Cannery Row Lesson Plan

How does Steinbeck use the prologue to immerse the reader in the book's world?

Before we meet a single character, Steinbeck opens Cannery Row with a lengthy description of the space in which we'll be spending time. Ask students to identify the ways in which the author engages each of the five senses in the novel's opening: students should be able to find examples of each without much difficulty.

Once the class has exhausted the list of sensory descriptions, have them consider the way Steinbeck prepares us to meet the characters of Cannery Row. What does he mean when he says Everybody lives there (be sure to point out the capital "E")? Steinbeck's interest in the lives...