Mack Essay, Research Paper

Mack is a character in Cannery Row that is idolized by some of theunexpected characters in the book. It is funny what makes some people idolizepeople. It is not always how successful, rich, or even how smart someone is.Sometimes a person idolizes someone because of the way they act, think, or thingsthey stand for. Doc is by far the smartest person, book wise, in Cannery Row. Even thoughDoc is much smarter than Mack, more successful, and has more money, Doc stilllooks up to Mack. Mack is not your typical person to look up to either. Mack hasno job, no family, no responsibilities, and he drinks all the time. I think Docwishes that sometimes he could be like Mack for maybe one day. Doc would liketo experience that feeling of doing what you wish, when you feel like it, being ableto be such a persuasive talker, and doing just enough to get by. I think those arethe things that Doc admires most about Mack, except one of them. The one thingthat I think Doc admires most about Mack is how Mack can be content with howhe lives. That is what I admire most about Mack. I find it hard to be content withanything. Mack is different though, he is happy with not having a job, not caringwhat others think of him, and not having a family. Doc admires that quality ofMack the most because Doc himself cannot be content right now because he hatesit that he does not have a wife. If you really think about it Mack is actually verysmart. He has a way of convincing people that they should think the way hethinks. Doc knows that Mack is smart in this way and he calls Mack the truephilosopher of Cannery Row. This is another way that Doc admires Mack. Dochas all of the book smarts but he doesn’t have the street smarts that Mack does.This is true in real life also, if all you do is study all of your life and neverexperience anything, all of your learning will go to no use because you will notknow how to interact with other people. Not only is Mack admired by Doc, he is also admired by his friends. Heleads them through whatever they do. If it is talking Lee Chong into letting theboys use his newly acquired house, or talking the captain into letting the boys usethe captains pond for catching frogs. Mack is always the one coming up with ideasand getting the other boys to follow him. Mack in his own eyes is a bum that always screws up, whether it be hismarriage, Doc’s party or whatever. In everyone else’s eyes in Cannery Row Mackis an idol that everyone would like to be like for a little while.