Monday, August 4, 2014

Summary of Chapter 11 (Hill and Masha)

The chapter 11 is mainly about the day, when Gay fixed the truck, and Mack and the boys went to get frogs for Doc.
First, chapter is about the Lee Chong's Model T Ford truck, it was very old and it had belonged to many owners before. The story of the car is similar to the stories of almost all people on Cannery Row. The Ford knew the better times, as the most of these people did. But it is in a very poor condition now. Steinbeck in a few words described the lives of the cars owners, and it gives us a wider view of America in those days.
Second, we got to know, that Gay was a great mechanic, nearly a magician, and he fixed the truck successfully with help of Eddie stealing dry cells in Gay's house. The boys went to the Red Williams' service station in order to get gas. We could notice, that although the boys were working so hard to conduct a party for Doc, even then they're trying to get some profit from the business.
Third, on the way to frogs, the truck had trouble, because of the carburetor and Gay went for the needle valve and didn't come back because he was caught by police in a quarrel. And this was a very significant story for understanding the whole book. Lives of Mack and the boys and other Cannery Row inhabitants was all about the chance. There was no constancy in their lives. We could remember, how unusual for them was to live in a house. And another significant thing is how the chapter ended: the boys stopped to mention Gay. One of them disappeared, but they showed no worries about it. People are coming and people are leaving, and this is the usual flow of life.

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