Cannery Row Lesson Plan

How does Doc's second party differ from the first?

The most obvious difference between the first and second parties is that Doc is actually in attendance this time. This denotes a level of preparation that didn't exist last time, and is, of course, the most salient detail. Beyond that, however, there are a number of additional differences. Ask students to consider how this party came together: this time around, Mack didn't officially invite anybody; people simply showed up ready to party.

Consult Steinbeck's passage in chapter 29 about the "pathology" of a party. The best parties are the ones that come together organically and which have their own natural ebb and flow...