Steinbeck would roll over in his grave
by Rhina Guidos, Outpost staff
Our last stop was Cannery Row. Although we enjoyed the scenery and the beautiful beach of Monterey, it was disappointing to see the commercialism of the strip.
In "The Winter of our Discontent," Steinbeck criticized the commercialism of the North American culture. Cannery Row was expensive, superficial and untrue to the ideals he expressed in that novel.
In "Cannery Row," Steinbeck gave the world some of his most
famous characters and immortalized Ed "Doc" Ricketts in the
minds of fans. And so it was sad to see The Steinbeck Wax
Museum as the only thing left of the Cannery Row of the
past.
Cannery Row used to be the place where misfits
wandered. Here is where Steinbeck discovered the
characters for his famous novel. Photo courtesy
of Smith Novelty Company.
It is definitely a place to do some shopping, but it was disappointing to the two of us who went looking for information, not a shopping spree.
We grabbed a snack at a candy store and strolled along the shore. If Cannery Row had been our first stop, clearly we would have been disappointed. The only information worthy to look at was the words written on the busts of Ricketts and Steinbeck, but they didn't say anything we hadn't seen before.
It was our last stop on a long day. It was worth seeing just to put things in perspective and to get rid of old romanticism, but I would say that for a serious fan, it is not worth the time.
Posted May 10, 1999
Copyright 1999 Nevada Outpost
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