March 17 Summary and Analysis

The expedition sails on toward Cabo San Lucas, at the southern tip of the Baja Peninsula, stopping only to catch specimens and fish for meals. Upon reaching the harbor in the dark of night, the Western Flyer anchors just offshore and awaits morning. In the morning, a cannery is visible along with a few houses on shore, and offshore, a rocky ridge extends from the mountains into the ocean. Steinbeck discusses a number of theories on the origin of the name "California", and in the end rejects all of them as too logical. His thesis is that names arise organically from the places themselves as much as they do from any purposeful naming of them. Steinbeck describes a little beach at Cabo San Lucas that seems perfect for pirates, and once again reveals his preoccupation with the war by mentioning modern-day...