Success In John Steinbeck's Cannery Row

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In today’s society everyone strives to be successful. Society portrays the idea that success is getting a job and being rich. In Cannery Row however, Steinbeck goes against the idea of how society depicts success and suggests that it may be something else. We can see it through his writing style and characters that success really is more than just money, and more geared to how you see yourself. A successful individual is one who views themself as successful by not giving in to cultural stereotypes, not caring how others perceive you, and by being content with the effort you put into something.

A successful individual is one who views themself as successful demonstrated by not caring how others perceive you. Everyday, people who see or hear …show more content…

In Cannery Row by Steinbeck, he reminds one that, “Its inhabitants are, as the man once said, “whores, pimps, gamblers, and sons of bitches,” by which he meant Everybody. Had the man looked through another peephole he might have said, “Saints and angels, and martyrs and holy men,” and he would have meant the same thing”(1). Despite people perceiving you as unsuccessful or bad, if you yourself feels successful then it doesn’t matter what other’s think of you. In the quote, it implies that someone might perceive you in a bad way but if they got to know you personally and looked at you with a different point of view they might see you in a better light. There are many people who have their own ideas on who you are but because they do not know you like you do yourself, their negative words should have no meaning …show more content…

Many people because of their heritage or culture are stereotyped as being uneducated, uncultured, unmannered and many more negative things.. An example of a race that is often stereotyped as uneducated are Hispanics. In Always Running by Luis Rodriguez, he writes, “I'm writing a book”....It took me forever to finish a page, but I kept at it in between my other activities. By then I actually had a quarter of a ream done...in my case though I didn’t know how to write or paint... ”(134,219). The author and main character Rodriguez are one in the same person. At a young age Luis Rodriguez started writing about his life story which becomes a big feat for him because of not getting education in school, gang related problems, and being a leader in school for his fellow classmates. He clearly goes against a stereotype he faces which is Hispanics are illiterate by, writing a book despite getting without help in his circumstances and writing becoming very popular throughout the years. As a result of his hard work he put into his stories and poems, thanks to one of his teachers Mrs. Baez, the stories and poems were edited and sent to many literary contests. In Always Running, the author Rodriguez tells a bit of his memories and emotions in his experience in a life changing moment for him, “I had to do it even when I knew my works would be subject to ridicule, would be called stupid and naive... I had to believe

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