Morality in Steinbeck’s Cannery Row Anonymous College

Have you savored the hot taste of life? (180) How do you view and interact with the world around you? From a young age, we are taught to enjoin right and forbid the wrong; however, the definition of what is right and wrong can change according to people or a society. The guidelines that one believes is what defines a good human being could be rejected by another. In Cannery Row, Steinbeck illustrates his definition of morality through the setting which allows Steinbeck to paint his frame of mind, the portrayal of social classes, and minor but important characters, Dora’s girls, who play a role in portraying the theme of morality in society.

In Cannery Row, Steinbeck paints the spirit of a society in Monterey, California with a unique style in which he includes both happiness and sorrow, both loneliness and friendship. He is careful to not mix societal expectations or values with his feelings and ideas. The story is composed of bits and pieces of people's lives, their actions, and roles. Steinbeck communicates to the reader, his perception and philosophy of morality, of accepting everything the way it is without criticism or expectations. One way he accomplishes this is through the character “of philosophy and science of art”,...