60 pages • 2 hours read
John SteinbeckA modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Content Warning: This novel contains depictions of death by suicide, infanticide, and alcohol abuse. In addition, it contains several outdated, offensive terms for Chinese immigrants, which this guide cites only in direct quotes from the novel.
The novel begins by describing the Monterey location Cannery Row. Steinbeck highlights the smell and the feeling as well as visuals of the place. The variety of people who live and work there include sex workers, doctors, and grocery store clerks, as well as the people who work canning sardines. The event of sardines coming in from the bay represents the most action in this section, though it also includes the day-to-day activities at the Bear Flag Restaurant and at Lee Chong’s grocery store.
The grocery store and its proprietor, Lee, are the focus of this chapter. It lists the items for sale, from food to clothes. Lee grants customers credit until what they owe him reaches a high limit. The narrator describes Lee’s accent, his relationship to the “tong wars” (10) in San Francisco, and his physical features. He stands at the counter behind a case of tobacco products and in front of bottles of alcohol, while his relatives work in other parts of the store.
By John Steinbeck
East of Eden
John Steinbeck
Flight
John Steinbeck
In Dubious Battle
John Steinbeck
Of Mice and Men
John Steinbeck
Sweet Thursday
John Steinbeck
The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights
John Steinbeck
The Chrysanthemums
John Steinbeck
The Grapes of Wrath
John Steinbeck
The Harvest Gypsies: On the Road to the Grapes of Wrath
John Steinbeck
The Log From The Sea of Cortez
John Steinbeck
The Long Valley
John Steinbeck
The Moon Is Down
John Steinbeck
The Pearl
John Steinbeck
The Red Pony
John Steinbeck
The Wayward Bus
John Steinbeck
The Winter Of Our Discontent
John Steinbeck
To a God Unknown
John Steinbeck
Tortilla Flat
John Steinbeck
Travels With Charley
John Steinbeck
American Literature
View Collection
Animals in Literature
View Collection
Anthropology
View Collection
Beauty
View Collection
Books About Art
View Collection
Community
View Collection
Earth Day
View Collection
Friendship
View Collection
Good & Evil
View Collection
Historical Fiction
View Collection
Nobel Laureates in Literature
View Collection
Philosophy, Logic, & Ethics
View Collection
Poverty & Homelessness
View Collection
Required Reading Lists
View Collection
Science & Nature
View Collection
Truth & Lies
View Collection