Taoism Reflected in Cannery Row - Essay Example

How Taoism is Reflected in ‘Cannery Row’ by John Steinbeck (1945) “The world is ruled by letting things take their ” Lao-Tzu John Steinbeck’s Cannery Row, (1945) presented a deceptively simple series of events, with a cast of characters, apparently equally lacking in complexity, at least on the surface. It could be the place, the time, the people, the events, that all combined to create a literary experience that is much more than just stories of those who society might consider losers, bums and no-hopers. But like the Tao Te Ching, Cannery Row portrayed a philosophy of how to live life in a way that achieved levels of balance, happiness and moral virtue. With its themes, and people, Steinbeck’s novel raised awareness of the values of Taoism, in which non-action, non-materialism, self-knowledge and flexibility made for true contentment. As Number 11 stated, “It is the space within that makes it useful” and this aptly describes the book and the writer’s skills, as he “let the stories crawl in by themselves” (Steinbeck, Intro.) This essay will examine the characters and significant events, relating these to the tenets of Taoism, and contending that it was indeed Steinbeck’s aim to share and enlighten with this novel. By opening the stories with Lee Chong’s shop, Steinbeck created an immediate psychological link to Chinese culture, beliefs and the Tao. The link was confirmed and extended, when through Lee Chong, Mack and the boys emerged; “Mack and his friends approached contentment casually, quietly and absorbed it gently” (Steinbeck 9), reflecting Number 48 of the Tao. His dealings with them in allowing for the creation of the Palace Flophouse, showed “Yielding is the way of the Tao”. (40) and “Yield and overcome” (22). His actions resulted in a balanced win-win situation; he had customers, caretakers and defenders of his property, while Mack and his friends had a home. Steinbeck further related Lee Chong to the Tao by suggesting “..perhaps he is evil balanced and held by good” (11), and Mack and the boys he linked thus to Number 22: “Mack and the boys are the Beauties, the Virtues, the Graces” (Steinbeck 11). In two short chapters, Cannery Row and many of its important players began to come alive, and the significant places, the shop and the flophouse were established. In the wider society of the time, these places and people would seem of little value, but in fact, they reflected the concepts in Number 39, that “the low is the foundation of the high” and “Too much success is not an advantage”. The imagery, atmosphere and lyricism present in Chapter 2, combined to bring Cannery Row itself to life as a hub, a character of vital importance and a place possessing all the qualities expressed in Number 11. As evening descended, that emptiness took on a deeper meaning, and the simplicity moved forward into the complexity of meanings that Steinbeck was developing. “Therefore profit comes from what is there; Usefulness from what is not there.” Dora, the whore-house madam lived, by her actions and integrity, the principles of Number 68 – “A good employer is humble” and “This is known as the ability to deal with people”. These qualities emerged in her “special gifts of tact and honesty, charity and a certain realism…” (Steinbeck 11), denoting an understanding and acceptance of her position in life and related to Number 13 – “Accept disgrace willingly”. That was something that was also seen later as applicable to Mack, after the trashing of Doc’s home and the failed party. Dora also epitomized 42, in that she could “truly care for all things”. Doc himself might be understood as the hub, the empty space, in Number 11, and also as the wise person in 22, for he seemed “really whole”. Steinbeck showed this in the phrase “Everyone who knew him was indebted to him. And everyone thought next ‘I really must do something nice for Doc’” (16). This could equate to Number 66, “The whole world will support him and will not tire of him”. In relation to Doc’s dealings with Frankie, the evidence of non-action as in Number 43, appeared in his treatment of the boy, after he dropped the tray of beer and ran away to hide. “There wasn’t a thing in the world he could do” (Steinbeck 31) This occurred again, when Frankie was taken to be put away, and was connected to Number 48 “The world is ruled by letting things take their course” and “the heavy stone of inevitability was on his heart” (Steinbeck 86), heavy with Frankie’s love and situation. Doc could only accept and go collecting, leaving things to take their course. With Mack, he allowed his anger to erupt, hitting him, and this showed Mack to be someone who “accepted disgrace willingly”, as in Number 13. Doc’s responses to finding the girl in the water, though sickening and saddening for him, reflected 13, for although he was unbalanced for a time, he finally chose to “accept misfortune as the human condition”. Mack might be seen to encompass every element of the Toa verses, as throughout the book, he took on some significant aspect of the philosophy. For example, in his negotiations with Lee Chong, 68 and 69 can be seen, his winning over the Captain and acquisition of Darling, showed 22 and 33 – and all his characteristics were contained in Hazel’s comment and Jones’ response as follows: “I bet Mack could of been president of the US if he wanted” and Jones said: “What could he do with it if he had? There wouldn’t be no fun in that” (Steinbeck 41). Henri, the artist, was another example of Taoist living, as 33 and 48 showed up in his non-action; “Henri never wanted to finish his boat” (Steinbeck 63), for “he who stays where he is endures” and “When nothing is done, nothing is left undone.” Taoist philosophy was threaded through the plots and subplots and lives of the lesser characters. Mary Talbot matched 13, the old Chinaman and Andy, the boy who teased him, could be related to 42, as the vision suggested “The violent man will die a violent death”. The resignation shown by Joey at Willard’s ridicule over his father’s suicide, portrayed “Knowing the self is enlightenment”, as he was afraid, acknowledged his fear, then let it go. Cannery Row as a place, seemed to affect its inhabitants and visitors in some magical, metaphysical way, as seen by the soldiers and their girls, going with the flow. Unlike Mrs. Malloy, who sought to disturb the natural balance by wanting to “stick cloth to iron”. Sam Molloy brought Number 11 to life, with his pipes as “useful sleeping-quarters for single men at a very nominal fee” (Steinbeck 25), creating that “space within that makes it useful”. Hazel, with his simplicity and love of talking, though wearing at times, lived by “The soft and weak will overcome” (76). Eddie, with is punch jug, felt “It was a source of satisfaction to him that nobody was out of anything”, thus following the tenet in 46, “Therefore he who knows that enough is enough will always have enough”. The little gopher, who had all the material wealth, yet no friends or love, was a metaphor for the rich who “considered themselves “orphaned”, “widowed” and “worthless”. (39 and 42). He was an example of one who can “have much and be confused (22) and finally had to accept that to live, he must move to where “They put out traps every night” (Steinbeck 88), and so was finally showing “Yielding is the way of the Tao” (40). The most significant events were the parties, the first a dreadful misfortune, though created with the best intentions. The preparations allowed themes, plots, subplots and character development to continue, the failure exposing many facets of Mack and the boys. But the over-riding message could be that balance was not maintained, due to too much action, and so the Tao was abandoned. Steinbeck’s portrayal of the resultant sufferings of all, Cannery Row and the town itself, were the allegorical warnings of how unnatural disasters occur when Tao is abandoned. By doing so, the natural order, as stated in Number 42 “The ten thousand things carry yin and yang. They achieve harmony by combining these forces” , was overturned and life became unbearable. A deceptively small, but highly significant event was Doc’s helping Mack when Darling became so sick. Though he was still cold with Mack and the boys, his help and advice were pivotal in restoring balance, because she recovered. “At last a crack had developed in the wall of evil” (Steinbeck 68). As Number 43 stated, “The softest thing in the universe” (the little dog), “Overcomes the hardest thing” (the bad feelings, and disasters, private and public). From then on, the new party, central to the plot, was another metaphor for life returning to its natural order, regaining Tao equilibrium. This time, Mack voiced the principle from Number 68, “The virtue of not striving, the ultimate unity with heaven”, when he stated “Last time we forced her,…you can’t never give a good party that way. You got to let her creep up on you” (Steinbeck 73). Despite the error in birth date, Doc’s own lie, the preparations involving gifts that cost little in terms of money, but were valuable and precious to Doc and the givers, showed the lack of materialism inherent in Taoism. Doc was “really whole” and “All things will come to you” (22). “No one was invited. Everyone was going” (Steinbeck 76) and word just got around, like “Returning to the motion of the Tao” (40), in a flowing easy movement towards a magnificent, riotously funny climax. “You could hear the roar of the party from end to end of Cannery Row” and “The party had all the best qualities of a riot and a night on the barricades” (Steinbeck 87). It was as if the “ten thousand things” (42) all came together in a glorious affirmation of life as it should be lived. The book ended as Doc awoke the morning after the stupendous party, and faced the mess. The mood changed to one of deep yet happy contemplation. He reveled in his memories, recalled and recited the poem that had so touched them all, and immersed himself in his music, imaginary and real. Cleaning up and washing glasses was almost a holy ritual, not a chore, because this was a happy man. His “…white rats scampered and scrambled in their cages….behind the glass the rattlesnakes lay still and stared into space…” (Steinbeck 89). These, together with the images of peace restored to Cannery Row, back to the beginning in fact, symbolized that balance and emptiness, non-striving and that the “world is ruled by letting things take their course” (48), were once more returned to Doc’s life, his world, and the way of being within it. There is no doubt that the characters and events in this novel can be closely related throughout to Taoism, and that Steinbeck intended this to be so. By exploring the individuals, their actions and interactions, the plots, subplots and significant events, it emerged that all combined to deliver the basic overarching principles of Taoism. These comprised the themes and messages; that non-action, non-materialism, self-knowledge and flexible acceptance lead to contentment and peace in life. Cannery Row reflects Tao, while overturning the values of ambition, social status and wealth. The novel’s simplicity makes it a joyous ‘read’, while its complexity arouses deep emotional, psychological and philosophical responses. The writing is lyrical, poetic, mystical and marvelous. It calls for a return to the beginning, to start all over and experience the whole once more, while provoking a desire to study the Tao Te Ching in greater depth. Steinbeck truly created “the space that makes it useful” (11) in Cannery Row. References Steinbeck, John (1945) Cannery Row. New York. Penguin Modern Classics, Penguin Books USA. 1994. Read More