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How Does Steinbeck Use Biblical Allusions In East Of Eden

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As you go through life, experiencing the love and loss, very rarely does it occur to you that your story is rooted in thousands of others- that our narrative is simply one facet of the narrative of this world. Considering the cornucopia of stories and poems and movies and songs that are created every year, one would begin to wonder if there was a beginning to it all-a starting point for the thoughts and feelings you share with three billion other people. Many consider the Bible to be that starting point, and the stories in it to be the conception of the human experience.
Many consider modern literature to be descended from the Bible, thus, biblical allusions can be postulated as playing a large role in contemporary stories. This influence …show more content…
East of Eden, a dramatic novel by John Steinbeck, is one such example in which John Steinbeck uses biblical allusions to explore the theme of conflict within the context of close relationships through characterization, symbolism, and setting. Perhaps the oldest of familial conflicts that has remained with us since the creation of man is sibling rivalry. Theories about how birth order can influence a child’s future have come to prominence in recent years, and stories of fierce competition between siblings in everything from sports to politics remain consistent headlines. This existence of such a rivalry, however, can be traced back to the first siblings, Biblical brothers Cain and Abel. It is notable that their story, the first about brotherhood, emphasizes the root of violence over the inception of fraternity, “In fact, the great purpose of the Cain-Abel story has always been-whatever its guise- to address a breach in existence, a fracture in the heart of things,” (Quinones 3). Steinbeck utilizes this knowledge to portray the story of Adam and Charles Trask, and how their

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