How is Cannery Row like a Tide Pool - Essay Example

Tide pools are rocky seawater pools that are normally found by the oceans Halpern (6). The pools are habitats of uniquely adaptable creatures such as starfish, mussels and clams. The environment of the tide pools are constantly changing and the inhabitants of the pools must be able to cope up with this ever changing environment of the pool to survive Halpern (13). The organisms have to endure the constant changes in water temperature, salinity and oxygen content if they are to stay alive. They also have to cope up with the strong currents, predators, huge waves and midday sun to survive. The waves dislodge mussels and drive them to the ocean. The starfish prey on mussels whereas gulls break open the sea urchins and feed on the starfish. The black bears also sometimes feed on the intertidal creatures when the tides are low. However, as much as the organisms must avoid the strong currents, wave, sun and predators to survive, they also rely on the constant changes in the pools for food. The creatures that thrive in the tide pool cannot survive on their own. There is some kind of interdependence among the various organisms, where each relies on the other for survival according to Halpern (23). This way of life in the tide pools have attracted special attention of philosophical writers such as John Steinbeck, marine biologists and naturalists. In his novel Cannery Row, John Steinbeck relates life culture, values and class of the people in the town of Cannery to the structures of the tidal pools. Cannery Row is a story about a group of poor friends (Mack and his friends) who try to raise money to buy beer and throw their friend (Doc) a second party after the first one went out of control and ruined his lab. The story is set in the later hours of the day when the Cannery had closed and all the workers had gone and only the inhabitants of the street were left. Just as within the tidal pools, when the tides and the waves move back, the tidal pools are filled with life and the remnants are left behind. The life structures in the tide pools directly relate to the social structures of the Cannery Row. The mussels and limpets occupy the lowest status at the bottom of the pool whereas the starfish that prey on them and the eels that hide in crevices occupy a status above them. Hermit crabs who are always on the look out for empty shells that might be bigger than the ones they have also occupy the bottom of the sea. However, this structure is often silenced when the tides come back in but begin all over again when the tides move back and the ocean draws back. The story of the Cannery Row revolves around the people left behind when the Cannery had closed. Mack and his friends (the boys) occupy the lowest status at the bottom end of the social structure just as the mussels and the limpets. They are the scavengers who feed on what everyone else has left behind. They do not work unless they have to; they would rather lie and steal, swindle or exchange favors than work to take care of their responsibilities in life. Mr. and Mrs. Malloy also resemble the hermit crabs. They are always looking for something bigger and better but have to make do with the pipe since they cannot afford anything else. Although they make it their home, they never stop trying to improve it to make it a better place (Steinbeck). They are very industrious people who try as much as possible to make their current situation better than it is. Dora and the girls occupy a higher status in the social structure because they have the ability to earn money and secure a safe and warm place to stay or live. They cannot climb any higher in social structure because of their profession (prostitution) and the fact that they are women. Lee Chong and his family are highly respected because they own a grocery store which provides the street with all their needs and wants. They also allow people to take goods on credit and live comfortably. However, their status cannot change due to the fact that they are immigrants and during the time that the book, Cannery Row, was written immigrants were not highly rated. At the top of the social structure is Doc. He is highly educated and everyone in the street looks up to him. He has a job and owns a home. He is highly respected and everyone in the street strives to be like him (Steinbeck 11). Many of the inhabitants of Cannery Row owe him a lot because he is always there for them. Just like the creatures in the tide pool, the residents of Cannery Row are interdependent. Mike and his group of poor friends rely on taking what the other people throw away. Dora and the Girls rely on men to get their daily bread. Lee Chong and his family rely on the residents of Cannery Row who buy his products and this enables him to live a comfortable life. It seems that all the people mentioned in the book rely on each other for their own survival and they are ever ready to help others as well. The characters described in the book all gain something from each other. In the first chapter, Steinbeck uses the tide pool metaphor to portray the closeness of the people who live on Cannery Row. He describes Cannery Row as “a poem, a stink, a grating noise, a quality of light, a tone, a habit, a nostalgia, a dream” (Steinbeck 2). This is exactly the same way that life in a tide pool is. It is one place where you are likely to find all sorts of people, doing all sorts of things. There is normally a form of camaraderie in a tide pool where everyone feels like they belong. The same can be said of Cannery Row where although there are different people with different lifestyles, all of them have a form of unity which they use for their own group and individual purposes. Conclusion There is a lot about human living that can be learned from Steinbeck’s Cannery Row. The book shows the simple yet complex way how people must always utilize what they can get from one another in order to make it in life. As in a tide pool where there are all sorts of creatures living harmoniously together, the people in Cannery Row were from different backgrounds, but their differences never stopped them from enjoying the environment in which they found themselves in. They used their present circumstances to fulfill their own lives and helped others fulfill theirs and feel appreciated. Works Cited Halpern, Monica. All about tide poolss. National Geographic Society. 2007. Steinbeck, John. Cannery Row. New York: Penguin Books, 1992. Print. Read More