The Human Animal : Posthumanism in John Steinbeck's Cannery Row

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.