The Average American In John Steinbeck's East Of Eden

Propaganda filters throughout the world to lean people’s views one way or another. In Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, he uses George and Lennie, Crooks, and Curley’s wife to demonstrate the American Dream. This is unattainable but is their motivation to carry on their daily on the ranch lives. George and Lennie’s actions revolve around their American Dream. In a conversation between George and Lennie they discuss their dream, George states “... We’re gonna get the jack together and we’re gonna have a little house and a couple of acres, an’ a cow and some pigs” (Steinbeck, 14). George says this to Lennie to motivate him to keep quiet and out of trouble so they can eventually reach these dreams. The American Dream can be defined as people

A twenty-five percent unemployment rate. People desperate for lodging and food. Families stretching every penny to support themselves. Government trying to solve these problems through reforms and programs. This is what the world in the 1930s was like for Lennie and George, two migrant workers traveling across California, earnestly trying to achieve the American Dream. Even though these dreams seem impossible to accomplish, during the Great Depression a dream was a reason to get out of bed.

It is the natural inclination of all men and women to dream. In John Steinbeck’s novel “Of Mice and Men,” the American dream is sought after by many different characters. However, the main theme in the story is how these dreams are unattainable, and how because of the Great Depression, all American dreams were dead. But what is the American dream? A unitary definition does not exist, however, the meaning of living the American dream is something that differs for everyone. For some people, the American dream might be acceptance and equality. On the other hand, for others, it might mean fame and fortune. In the short story called “Of Mice and Men” the American dream seems unreachable for a number of characters, such as George, Lennie,

“In all his travels the Bishop had seen no country like this. From the flat red sea of sand rose great rock mesas... The sandy soil of the plain had a light sprinkling of junipers, and was splotched with masses of blooming rabbit brush,-- that oliver-coloured plant that grows in high waves like a tossing sea, at this season covered with a thatch of bloom, yellow as gorse, or orange like marigolds.” 94 Both women describe the land of desert with such vividness that one is not left with the idea of a barren, sandy soil but an environment that is rich with history as well as life. This life and history of the land are a part of the culture.

Our circumstances do not determine our lives. Instead, our lives are determined by our choices. That is not to say that our lives are not impacted by the country in which we were born, the family which we were born to, or the tragedies which touched our lives. We are given a choice of how we respond to those things, and the power of choice means that the lessons and value of our lives is not determined by outside influences, but instead it is determined by our reaction to those influences.

Choice can be defined as the act of selecting or making a decision when faced with multiple possibilities. In John Steinbeck’s East of Eden, the motifs of houses, hands, and money reflect how the pattern of good and evil repeat due to the reoccurring theme that one has the right to choose.

“Is there, then an evil that is innate, that is the little piece of monster in all of us.” (Cusatis). Every person has two sides, no one is completely good or completely evil. In the East of Eden, John Steinbeck uses a biblical metaphor to illustrate the innate good and evil that humans encounter. The novel includes several characters that are purely evil or do evil deeds. The Trask family is directly correlated to the Garden of Eden and other biblical narratives. “Steinbeck puts more into his stories than Genesis 4” (Fontenrose). Steinbeck illustrates the concepts of good and evil, family, and love to describe the frailties of the human experience.

What is an American? This question cannot be answered by one word. There are so many different characteristics, qualities, and features that can be used to describe an American. Besides features, someone is only a real American if they take advantage of all of the many privileges that are given to them. Any person that is not grateful for the privileges that are given to them to me are not real Americans but this is only my opinion. Real Americans use their privileges to benefit themselves and everyone around them. In today's society there are certain things that are expected from American citizens, for instance being a responsible citizen.

The scene opens with a view of Seahaven, Christof’s garden of Eden. Seahaven is a perfect living environment. It has everything anyone would want. Eden had “all kinds of beautiful trees,” and different fruits, all Adam and Eve could have wanted. The two worlds share many elements of purity and perfection. Seahaven is an idealistic ‘perfect world’ where everything is magnificent, the buildings look freshly painted and the sunset is always beautiful. Everyone is Seahaven is happy, friendly and carefree. The set of Seahaven is set to be in the 1950’s, reflecting on the ‘American Dream,’ a well-off time in American History. Eden is described as “Beautiful,” with different trees and rivers surrounding it. God created the garden of Eden for the man,

One way Americans are different is shown when the article “Americans All” by Michael Dorris states: “ Americans. We come in all varieties of size, age, and style (Par. 2).” Dorris goes on in his article and tells about how he feels Americans are all unique and how he doesn’t understand how other

“He did not know it because he did not know such a thing existed” this quotation from the passage so eloquently describes the emotional struggle of love throughout the novel East of Eden and its characters. In the passage, the absence of love and nurture in Adam’s life, the main character, foreshadows itself with his relationships and the surrounding characters relationships as well. Another technique that author, John Steinbeck, employs is imagery. Through this imagery, Steinbeck is able to encapsulate the setting, mood, and tone for the reader.

The relationship between an individual and their landscapes is dynamic and intensely meaningful in terms of personal and spiritual growth. A landscape can provide everything a community needs; yet it can also demolish the foundations of life. John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath evolved from the author’s experience of the 1930’s dust bowl, which forced families to migrate from home and begin an uncomfortable process of forging a new relationship with California. During this journey, it reveals a dynamic and ongoing struggle to find a sense on belonging in both a physical and spiritual sense.

In the novel, East of Eden by John Steinbeck, biblical allusion is a literary device that references characteristics of judeo christian doctrine. Steinbeck alludes to the bible with his characters and setting in East of Eden. Salinas Valley and Adam Trask’s garden allude to the Garden of Eden. Steinbeck portrays the biblical allusion of the chapter Genesis from the bible throughout the book. The characters in the novel are allude to those in the book of Genesis. Steinbeck’s characters alluded to Adam, Eve, Cain, Abel, and Seth. All the conflicts in the book of Genesis, parallel the conflicts in the novel. The conflicts of represent the same fundamental theme of the choice between good and evil. Which is how the research question, To what extent does biblical allusion impact the structure and theme in John Steinbeck, East of Eden, shows its significance. To answer the research question, the investigation will look at the biblical allusion to the Garden of Eden, Adam and Eve, Cain and Abel, and Lilith. The investigation will further seek to explain how each biblical allusion impacts the structure and theme of the novel.

The novel, The Grapes of Wrath, is a story that construes the journey of the Joad family through the brutal migration from Oklahoma 's destroying Dust Bowl to California corrupt promised land. Through the depiction of events and portrayal of characters, the bible takes part in the novel as one whole allusion. The anecdote of the struggle for survival in the fallen state of Oklahoma and in the “promised land” of California, reveals the same ideas shown as we explore in the bible. In The Grapes of Wrath, author John Steinbeck integrates the allegory of biblical references and values to create the image of a family’s journey to California during the Dust Bowl of the early 1900s.

“World War I saw precedented levels of carnage and destruction”. Between civilians and soldiers there were 16 million fatalities. That is three times the population of Wisconsin. World War I began in 1914 after Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated. Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire were fighting against Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Romania, Japan, and the United States. These alliance were called central power and allied power. The archduke and his wife were assassinated by Serbian Nationalist Giauvial Princip. Austria-Hungary gave Serbia the option to admit their wrongs or go to war. Austria-Hungary began searching for allies before declaring war. Serbia thought they were plotting so they declared war first. In East of Eden written by John Steinbeck wars are a key part to the story. The main war is World War I. World War I had a negative affect on the East of Eden characters. The things that happen to the characters during World War I prove that there was a negative affect. Aron joins the army, Cal gains money, and Adam gets a new job.