East of Eden: Metaphors 12 key examples

In this passage, the narrator alludes to Genesis 1:28:  “And God blessed them. And God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea and over the birds of the heavens and over every living thing that moves on the earth.’” The novel's allusion to "[growing]" and  "[multiplying]" is clearly meant to make readers think of the book of Genesis and establish a link between the Bible's narratives of creation and earliest human society and the new communities spreading over the Salinas Valley. 

Steinbeck's metaphor hinges on the word "nuclei," referring to the nucleus of a cell. In cell biology, nuclei are incredibly important: apart from containing the DNA, nuclei also contain all of the biological tools to read and transcribe the instructions in our genes into usable information. Through figurative language, Steinbeck equates cellular nuclei to the "general store[s]" and "blacksmith shop[s]" that popped up in every new town. These buildings are "nuclei" because towns form around them, yes—but they are also nuclei because they contain the tools to build whatever is needed. If the tools to build biological life are contained within the nucleus, the tools to build civilization are contained within general stores and blacksmith shops. Steinbeck thus neatly correlates biological structure and architectural structure.

Evangelism was one of the driving forces of colonial occupation, providing moral justification for geographic expansion. European powers could justify such expansion and violence to their populace by marketing imperialism as an opportunity for missionary work. Using simile and metaphor, Steinbeck outlines this connection between geographic/economic colonialism and religious colonialism. For the Spaniards and other European colonial forces, these systems were linked to one another: "souls" and "land" were acquired and colonized the same. These European powers thus considered indigenous "souls" a form of property, like jewels—something to hoard, buy, and sell. This rationale would extend to chattel slavery.

The Spaniards colonizing California also seize entire landscapes—a phenomenon Steinbeck compares to "[gaining] title to building lots." Ironically, this implies that the lands were justly and fairly handed over to colonizers, which was simply not the case.

A "machine" is used to metaphorically represent the American military industrial complex. Like a machine, the system mechanically churns out obedient soldiers, spitting or vomiting out any product it views as defective (that is, anyone who will not conform). Despite purporting to revere and take care of its veterans once they exit the service, many men were (and still are) left to deal with post-traumatic stress, disability, mental health issues, financial issues, and a whole host of other problems on their own. Many veterans end up homeless—which is what happens to Adam for a period of time.

Using this biblical metaphor, Steinbeck likens Adam's relationship with Cyrus to a human's relationship with God. When they are young, children often view their parents—or adults in general—as gods, with unlimited knowledge and power. Children themselves, being so young, know very little, and the larger amount that adults know may seem relatively god-like. As children grow they begin to question their parents and challenge them. Adam Trask begins to question Cyrus; this questioning parallels the relationship between God and Adam's biblical namesake, whose sin was eating fruit from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. In doing so, Adam called God's character and wisdom into question.

Liza clothes her children with "good manners and iron morals," evoking the commonly-used biblical metaphor of "clothing oneself" in the morals and righteousness of God. This metaphor is a fitting connection for Liza, who is devoutly religious. The choice to parallel biblical writing and "clothe" the Hamilton kids with good morals is also stylistically important, as it contributes to the text's intended effect as a reimagining of Genesis.

Note the following Bible passages that use similar language to the metaphor above: "I put on righteousness, and it clothed me; My justice was like a robe and a turban" (Job 29:14); "It was given to her to clothe herself in fine linen, bright and clean; for the fine linen is the righteous acts of the saints" (Revelation 19:8).

In this excerpt, Steinbeck depicts the religious guilt and shame some Irish people feel as a "dour and brooding ghost" that polices their thoughts and actions, so as to prevent them from engaging in any variant of hedonism. The ghost of this religious shame has followed the Hamiltons all the way from Ireland to California. Even when they express some degree of gaiety, this ghost "sticks a long finger down their throats," a chilling image that suggests the Hamiltons' joy is abruptly choked off before it can become too dominant.

East of Eden takes a stance against such feelings of shame and guilt around indulgence, positing that they are unwarranted. Indulgence can end in immorality or even tragedy, but excessive regulation prevents people from living their lives to the fullest. In the novel, it is not indulgence, but over-indulgence, that is most likely to cause problems.

The comparison of men to coyotes in this passage is intended to signify not only the loneliness of a wandering lifestyle, but also the loneliness of masculinity within a patriarchal society focused on competition. The only real brotherhood Adam felt was in the army, where he could blend in and become part of the group. Outside of the army, without a goal to bring him and his fellow men together, Adam idles, restless and dissatisfied with life. This loneliness is exacerbated by American culture, which centers the individual, instead of the community, in its mythos. The "American Dream" focuses on individual success and achievement—a message that does not entirely negate community, but does further isolation.

The narrator states that, in order to survive being in a chain gang, Adam had to figuratively "be a beast."
Those who lead chain gangs view their prisoners as subhuman; therefore, Adam must become like an animal to survive, with no outward expressions of human dignity or character on display.

It is important to note that this metaphor, and others like it, hinge on a hierarchy of living beings that originated within Judeo-Christian ethics. This hierarchy, which places humans at the top and all other life forms below, ties into the order of creation in Genesis: God created plants and animals before humans, who are the final creations and pinnacle of creation, crafted in God's own image. The above metaphor relies on this assumed hierarchy for its meaning. If humans are superior to all other organisms, then the act of likening humans to animals becomes an act of degradation.

This passage uses an interesting compilation of figurative language to depict the class divisions resulting from educational difference, capable of occurring even within a family. By receiving and embracing an education her parents did not receive, Cathy literally ascends to a "higher order," like some kind of saint.

Cathy's parents incorrectly conflate this educational—and therefore economic—ascension with a kind of moral ascension. Steinbeck depicts this common  conflation using imagery, supporting his central metaphor of Cathy as a saint. She "climb[s] into the clouds," implying that she is ascending into heaven. As Christians raised in a Christian society, Mr. and Mrs. Ames would likely view heavenly ascension as the ultimate indicator of moral goodness. Cathy's educational ascension, her socioeconomic ascension, and her heavenly ascension are all connected in her parents' eyes.

Other literary elements in this passage support this metaphor's meaning, extending it beyond the metaphor itself. Steinbeck uses passive language to communicate both Cathy's and her mother's lack of agency in their situation. The bridle is "put in [Cathy's mother's] hands for the governing of Cathy." If this excerpt were phrased to bolster her agency, rather than diminish it, Steinbeck might have written "the bridle she used to govern Cathy," or something similar.  Instead, Steinbeck's use of language in this passage implicates some third actor, neither Cathy nor her mother, who has a hand in determining how this parent-child relationship plays out. Steinbeck implies this third actor to be some kind of deity or higher power, evoking the Christian idea that God appoints parents to be "governors" and rulers over their children—a duty in which Cathy's mother is evidently failing.

The imagery and metaphor in this excerpt depict Mr. Edwards's physical anatomy and emotional landscape as a forge, into which fear and love combine to produce cruelty. 

This passage connects intimately with several key themes in East of Eden, one of them being moral relativity. Steinbeck reveals through Mr. Edwards, among other characters, that love is not a unitary concept, nor is it universally moral or good. Love is messy and can even lead to unjust or horrific action. In the above passage it is the combination of fear and love—two emotions not typically associated with immoral action—that provoke Mr. Edwards to murder Cathy. He fears her control over him, despite loving her, and acts cruelly as a result.