Cannery_Row

Do not Judge before You Know It Cannery Row is a small town full of different characters. We are introduced to Doc, Lee Chong, Mack and the boys, Dora and the girls, Mary Talbot, and Frankie, among others. If we look at Cannery Row we may think it’s full of “whores, pimps, gamblers, and sons of bitches” (Steinbeck 1). However, according to Steinbeck it’s full of “saints and angles and martyrs and holy men” (Steinbeck 1). Steinbeck’s people are helpful people. They are not perfect, but they try to do nice things to the people who are nice to them. What you give, is what you get. They are alone, what we mean is that they do not have a real family. Every person in Cannery Row looks for a group or other person to fit in with. It’s hard to tell if they are happy because there are a lot of weird deaths, fights and loneliness. Despite that, they are special people who care about those around them. We know people in Cannery Row see Dora as a prostitute but she is the only one who has a full life. She is helpful, social, clean, and owner of the Bear Flag Restaurant. Based on what Steinbeck says she is good with the “girls” and is helpful to those who need her. Dora helps out during the flu epidemic as a nursemaid for needy families. She helps Mack and the boys throw Doc’s party. We can think she is a bad person because she is a prostitute and has a house where men can meet with the girls, but she is really good person. Steinbeck continues to show that Dora has a noble heart when Doc worries about all the people who are sick and she says, “Is there anything I can do'”(Steinbeck 98). Yes, she is different person because she sells her body but it does not make her bad. Mack and the boy like to drink; they do not work and live in the Palace Flophouse. They steal things to decorate their hose, that’s why people think they’re bad. They try to do nice things to the people who are nice to them, but they do not know how it does. When Mack says, “That Doc is a fine fellow. We ought to do something for him” (Steinbeck 13). They start organized a party for Doc, and Mack and the boys try to collect frogs to get money for the party. Biased on Mack and the boy’s actions, Steinbeck helps us see the different intentions the boys have. One example show the are good boys when the take care of Darling when she gets sick “the held up her head and made a little funnel of her chops and poured the cool soup in. . . Every two hours they fed her and gave her water” (Steinbeck 147). Steinbeck lets us see how much they care by the careful way in which the boys take care of the dog. They have a place where to live and they share the palace with other people who do not have where to live, and one of this people is Gay “that fellow Gays is moving in with us I guess. . . He does not get any rest so he is moving in with us” (Steinbeck 34). Steinbeck also shows us how generous Mack and the boys are because they share what they have with the people who need it. The ultimate lesson tell us no to judge a book by its cover. Steinbeck shows us this by allowing us to see the true actions and intentions of Dora and Mack and the boys. They do not need a lot to things to help other people, and they are happy without it.