Irony In John Steinbeck's East Of Eden

The human race has evolved as a unit to become a leery race. Rather than join others in arm to share the same ideologies, welcome foreigners into a conglomerate and believe what is told, humans find it necessary to question validity and carry ideas of skepticism. There is no better example than the western world’s political climate at this very moment, those who have been residing in the United States are currently being deported because a malinformed and dubious leadership has become wary of others. However one may question, where has this human trait stemmed from? The answer lies within the race itself; through the manipulation of rhetoric and the formation of lies, individuals are growing to adopt cultural views that are built from fallacy. Had the central power of the American government not been there to tell others that all who migrate into the country bring drugs, violence, and rape, there would not be an increasing demographic that believes it. In the same sense, if an author were to intentionally omit perspectives from writing in order to craft the image of a character, individuals would grow accustomed to that point of view and be adamant in its validity. This is what John Steinbeck is able to achieve in East of Eden, a modern retelling of Genesis’ Adam and Eve. Through the omission and inclusion of words and literary devices alike, Steinbeck is able to holistically create and mold reader perception. The incorporation and use of connotative diction, biblical allusions, and parallel structure throughout the novel of East of Eden is able to skew readers perspectives on the character of Charles Trask to picture him as an evil man, ultimately achieving the ability to create the image of Caleb Trask in the same form and plague him.

Steinbeck’s initial

Yet the question that is largely unanswered still remains; why does Steinbeck choose to portray these characters as effective parallels through the meticulous use of allusion, diction, and parallel