I wasn't sure what to make of the title when I first encountered it.
Is 'cannery' an intentional misspelling of 'canary' and is it a row where canaries frequent? Is the word 'row' used to mean 'fight', as in a 'Cannery Fight'? Of course, the author goes ahead to explain before the story even starts that 'Cannery Row' is a place where they can fish (and by 'can', I mean, put fish in tin cans) and is a neighbourhood in Monterey, California.
The book itself, aside from being saturated in culture and innocent misdemeanours, is almost encyclopedic in its scope of zoology (and particularly, marine biology). I looked this up, wondering to myself whether or not I was meant to be familiar with all these aquatic animals mentioned in Doc's lab, and found out that Steinbeck had committed himself to the study of marine biology for some time.
The plot doesn't seem to be the focus of the novel/novella at all. Rather, the novel seems to be a collage of stories revolving around Cannery Row. Steinbeck gives his setting a personality and an identity.
There were many interesting characters in it: notably Mack (and the boys), Doc, Dora, Lee Chong and Henri the Painter to name a few.
A couple of years ago I would have said that Mack is annoying and deranged. He is the kind of person who does not have tact and works with little acts of selfishness under the veil of generosity. Moreover, he is a compulsive, professional liar. Now, I feel a kind of sympathy towards him, especially after his toothy, blood-trickling speech at Doc.
We don't live in an absolute world, after all. Cannery Row is a society in its own right, upholding its own ideals, its own rules and its own lifestyle. People may live a lifestyle of their choosing.
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