You will write a 500-word theme addressing one of the prompts listed below.
1. Steinbeck & Contentment: Throughout Cannery Row, Steinbeck comments about the
complexity of defining the meaning of ‘success’ and ‘contentment.’ Write a theme that
explores how Steinbeck experiments with a more supple and multidimensional view of success
and happiness. How is a successful life redefined by the members of Steinbeck’s Cannery Row
community? Which characters in the novel seem to be the most contented with their lives?
Why? Your theme should make brief-but-direct comparisons to how two other American
authors from our reading list have explored this topic. (Key authors to consider might include
Emerson, Thoreau, Whitman, Twain, Frost, and Kesey.)
