statement)

IV. Cannery Row can be a place full of love and excitement, but it can also be a place of horror.
A. Violence, both physical and psychological, seems to be a fact of life in Cannery Row.
1.Violence is also inflicted upon the self and on others.
2.There are people who are happy and people who are angry in Cannery Row.

B. Cannery Row has a very packed population of characters, with a variety of personalities.
1.A woman named Dora runs a successful whorehouse in Cannery Row.
2. There is also a shrewd but sometimes kind-hearted man named Lee Chong, who runs a grocer.
C. Not only does Steinbeck use a lot of symbolism in this book, but more importantly, he makes direct characterizations of common qualities of mankind, ranging from greed to lust to kindness.
1.Greed, a very primary human quality, is characterized in Lee Chong, the prominent store owner and businessman of Cannery Row.
2. In addition to greed, the basic human quality of lust is characterized by Dora Flood’s whorehouse.

D. This book had a lot of meaning and symbolism, and Steinbeck made sure to make those qualities in this book stood out.