Writing Flaws Displayed in Steinbeck's Sweet Thursday Steinbeck's novel takes place on the coast of California, centered around one town: Monterey. When Doc returns home from war, Mack, one of his closest friends, tells him the stories of all the people who used to and still live in their town. Lee Chong, another one of Doc's closest friends, has moved away, and Joseph and Mary Rivas have taken over the grocery story. Fauna, whose original name is Flora, has taken over the Bear Flag, which still remains to be a prostitute house. Doc then comes to understand that through time, many people have changed. Doc is a middle-aged man who begins to experience great discontent and tries to understand life's purposes. In addition, Doc is struggling with writing an informative paper about marine biology. The people of the town see his discontent, so they try to devise plans to make Doc happier, the way he used to be before the war.
