| dc.description.abstract | In this paper, I examine John Steinbeck's Cannery Row on the basis of the posthuman
vision that courses through it, as it does through many of Steinbeck's works. I propose that
Steinbeck presents human and animal worlds that intermingle, mimic, and sustain one
another; what Steinbeck described as non-teleological may justifiably be considered
posthuman. In Cannery Row, people of various social positionings and mental capacities
are presented plainly and matter-of-factly, without even a hint at causation or judgment of
their character, abilities, behaviors, morals, or actions. The novel is grounded in a vision of
close inter-species connections in which humans are not any better than any other animate
species, and animals are not inferior to humans; we are alike more than we are not.
Three ideas, developed in three separate chapters of this paper, are central to
demonstrating the posthumanism of Cannery Row with its clear affinities to the
posthumanism delineated by Cary Wolfe in What ls Post humanism? These include
interspecies connectedness, the shared bond of suffering, and pet-"owner" relationships.
Cannery Row, as well as The Logfrom the Sea of Cortez, also by Steinbeck,
exemplifies the interconnectedness, similarities, and interdependencies between species,
including humans who sense animals' unspoken pain and act to alleviate it, animals and
humans who experience alienation and ostracism and suffer from it, and a dog who lives
with as much independence and autonomy as her human housemates, to reveal a world that
is not anthropocentric but rather posthuman. Human beings in the novel are placed side by
side with non-human characters who are similarly presented, and there is a sense of equality
and inclusiveness between biological species observed being themselves. The bond of
suffering is shared by humans and nonhumans, who acknowledge and respond to suffering
in other species. Relationships between humans and pets showcase distinctions between
Cannery Row 's humanist and posthuman characters. The clear conclusion is that Cannery Row embraces posthumanism. | en_US |
