The vignettes and anecdotes scattered throughout John Steinbeck's Cannery Row may, at first glance, seem tangential. Yet they are fundamental to the novel, not least because the plot – throwing a party for Doc – would be insufficient to support a short story, let alone a long novel. Yet the episodes also serve many purposes other than moving the storyline forward. They shed light on the mores of Cannery Row, provide insight into the "war between the sexes", and contribute to the novel's dark and violent undercurrent. Steinbeck also uses these episodes to explain suicide, the lifestyle and arguments of married couples, and relationships. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay One of the first vignettes, for example, tells the story of William. His suicide occurs at the beginning of the book, almost immediately after that of Horace Abbeville. William is a guard at the Bear Flag restaurant. An outcast of Cannery Row, he seems to be universally despised. Mack and the boys refuse to talk to him and rebuff his attempts to get closer to them. Indeed, “the conversation stopped and an uneasy and hostile silence fell over the group” (18) when he entered the room. As his threats to kill himself are met with challenges to do just that, his suicide seems inevitable. In fact, Steinbeck writes, "as soon as he saw it in the Greek's eyes, he knew he had to do it" (21). This short vignette poignantly reveals how those despised in Cannery Row are treated. William is shunned by Mack and the boys. His attempts to confide in Dora, Eve, and the Greek are met with a cold attitude or outright disapproval. The violence of his suicide (by plunging an ice pick into his chest) illustrates the underlying current of violence that runs through the novel. Without this undercurrent, the story would be a two-dimensional tale of carefree, unemployed individuals, and not a mature play. Likewise, the vignette about Mr. and Mrs. Sam Malloy does nothing to directly advance the plot. Indeed, it is not until the end of the book that Steinbeck describes a single interaction between the Malloys and one of the book's main characters. However, the Malloy story is important; it both provides a counterpoint to the violent undercurrent of the novel and provides an example of the war between the sexes. Their story also provides local color and comic relief, sandwiched between the tales of the aforementioned suicides and the weakened Frankie's failure to serve the women of Doc's. The reader laughs as the Malloys begin to put on airs after acquiring the rights to squat on a large boiler. Steinbeck tells us that they become "landlords" and extract a fee from the tramps who sleep in small sections of pipe found near their boiler. Living in a boiler comically resembles Peter's wife living in a pumpkin shell and it seems amusing when Mrs. Malloy immediately begins decorating the boiler with "a rug, then a bathtub, then a lamp with a colorful silk lampshade " (48). . In an almost cartoonish way, Mrs. Malloy displays the frugal virtues of a housewife as she attempts to convince her husband of the value of the curtains on sale at Holman's. However, unlike many minor characters, Steinbeck conveys the genuine compassion and tenderness that the Malloys have for each other. Steinbeck gives them a special dignity by calling them Mr. and Mrs. throughout the vignette. Only after the husband refused to buy curtains for the hovel.