I found these six men on a wall by the Monterey Bay Coastal Trail in Monterey, California. If you look at it closely, you might see some men from another age. According to John Cerney, ‘cannery workers from the 1930s’ are the subjects of this work of art. But if you’ve read Steinbeck’s Cannery Row, you might see Mack and the boys in this cut-out mural.
Situated just a stone’s throw from the famous Cannery Row in Monterey, CA, this work is believed to be a picturization of some characters of the novel Cannery Row by John Steinbeck. The book itself is a picture of a time in history when the area, like its name suggests, was home to several canneries. It takes you back in time to show you the different kinds of people who lived there, and how they ate and drank and made merry.
‘Mack and the boys’ in Cannery Row — the book, were a set of interesting young men, you will remember long after you are done reading the story. Mack and his friends weren’t the most hardworking or the most ambitious men you would find in Cannery Row. They were the mostly-happy-go-lucky ones who just hung around town most of the time.
Says Steinbeck:
Mack was the elder, leader, mentor, and to a small extent the exploiter of a little group of men who had in common no families, no money and no ambitions beyond food, drink and contentment. But whereas most men in their search for contentment destroy themselves and fall wearily short of their targets, Mack and his friends approached contentment casually, quietly and absorbed it gently.
— from Cannery Row.
Mack and the Boys
Mack‘s friends were Eddie, who filled in as a bartender, Hughie and Jones who occasionally collected frogs and cats for a lab in town. Then there was Hazel and Gay.
Now, if you’ve read the book you might want to have some fun trying to figure out who’s who in the mural.
Artist John Cerney on his website prefers to refer to this project as ‘cannery workers in the 1030s.’ The artwork has been up since 2008 but it still looks bright and fresh and very eye-catching like it just underwent a touch-up job.
If you would like to see this work of art, take the Monterey Bay Coastal Trail just parallel to Cannery Row and you will see it on the outer walls of Mackerel Jack’s near Irving Avenue.
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Nice one. I have not read the book. Yet!
Welcome here, Bertie.
The book is nice too. I think you’ll enjoy it.
Thank you for visiting. 🙂
That’s a great mural. It’s years since I read any Steinbeck. I must reread it and then check out this mural again.
It is.
I loved this book of his. After I read it, I wanted to go visit Cannery Row again. I’ve been there twice already. 🙂
Thank you for coming by, Debbie. 🙂
Wonder if doc is also in this mural and if I am honest then the guys are looking to good to be the real characters of the book . That said its stil a nice mural.
There was this other piece of art I came across while I was there, and that one had the doc’s lab and a few of the landmarks in the book painted into it. I’ll share that one next week.
This was supposed to be a representation of those characters. I’m sure Monterey is proud of the fact that there’s a book that featured Cannery Row and I thought this was a nice way to keep the book and the history of the place alive.
Right, it is a very nice mural. 🙂
Thank you stopping by, SC. 🙂
This is a very pretty one, had to read the book at school, long ago……. Can’t remember it anymore 🙁
It is a really good one.
The book too — I loved how the author painted a picture life there, back then. 🙂
I hope this picture makes you want to pick up that book again. 😉 🙂
Thank you for coming this way. 🙂 Have a good week.
I haven’t read the book, but the mural is just fabulous!!
Great find and thanks for contributing.
It’s a beautifully written book and if you’ve visited the place, you just might connect to it on another level. Anyhow, you are sure to love the descriptive writing in it. It’s beautiful.
Thank you for hosting, Sami.
It´s nice to see that every generation found a way to have fun, even in hard times…
These are very interesting characters. And the book was a great depiction of the times.
I’d highly recommend this book.
Thank you for coming this way, Iris. 🙂
…a fabulous one, I wonder what kind of car they are sitting on.
In the book — if I remember correctly — the boys borrow a Ford Truck. I’m guessing the vehicle here is meant to be that one. 😀
Have a good week, Tom. 🙂
Wow amazing
🙂
Not read the book but sounds interesting!
Especially if you have visited the place or would like to visit.
The writing is very pleasant too. You’ll like it. 🙂
[…] My reading tells me that Steinbeck spent a good amount of time in what is now Cannery Row when he visited his friend, a certain ‘doc’ (read Marine Biologist) who had a laboratory there on the Row. ‘Mack and the boys’ in the novel are also based on a certain group of people who lived there in those days. A black and white photo of a few young men on a truck even inspired a mural in 2008. It can now be seen on a trail that runs parallel to the Cannery Row of today. You can see the cutout mural here — Mack and the Boys by John Cerney. […]
[…] book/author related murals: Mac and the Boys from Cannery Row Across from Doc’s Lab (Also inspired by John Steinbeck’s Cannery Row)A panel of authors […]
[…] art with a three-dimensional effect. If you like this mural, you might also like this one –>> Mack and the Boys of Cannery Row, (characters of the John Steinbeck book Cannery Row), found near Cannery Row in Monterey Bay, […]