Masculine Sexuality and the Objectification of Women: Steinbeck's Perspective
Author(s): Mimi R. Gladstein
Source: The Steinbeck Review, Vol. 1, No. 1 (Spring 2004), pp. 109-123
Published by: Penn State University Press
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Masculine
of
Objectification
Steinbeck's
Mimi
and
Sexuality
the
Women:
Perspective
R.
Gladstein
University
of Texas
at El Paso
Steinbeck'searlycriticalsuccesses,and here I referto TortillaFlat, Of Mice
and Men, In Dubious Battle, and The GrapesofWrath,are markedby a singular paucityof femalecharacters.Any number of criticshave noted this
and drawnfromthisremovalor lack of the femininein his fictionalworld
a varietyof conclusions,not the least of which has been a continuinglabeling of Steinbeck'sdepictionof women as misogynistic.The main couples of his major worksof the thirtiesare male: Danny and Pilon, George
and Lennie,Mac and Jim,Tom Joad and JimCasy. The sexualityof these
men is a secondarymatterin the plot and not the focusof much narrative
attention.For a more concentratedlook at how Steinbeckdepicted male
sexualityand its resonance on female behavior,one is betterserved by
looking at the worksof his second decade of fame.
Therefore,this studywill focus not on the masterpiecesof the thirties,
but on two slighternovels of Steinbeck'smature middle years,Cannery
Row and The WaywardBus. The decision to concentrateon these two
worksforan explorationof Steinbeck'sperspectiveon masculinesexuality
and femaleobjectificationis based on severalfactors.Chiefamong themis
fromone
are so different
thatthesetwo works,writtenin close proximity,
another,and presentsuch opposed attitudes,thattheyprovideample materialfordrawingconclusions,a fullerperspectivebyvirtueof theirdiversity.They are like the yin and yangof Steinbeck'stake on the battleof the
sexes.Besides the factthattheirpresentationsof thistopic are so different,
thereis the factorof theiropposite tones. One is a comedy,albeit a dark
The SteinbeckReview,Volume '' , Spring2004
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109
110 * MimiR. Gladstein
one, oftenwhimsical.The otheris writtenin a serious and realisticmode,
based on an archetypalpilgrimage,steepedin canonical structure.
CanneryRow presentsa revealingentryinto Steinbeck'sperspectiveon
masculine sexualitybecause of its nostalgicrecreationof a timeand place
thatresonatedpositivelyin his storehouseof memories.And althoughone
is always wary of assigningtoo much correspondencebetween narrator
and author,in thiscase thereis both textualand extratextualevidence for
theircloseness.Having come throughthehorrorsof war and displacement
fromhis geographicalhomeland,Steinbeckreturned,via fiction,to a time
in his lifethathe rememberedwithgreatfondness.The narrator'svoice is
not to be trustedas presenting
thatof the author as whimsicalstoryteller,
in
terms
of thechoiceshe makes,both
but
still
a realisticaccount
revealing
in termsof inclusionand exclusion.1Steinbeck'sintroductorychapterbegins generallybut concludes with a paragraphthat is quite personal,one
in which Steinbecksets forthhis strategyfor communicatingwith the
reader, his methodology for tryingto recreate his Cannery Row. He
chooses a metaphorfrommarinebiology,thatof delicate flatwormswho
must be allowed to "ooze and crawl" onto the collectingknife,deciding
that he will writethe book by opening the page and letting"the stories
crawlin by themselves."2
ofwomenbeginsalmostimmediatelyin thenovel.AlThe objectification
thoughthe narrator,in his introduction,characterizesthe denizensof the
Row as "Everybody"whetheryou viewedthemas "whores,pimps,gamblers
and sons of bitches"or "Saintsand angelsand martyrsand holymen,"it is
clearthathis"Everybody"is male. Chapter1 beginswitha detaileddescrip"a model ofneatIt is,accordingto thenarrator,
tionofLee Chong'sgrocery.
The scope and varietyof Chong'sinventory
ness"and "a miracleof supply."3
described.Then,thenarratormakesclearhis masculineperis painstakingly
towardwomen. He states,"The one commodityLee
and
attitude
spective
Chong did not keep could be had across the lot at Dora's" (emphasis
added).4 In thismasculinepreserve,woman is an object,a commodity,like
the clothes,whiskey,and cigarson Lee Chong's shelves.It is clear fromthe
outsetthatCanneryRow is a man'sworld;man is thesubjectand woman an
object- merchandise,which,if not available in Lee Chong's, can be had
thatthisis man'sworldis tellinglyunderscoredby
elsewhere.Furthermore,
thefactthatthoughgrocerystoresare generallythoughtof as frequentedin
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MasculineSexuality
and theObiectification
of Women* 111
TheWingChongMarket,
basisforLee Chong's
in Steinbeck's
Row.
grocery
Cannery
of
Robert
Lewis
Collection/The
and
CRF's
Michael
(Courtesy
History
Company
Hemp.)
in thatera,itis men who are almostalways
largepartbywomen,particularly
shownas thecustomersat Lee Chong's.Perhapswomen shopped there,but
the narrativefocusesmainlyon the male shopper.The storyof the Palace
Flophouseopens withHorace Abbevillesettlinghis unpaid grocerybill.Doc
buysbeerand othersupplies.Mac and theboys,due to theirunspokenrental
agreement,do all of theirbusiness there.Women aren'teven depictedas
shoppersin theworldof GinneryRow.
Like TortillaFlat and Of Mice and Men beforeit,CanneryRow presents
a curiouslyhomosocial masculine idyllof groups of men livingtogether.
Mark Spilka'sdepictionof OfMice and Men as an "escape fromthecoarseness of adult sexuality"and a flightfromthe"trap"of marriageand female
sexuality,the imaginingof a "boy's world,"applies equally to Cannery
Row.5Leland S. PersonJr.also describesOf Mice and Men as a workwhich
"destabilizesconventionalconstructionof masculinity(patriarchal,heterosexualand phallocentric)in orderto explorealternativeand subversive
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112 * MimiR. Gladstein
- indeed, a Utopian dream founded on male bonding and
masculinities
sublimatedhomosexual domesticity."6
If Of Mice and Men does indeed posit a Utopiandream of male bonding based in traditionalpatriarchaleconomy within the frameworkof
conventionalmasculinelifeof the ranch,thebunk house, and a cat house,
then in CanneryRow that homosocial Utopian dream is realized and the
inhabitantsof this utopia don't even have to leave theirneighborhoodto
avail themselvesof whorehousecommodities."The Boys"live togetherin
the Palace Flophouse, an advanced version of the bunkhouse since they
are, in effect,theirown bosses. Dora Floods whorehouse is just across a
vacantlot. Livingin the Flophouse is nothingifnot domestic.Though the
men move into it initiallyonlyforthe shelter,soon theyare beautifyingit,
and plantingmorningglories.More than being a
fillingit with furniture,
of
the
the
Palace Flophouse is Lennie and George'sdream
bunkhouse,
type
ranchhouse of male domesticityrealized.And iftheydon't growtheirown
"live offthe fattathe land" since theyhave little
supplies,theyfiguratively
difficulty
helpingthemselvesto thebountyof"sudden and increasedleakMac and the boys even proage among the groceriesin New Monterey."7
the pup "Darling."Like dotingparentstheypanic
duce a child-substitute,
when she becomes sick and take turnssittingup withher in her illness.
in the plot of CanneryRow.In fact,as I have
Women are not significant
demonstratedin several other essays,in his recreationof this time and
exciseda significant
portionof therealwomen
place,Steinbeckdeliberately
who were part of the actual time and place he revisits,such as the"exceptionally"talentedand well-educatedwomen who were part of lab group
regularshe depictspartyingat Doc's lab in the novel.8Certainly,the majorityof theworkersin thecannerieswerewomen who were"crucialto the
labor forceof the canningindustrynot onlyin Monterey,but all overCalifornia."9
Exceptfora fewminorcharacters,Mary Talbotbeing thekeyexthe
ception,
onlywomen Steinbeckfeaturesin thisnostalgicrecreationare
It should be noted,however,
the"commodity"type,thatis,the prostitutes.
thatthe subject of Mary Talbot'slifeis her husband,Tom. Her main purpose is to keep him happy,to ward offthe dark depressionsthatthreaten
him as "he would sitand brood forhourswhileMary frantically
builtup a
At that,she is hardlya keyfactorin thenovel,not even
backfireof gaiety."10
introduced
until
chapter24.
being
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MasculineSexuality
andthe-Objectifigation
of Women* 113
Male sexual needs are acknowledgedin the textbut rarelyin termsof
leadingto commitment.Doc and Henry,men who do not avail themselves
of the "goods" at Dora s whorehouse,are depictedas engagingin a seeminglyendless number of casual and semicasual sexual relationshipsno
more meaningfulthan the relationshipsat Dora's. The factthatthe narrator does not provideany of the women who fulfillthisbiologic need with
a name is furthertestimonyto theirinsignificanceand commodification.
As RobertS. Hughes has noted in his rejectionof the claim fortide pool
universalityof the novel,"withoutthe kind of bonds between men and
women thatengenderfamilies,the analogy Steinbeckmakes betweenthe
tide pool animals and the human communityis invalid on biological
grounds."11Still,when male sexualityis foregroundedin the novel, it is
presentedalmost exclusivelyas a biologic urge,one thatmust be relieved
but withoutemotional entanglements,
particularlyones thatlead to marriage.The whores at Doras are lauded because theyprovide releasewith
no emotional aftermath.They "never speak to a man on the streetalAnd ifthe need forsex is
thoughhe may have been in the nightbefore."12
as
a
function
in
the men, then women's
acknowledged strictly biological
biological urges are presentedas annoyingand problematic.Henri, the
painter,who duringsome tenyearshas been "marriedtwiceand had promoted a number of semi-permanentliaisons,"is relievedwhen women
leave him because he is then "freeof the endless female biologic functions."13
The male role model and protagonistin the novel is, of course, Doc,
Steinbeck'smost obvious use of his friendEd Rickettsas a source forhis
fiction.It is made clearthatDoc does not avail himselfof the merchandise
at Dora's establishment.Nevertheless,his sexualityis presentedin ways
thatemphasize the lack of importanceof individualwomen in his life.In
fact,his descriptionlikenshim to a "satyr"in one instanceand as "Concupiscentas a rabbit"in another.14
Though Steinbeck'smodel forthis charactermayhave,in fact,had the avid sexual promiscuityattributedto Doc,
Ed Rickettshad been a marriedman and he did have children.This reality,however,would not serveSteinbeck'spaean to unbridledmale sexuality,and thereforethe characterof Doc appeals to many women, but is
attachedto none. The narrationemphasizes it,describinghim as "lonely
and set-apart."15
Interestingly
enough, a decade later in the sequel Sweet
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114 * MimiR. Cladstein
EdRicketts's
lab(onright),
basisforDoc'slabinCannery
Row.(Courtesy
ofRobert
Lewis
Collection/The
and
CRF's
Michael
History
Company
Hemp.)
, Steinbeckdevelops the main plot line as a quest to get Doc a
Thursday
permanentpartner.
And though civilized societies may have developed the institutionof
marriageas a way of channelingmale sexuality,in CanneryRow marriage
is depictedin such a waythatitpresentsno satisfactionforthe male of the
species.In thistext,marriedmen are theobjectsof distrustor ridicule.On
the one hand thereis Mr. and Mrs. Sam Malloy,whose happiness is disrupted by Mrs. Malloy's irrationaldesire for curtains in a windowless
boiler.Her husband is reducedto the absurd role of comfortingher while
she cries about his lack of understanding.And if wives are problematic
when theyare there,theirabsence is equally unsatisfactory.
The Captain
that
since
his
wife
was
elected
to
the
he
complains
Assembly, has been left
to run wild. His main objectionsseem to emanate fromthe factthathe is
not the subject of her life.She is eitherin the Legislature,givingspeeches,
or studyingand workingon bills. Mac immediatelyreduces the issue to
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andtheObjectification
of Women* 115
MasculineSexuality
sexual terms,deliveringhimselfof the opinion thatshe "mustbe lousy in"
but stoppinghimselfbeforehe completes the sentence.16A woman who
refusesto be object,who is the subject of her own life,is suspect. In this
homosocial world,Mac and the boys are "unconsciouslyglad she wasn't
distrust[ed] and
there"fortheyknow that she would have "instinctively
return
is waylaidby
them.17
when
Moreover,
dislike[ed]"
Gay's promised
his participationin drunkenhi-jinks,theconclusionis "You just can'ttrust
a marriedguy,"althoughhis marriagehas nothingto do withhis failureto
keep his promise.18Marriage is presentedin decidedly negativeimages,
while Dora Flood's business in the commodificationof women is described as clean, honest, upright,and "respectedby the intelligent,the
learned, and the kind."19Marriage is even held responsiblefor building
Dora's business,as the narratorexplainsthatshe was hatedby"thetwisted
and lascivioussisterhoodof marriedspinsterswhose husbands respectthe
home but don't like it verymuch."20
CanneryRow is so inhospitableto channelingthe male sexual urgein a
domestic directionthat its concluding parable-liketale is that of a male
gopherwho seeks to set up his home in the vacant lot across fromDoc's
lab withtroublingresults.He is, accordingto the narrator,"a beautifulgoThe area is perfectforhis needs and he
pherand in the primeof his life."21
builds a greatchamberwithfouremergencyexitsand a waterproofdeluge
room. He storesfood and preparesforthe familyhe is planning.Everythingis perfectexceptforthe factthatno femalecomes. In thiscautionary
tale,the only way the male can attracta femaleis by movingto a "dahlia
The symbolismis too obgardenwheretheyput out trapseverynight."22
vious forcommentary.
In The WaywardBus, published in 1947 soon afterCanneryRow, Steinbeck presentsa verydifferent
contextforexploringmasculinesexuality.It
is loosely based on the archetypeof The CanterburyTales, a storyof pilgrimson a tripwithostensiblereligiouspurposes. Steinbeck'spilgrimsare
on their way to a varietyof places, including Mexico, for purposes of
tourism.That he means thiswork to be takenseriouslyis signaledby the
prefatory
quotation fromEveryman,requestingtheaudience's attentionto
a "moraliplaye."In the earlierbook, Doc, Steinbeck'sprotagonist,is a single man. In thisworkJuanChicoy,theprotagonist,is a marriedman. Nevertheless,in termsof theircompared sexual activity,Juan'smarriedstate
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116 * MimiR. Gladstein
presentslittledeterrenceto casual sexual relations.Doc's lab is frequented
by numerous women, none importantenough to meritcharacterization.
Though the narrationmakes clear thatJuanengagesin extra-maritalrelationships,the readeris onlypresentedwithone instanceof Juans adultery,
his briefliaison withthecollege-girlMildred.Alice,his wife,is awareof his
interestin many women, noticing immediatelyhis reaction,though he
triesto hide it,to Camille Oaks. Though the narrationsuggeststhatJuan
is not sexuallyfaithful,
ironically,it is his sexual need that causes him to
stayin his marriage.The narratorexplainsthathe would have leftexcept
that"He'd need anotherwoman rightaway."23Camille Oaks functionsas
a sex goddess catalystformuch of the action in the novel.Justas the riauriau dancers circle BrettAshleyin Hemingway'srecreationof the Pamplona fiesta,suggestingher characterizationas a Circewho turnsmen into
swine,so the men in The WaywardBus performtruncatedmatingdances
to attractCamille's attentionor position themselvesnear her.However,it
is clear that she does not so much turn them into swine as that theyare
swine to begin with.
Camille's characterizationis a new one in the Steinbeckarsenal of female portraitures.The closest analog in his earlyworks is Curley'swife,
who thoughattractiveand young,is avoided bythe men in thebunkhouse
and labeled as troubleand jailbait.Theywant to stayawayfromher; she is
isolated in theirmidst.But,ifthe men in The WaywardBus thinkCamille
is trouble,theyare all forrushinginto it.Much of theplot revolvesaround
theirjockeyingforposition in orderto be near her on the bus. The force
of her sexualityis portrayedat one junctureas magnetic.Though he tries
to resistthe attraction,forMr. Pritchard,who has deluded himselfinto
thinkingthathe is a happilymarriedman,Camille is "a powerfulinfluence
. . . batteringat him fromthe rearof the bus."24
Steinbeck'snarrationpresentsraw male sexualityin decidedly unattractiveterms.Violent and animalisticimages prevail.Nor are thesecharacteristicslimitedto a fewof the male characters,or just the ones who are
presentedunsympathetically.
Earlyin the novel,JuanChicoy,theprotagolooks
at
Mildred
and
fantasizes
about taking,twisting,and outraging
nist,
her,about seducing her "mentallyand physicallytoo, and then throwing
her away."25Mildred's objectificationis clear fromthe factthat she does
not representan individualhuman being to him. For him she is merelya
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of Women* 117
andtheObjectification
MasculineSexuality
of Anglos.At thisearlypoint in the plot,he does not know
representative
about
her. She is hated for her type- "ojos claros . . . the
anything
blonds."26Mildred sees "the cruel,leeringtriumphin his eyes,"but convinces herselfthatshe is mistaken.27
That JuanChicoyis supposed to representa singularhyper-masculinity
is suggested by the narrators depiction of him as "a man"(emphasis
added). That this denotes more than gendercategoryis made clear when
the narratorexplainsthatJuans wifeAlice loved him insanelybecause "he
was a man, and thereweren'tverymanyof them."28Obviously,theword is
There are as manyor more men in the real world
not meant denotatively.
and the novel as thereare women. To emphasize the gender-specific
positive connotationsof the term,the narratoruses it a number of times in
Juans characterization.Mildreds desireforhim is also presentedin similar terms.Late in the novel,when she is anticipatinga sexual encounter
with him, she thinksof him as "a man of completemanness."Even Pimples,his employee,emphasizesthisquality.Respondingto Juan'streatment
of him,he thinks,"Why'dI everworkforanybodyelse?"29That thisis particularlyrelatedto sexualityis underlinedin Pimple's thoughtthat"Juan
understoodhow a guylooked at things.When a cookie wentby,Juanknew
how a guyfelt."30
If Juan,who is supposed to be the most positivelydepictedman in the
novel,itsprotagonist,a Christfigure,is portrayedin termsof such violent
impulses as possessinga desire to use his sexualityto defileand degrade,
thenwhat of the othermale characters?
Louie, the Greyhoundbus driver,is equally disposed to sexual violence,
usinghis sexualityas a destructiveforce.When he thinksabout girls and
the narratorexplains that "Nearly all his waking hours, Louie thought
about girls,"he thinksabout what harms he can do them.31"He liked to
outragethem"the narratorexplains he called them"Pigs."32Though he
is turnedon by Camille,he describesher to Edgar,the ticketclerk,as "the
pig."33Her objectificationis completedwhen he amplifiesthisdescription
by callingher "the broad, the blonde."34That thisattitudeis sharedin the
male communityis suggestedby the narrator'sdescriptionof Edgar's response and exchangingof "a secretman-look with Louie." Edgar,too, begins to referto Camille as "the pig."When Louie says,"I guess I'll make a
littletimewiththe pig,"Edgar's eyesfillwithadmiration.35
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118 * MimiR. Gladstein
Even Mr. Pritchard,a representative
of respectablesocietyand the only
in
man
the
reacts
novel,
upstandingfamily
physicallyto Camille's presence. His "toe made littleconvulsivejumps" and both his wifeand daughter notice it. But the wife does not understandit as her "women friends
were not of a kind to put Mr. Pritcharďsfootswinging."36
Later,drivento
desireby Camille s rejection,he rapes his wife.However,ratherthan raising sympathyforher,the narrationpresentsMrs. Pritchardas such a manipulativeand sexuallyinhibitedperson that it is clear the readeris supposed to empathizewith Mr. Pritchardand applaud his finallyasserting
his marital prerogative.Bernice Pritchardturnsthe situationto her advantageby mutilatingherselfafterhe leaves.Actingon an idea she has derived froma storyshe overhearsCamille tell Norma about how Loraine
mink coat, Bermanipulatedher boyfriendinto buyingher a fiill-length
nice rakes her face with her fingernailsand rubs dirt into the scratches.
Latershe convincesher husband that,in the throesof his passion, he was
the one who markedher.
What is significantabout Steinbeck'sportrayalof the objectificationof
Camille Oaks, however,is thatin The WaywardBus, unlikein Of Mice and
Men, Steinbeckpointedlypresentsthe perspectiveof the woman who is
treatedas a sex object,and he does so sympathetically.
But ifhis presentation of the woman's perspectiveis new in his fiction,his understandingof
the effectsof femaleobjectificationhad been part of his thoughtprocesses
forsome time.It is somethinghe had ponderedin his portrayalof Curley's
wife.In a letterto Clare Luce,who playedthecharacteron Broadway,Steinbeck triedto fillin some of the backgroundthatwould lead a young girl
likeher intoharm'sway,whattheforcesthatformedherpersonalitywould
be like.He wroteto Luce: "No man has everconsideredher as anythingexcept a girlto tryto make."He explains that"she had to become hard to
cover her fright."37
Though Curley'swifeprojectssexuality,Steinbeckexplains thatit is onlybecause she knowsit is theonlywayshe willbe noticed
at all. This, of course,is all extra-textual.
The only hint in the novel itself
thatthenarratoris sympatheticto Curley'swifecomes in his descriptionof
her afterLennie has killedher.Then he describesher sweetnessand youth,
notingher ache forattention,her planning,and discontent.
On the otherhand, Camille Oaks is presented,throughoutthetext,perceptivelyand with sensitivityto the effectsof her objectification.Unlike
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MasculineSexuality
and theObjectification
of Women* 119
Curleys wife,who is alwaysseekingcompany,Camille is alwaysin the positionof havingto fendoffmale attention.It is not somethingshe desires;
forher it is trouble.As the narratorexplains,"she had to argue or cajole or
insultor fighther way out. All men wanted the same thingfromher,and
thatwas just the way it was."38To emphasize thatthisis not just Camille's
the narratoradds, "She took it forgrantedand it was true."39This
fantasy,
sexual objectificationformsher character,stuntingher abilityto develop
as a human being.As male sexualityis portrayedas competitiveand rapacious, so Camille is presentedas the victimof its avidity.The narratorexplains,"Men foughteach otherviciouslywhen she was about,"withSteinbeck using the image of "terriers"to describe theiranimalisticbehavior.
When Camille tries to understand why men behave the way they do
around her,a young doctor explains it as one would the behavior of animals in the estruscycle,saying,"you just put it out in the air."Moreover,
in this medical man's perception,her sexualityis such thatit "drivesmen
nuts."40Once she learns that she will alwaysbe the object of male voraciousness, Camille, in the words of the narrator,"developed her techniques."41Even the name she uses in the novel is made up to throwmen
offher pursuit.It is her contrivedcombinationof a Camel advertisement
and a treeshe sees out of the window.
In his sympatheticportrayalof Camille's objectification,Steinbeckexplains thatit is the behavior of the men in her lifethatpreventsher from
leading an ordinaryexistence.She wears severeclothes,she types,but her
presenceis so disturbingthatshe can't keep a job. So, she is drivenfinally
to takingoffher clothesat stags.42The narrator'ssympathyforher situation is also suggestedin the characterizationof Mr. Pritchard,who thinks
of himselfas virtuous.Mr. Pritchardconsidersyoungwomen who danced
naked at stags depraved.The narratorcounters,"But it would neverhave
occurred to him that he who watched and applauded and paid the girls
was in any way associated with depravity."43
Our empathyis also built as
we shareCamille's perspectiveas she stripsor sitsin a bowl of wine in one
of the many clubs she works in. She tries not to look at the men's faces
because "therewas somethingin theirwet, bulging eyes and limp, halfher."44
smilingmouths thatfrightened
When we are allowed access to Camille's mind,we learnthather dreams
are a stereotypeprojected by middle-class women's magazines. This
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120 * MimiR. Cladstein
woman, who projectsa sexualityso powerfulit turnsall the men in the
novel intobrutishanimals,circlingherCirce-likeprojectionin theirimagination,wants nothingmore than"a nice house in a nice town,two children,and a stairwayto stand on."45Her sexual needs are so minimalin her
fantasythata man is only a small part of it,a de rigueuraccompaniment
to home and family.The narratorexplainsherthoughtprocessesas she visualizes her dream:"She'd have a husband,of course,but she couldn'tsee
And if,in his earliernovels,Steinbeckhad projected
him in her picture."46
the attractionsof a normativeheterosexual,yethomosocial male life,here
he makes it clear thatCamille's happiesttimeshad been when she had an
apartment with Loraine. Justas a woman upsets the balance of the
bunkhouse in Of Mice and Men, converselyit is a man who spoils Loraine
and Camille's comfortablearrangement.Loraine, another of Steinbeck's
whores with a heart of gold, takes in an advertisingman whom she had
This puts an end to her set-upwith
infectedwithgonorrhea.47
unwittingly
Camille. In anotherinstanceof femalebonding,Camille,both forherown
protectionand in kindness,befriendsNorma,thehopelesslynaïvewaitress
who prefersa pictureof Clark Gable to a tip. During the bus tripCamille
triesto bringNorma out and implantsome sense of self-esteem.Their relives.
lationshipservesas a mini-oasisfromtheirotherwisedifficult
for
serve
as
a
useful
initiation
Bus
can
Row
and
The
Wayward
Cannery
a largerdiscussionof the subjectof male sexualityand femaleobjectification in Steinbeck'sgreatercorpus of work.In CanneryRow,the one more
closelytied in formand timeto his greatworksof the 1930s,Steinbeckfollows the patternof his earliernovels,works in which he erases not only
women but also makes littleattemptto give them theirvoice or to enter
theirthoughtprocesses.Perhaps,because he had grownup in a womandominated household, the onlyboy among sisters,in the world he could
- his own fictionalkingdom- Steinbeckpresentsmale-centered
control
plots. Another explanation is suggested in a 1928 letter to Katherine
Beswick,beforehe had published anythingof note. In it,Steinbeckwrote
that most male writersprovide an erroneousview of women. He claims
that he will play it safe,making no attemptto enter into the feminine
mind. Perhaps it was not until he had gained the self confidenceof best
sellerdomand criticalapprovalthathe feltreadyto attemptto enterthefemale mind,to see the world froma woman's perspective,as he does with
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of Women* 121
andtheObjectification
MasculineSexuality
his reluctanceto deal withthe femaleperCamille Oaks. Notwithstanding
spective in his fiction,we know fromhis lettersto Beswick and Claire
Booth Luce thathe had a keen understandingof women's objectification
long beforehe exploredit in his publishedworks.For he had also written
Beswickthatwomen had been forcedinto patternsof conduct by men.
What makes Steinbecksuch an interestingand perenniallyrenewable
source forcriticismis his stubbornrefusalto be pigeonholed.His willinghis chancingintonew genre,and his explorationof difness to experiment,
ferentperspectivesall add to his continuingappeal. Critiquesof Steinbeck's
presentationof the battle of the sexes have occupied the greaterpart of
some six decades of scholarlydialog. CanneryRow and The WaywardBus
providea paradigmaticportraitof Steinbeck'stake on male sexualityand
femaleobjectification.The formerall but ignoresthe femaleperspective,
reducingthe sex act to a commercialexchange,makingfunat the expense
of women, presentingthem as difficult,
problematicbarriersto an idyllic
homosocial existence.The latter,however,presentsa varietyof women
social and sexual backgrounds.Their reactionsto male sexfromdifferent
ualitydifferand, in the characterof Camille Oaks, Steinbeckdemonstrates
The SteinbeckCentena sympatheticperspectiveon femaleobjectification.
nial may have come and gone,but nothinghas been settledin the critical
to issues of sex and genderroles.
debate about Steinbeck'ssensitivity
NOTES
: A Biography
Steinbeck
1. JayParini,John
1994),observes
(London:Heinneman,
Flatand Cannery
thattherearemanyparallelsbetweenTortilla
Row,bothabouta
miss"womenarenoticeably
butin theformer,
socialoutcasts,
groupofMonterey
observation
Parini's
sexless"
friends
are
and
his
and
(345).
curiously
"Danny
ing"
and Danny'sown enof courting
has merit,althoughit ignoresseveralincidents
is clearly
novel
Ramirez.
with"Sweets"
Arthurian,
Still,thethemeofthe
tanglement
oftheplot.
is thefulcrum
as Steinbeck
pointedout,andthemalecamaraderie
Row(NewYork:Viking,1945),2.
2. JohnSteinbeck,
Cannery
3. Ibid.,3.
4. Ibid.
5. MarkSpilka,"Of Georgeand Lennieand Curleys Wife:SweetViolencein
SteinbecksEden,"ModernFictionStudies20.2 (Summer1974),59-70.
This content downloaded from 158.121.249.18 on Mon, 17 Aug 2015 18:08:00 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
122 * MimiR. Gladstein
in Man6. LelandS. PersonJr."Of Mice and Men: Steinbeck's
Speculations
Newsletter
1995),1.
hood,"TheSteinbeck
(Winter/Spring
Row
8.
7. Steinbeck,
,
Cannery
between
8. MimiR. Gladstein,
Disparity
"MissingWomen:The Inexplicable
in TheSteinbeck
s Lifeand Thosein His Fiction,"
Womenin Steinbeck
Question:
NewEssaysin Criticism
, ed. Donald R. Noble (Troy,N.Y.:Whitston,
1997),91.
Row:A MaleWorldandtheremaleReader,lhe
9. MimiR.Gladstein,Cannery
25.3-4(Summer-Fall
Steinbeck
1992),95.
Quarterly
10. Steinbeck,
Row,95.
Cannery
in theSun: SteinbecksCannery
11. RobertS. HughesJr."SomePhilosophers
ed.
Novels
The
Short
J.Benson(Durham:Duke
Row,"
ofJohnSteinbeck, Jackson
Press,1990),131.
University
12. Steinbeck,
Row,11.
Cannery
13. Ibid.,84.
14. Ibid.,17.
15. Ibid.,104.
16. Ibid.,55.
17. Ibid.,56.
18. Ibid.,49.
19. Ibid.,9.
20. Ibid.,10.
21. Ibid.,120.
22. Ibid.,121.
Bus (NewYork:TheVikingPress,Inc.,1947),92.
TheWayward
23. Steinbeck,
24. Ibid.,99.
25. Ibid.,56
26. Ibid.
27. Ibid.,58.
28. Ibid.,3.
29. Ibid.,81.
30. Ibid.
31. Ibid.,99.
32. Ibid.,67.
33. Ibid.,68.
34. Ibid.
35. Ibid.,69.
36. Ibid.,122,129.
A LifeinLetters
and RobertWallsten,
37. ElaineSteinbeck
eds.,JohnSteinbeck:
(1975;NewYork:PenguinBooks,1989),154.
This content downloaded from 158.121.249.18 on Mon, 17 Aug 2015 18:08:00 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions
of Women* 123
andtheObjectification
MasculineSexuality
Bus, 73.
TheWayward
Steinbeck,
Ibid.
Ibid.,74.
Ibid.73.
Ibid.,74.
Ibid.,68.
Ibid.,88.
Ibid.,74.
Ibid.
It was not untilthe 1952publicationof EastofEdenthatSteinbeck
porPriorto thattime,theprostitutes
the
trayed depravedand viciouswhorehouse.
has ablydemonstrated,
as RobertMorsberger
in hisworksaremostly,
happy.
38.
39.
40.
41.
42.
43.
44.
45.
46.
47.
WORKS CITED
Row: A Male Worldand theFemaleReader."The
Mimi R. "Cannery
Gladstein,
25.3-4
Steinbeck
(Summer-Fall1992):87-97.
Quarterly
. "MissingWomen:The InexplicableDisparitybetweenWomenin Stein: NewEssaysin
becks Lifeand Those in His Fiction."TheSteinbeck
Question
1997.
N.Y.:Whitston,
Ed. Donald R. Noble,682-92.Troy,
Criticism.
Row"
s Cannery
in theSun: Steinbeck
Hughes,RobertS., Jr."SomePhilosophers
. Ed. JacksonJ.Benson,119-31.Durham,
The ShortNovelsofJohnSteinbeck
N.C.: Duke University
Press,1990.
London:Heinneman,1994.
: A Biography
Parini,Jay.
JohnSteinbeck
Person,LelandS., Jr."Of Miceand Men: Steinbeck's
Speculationsin Manhood."
Newsletter
TheSteinbeck
1995): 1-4.
(Winter/Spring
Lennie
and
and
Mark.
"Of
Curley'sWife:SweetViolencein SteinGeorge
Spilka,
beck'sEden."ModernFictionStudies20.2 (Summer1974):59-70.
A LifeinLetters.
eds.,1975.JohnSteinbeck:
Steinbeck,
Elaine,and RobertWallsten,
NewYork:PenguinBooks,1989.
Row.NewYork:TheVikingPressInc.,1945.
Steinbeck,
John.Cannery
Bus.NewYork:TheVikingPress,Inc.,1947.
. TheWayward
This content downloaded from 158.121.249.18 on Mon, 17 Aug 2015 18:08:00 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions