Cannery Row Essay
Final Draft
Alejandro Finol
Block D
September 27, 2012
John Steinbeck the author of Cannery Row, has a continuous struggle between his nostalgia and the reality of the city. This introduces his distinct literary style, which is maintained throughout the novella. The reader would be oblivious to the internal struggles faced, if not for the use of the tide pool as a microcosm of Cannery Row. He tries to find a balance between his fantastic memories and the truth by intertwining the use of Romanticism and Realism. His struggle becomes apparent when introduced to the subtle difference between utopia and chaos, the intrusion of dark reality, and double-sidedness and the search for unity.
Throughout the novel and specifically in this paragraph there is a subtle change between a utopian society and utter chaos. These changes are made by the intrusion of dark reality in the novel, which is a direct catalyst of the authors overall writing style. The diction and syntax used also develop the soft transition between the chaotic and utopian characteristics of the passage. One example is, “A wave breaks over the barrier, sand churns the glassy water for a moment and mixes bubbles into the pool, and then it clears and is tranquil and lovely and murderous again.” (Pg. 31) By using fluidity and the repetition of conjunctions the author establishes a clear juxtaposition between the two sides. The syntax, on the other hand, works with the romantic and realistic characteristics found throughout the novella. The romantic qualities are found when they praise the beauty of nature with long elevated sentences. These present an image of perfection to the reader, which inclines them to see Cannery Row through the author’s point of view. The realistic qualities are found in short sentences that talk in depth about the horrors of nature and the predator versus prey lifestyle. The sentences that use realism are seen as chaotic because it is so raw and primitive, but in fact are
Alejandro Finol
Block D
September 27, 2012
John Steinbeck the author of Cannery Row, has a continuous struggle between his nostalgia and the reality of the city. This introduces his distinct literary style, which is maintained throughout the novella. The reader would be oblivious to the internal struggles faced, if not for the use of the tide pool as a microcosm of Cannery Row. He tries to find a balance between his fantastic memories and the truth by intertwining the use of Romanticism and Realism. His struggle becomes apparent when introduced to the subtle difference between utopia and chaos, the intrusion of dark reality, and double-sidedness and the search for unity.
Throughout the novel and specifically in this paragraph there is a subtle change between a utopian society and utter chaos. These changes are made by the intrusion of dark reality in the novel, which is a direct catalyst of the authors overall writing style. The diction and syntax used also develop the soft transition between the chaotic and utopian characteristics of the passage. One example is, “A wave breaks over the barrier, sand churns the glassy water for a moment and mixes bubbles into the pool, and then it clears and is tranquil and lovely and murderous again.” (Pg. 31) By using fluidity and the repetition of conjunctions the author establishes a clear juxtaposition between the two sides. The syntax, on the other hand, works with the romantic and realistic characteristics found throughout the novella. The romantic qualities are found when they praise the beauty of nature with long elevated sentences. These present an image of perfection to the reader, which inclines them to see Cannery Row through the author’s point of view. The realistic qualities are found in short sentences that talk in depth about the horrors of nature and the predator versus prey lifestyle. The sentences that use realism are seen as chaotic because it is so raw and primitive, but in fact are