Dibble 1 Jeremiah Dibble Mr.

Wimer English 9 6 December 2013 Mack, a Man of Many Colors A famous book is John Steinbecks Cannery Row, but it seems to be missing a protagonist. This book does not follow one character. It jumps around from one story to the next. Cannery Row is almost a collection of vignettes rather than a normal book, but one character that seems to pop up in almost every chapter is Mack. Everyone in Cannery Row views Mack differently, he is known to be a leader, manipulator, unifier, mischief-maker, and embodiment of the ideal lifestyle by different individuals. The boys, the group of men who spend their time with Mack, think of Mack as their leader. An example of Macks leadership is in the following quote, Mack turned to the boys (others). You put this fire out, he said (Steinbeck 84). The boys think that Mack is a born leader, so they allow him to lead their group. Instead of asking the boys to do something for him, he commands them, which shows his authority in the group. Mack has a overwhelming monopoly of authority over the group making the group a dictatorship led by Mack instead of a democracy, which compels the boys view him as their leader. Mack is very manipulative, and Doc is the only one who this. Docs opinion of Mack is portrayed in this passage, it must be remembered that Doc had known Mack a very long time. If he had not he would have said December 18 which was his birthday instead of October 27 which was not(Steinbeck 161). Docs knowledge of Mack, which was acquired by knowing him for a long time, warned Doc that Mack had an ulterior motive. Doc lies about his birthday, because he

Dibble 2 believes that Macks ulterior motive was personal gain. Doc was worried that in the process of Mack trying to acquire personal gain Doc would be harmed in some way, shape, or form, because Doc knows Mack is manipulative. The people of Cannery Row think of Mack as a uniting force for a common goal. In Cannery Row, John Steinbeck uses the following extract to emphasize the size of the gathering that Mack is planning, All the citizens of Cannery Row were going. October 27 had a mental red circle around it. October 27 is a day to unite all the people of Cannery Row to celebrate Docs birthday. Mack is the true uniting force of Cannery Row, because he is the creator and planner of the party that is bringing the town together to celebrate Docs birthday. Without Mack the party would never happen, because he found out when Docs birthday is and brought all the citizens ideas and resources and combined them into one massive party. After many encounters with Mack, Lee Chung realizes that Mack is very mischievous. To convey Lees knowledge John Steinbeck writes, Lees Chungs tapping finger on the change mat speeded up a little when Mack came in (Steinbeck 54). Lee wants to stay alert when Mack walks in, which makes him tap his finger quickly. Lee becomes alert when Mack walks in because Mack makes him nervous. Mack makes Lee nervous because he always is planning a way to get something from Lee or his store in a mischievous manner. William wished he could live Macks life, because he believed that it was the ideal lifestyle. Williamss interest in Macks life is written about by John Steinbeck in the following, William began to wish he could join that good group (Steinbeck 18). William wants to join the group, because he wants to live like Mack. William believes that Mack lives the ideal lifestyle, so he wants to join the group. William thinks Macks life is ideal, because Mack gets to relax, drink whisky, and socializes with his boys, so he wants to live a similar life by joining his group.

Dibble 3 While missing a protagonist Cannery Row has something very close, Mack. Mack is a very social creature; so some people think he is a born leader, some think he is manipulative, and some think he is mischievous. It has become clear that Mack is a figure who is viewed by all in a verity of ways, both positive and negative. His skills as a leader are recognized as are his being a potential unifier. Mack could then be described as a man of many facets with everyone viewing a different one, or as a man of many colors.