East of Eden: Similes 7 key examples

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.

Adam compares Charles to a leopard, revealing that he considers his brother inherently dangerous—a natural predator, born into violence. Charles can plan and execute violence perfectly, something that a young Adam views as admirable because of Cyrus's constant veneration of the military. Adam's father has conditioned him to view violent behavior as a positive affirmation of masculinity and value.

As Adam ages, he begins to abhor violence; and his brother, like his father, comes "crashing down" in Adam's head. When he begins to view both Charles and his father as flawed human beings again, they lose their place in the imagined hierarchy over him.

Like a peacock, Samuel is an exotic oddity to his Californian neighbors. He is different from the others, he stands out—but instead of being alienated, Samuel is paraded around like a showpiece. After his oddity is deemed the non-threatening kind, it becomes a point of interest for his neighbors. Eventually, Samuel becomes an essential part of the community, as much a fixture in the Salinas Valley as any of the others who came before.

It is important to note that in East of Eden, Samuel often serves in a prophetic role—fitting, given that Samuel from the Bible is a prophet of the Lord. Sam Hamilton stands out amongst his peers; this alludes to the fact that, as a prophet, the biblical Samuel was distinguished from his contemporaries and set apart from them by God.

Imagery and simile both play important roles in the above excerpt. The image of Eden and the events surrounding it run throughout the passage, as if in attempting to escape society's restrictions, Tom is attempting to escape God's rule-bound garden paradise itself.

Tom has a unique way of looking at the world, through fresh and inspired eyes. He approaches every new thing with childlike wonder and hedonistic enjoyment. Like a young colt, he pushes the boundaries of normative society, straining against his enclosure. Eden could not hold such a young boy in its enclosure for long.

In this metaphor, Steinbeck compares Charles's views on the "slovenly women" he "keeps" to his views on pigs. In Charles's mind, women are commodities, intended to be bought and sold and traded in for a new model when they break. He doesn't enjoy their companionship, not really—to him, these women are not really human beings, but simply other living things to keep in his general vicinity. Charles's relationships with women, in other words, are shadowy facades of real companionship.

It is Charles's mindset, then, first and foremost, that forces him to remain mired in loneliness. He considers women beneath him, no better than pigs. This patriarchal, misogynistic worldview prevents Charles from forming deeper, more emotionally fulfilling connections with those around him.

Cathy presents as an interesting figure, gender-wise. The narrator likens her body to a boy's, implying that she defies gender in some potentially transgressive way that makes her stand out. Steinbeck uses this imagery to illustrate for readers Cathy's deviation from normative expression and understanding of gender/sexuality. She views these aspects of herself as potential tools of manipulation rather than components of personal identity. Though she is not what modern readers might consider a queer character, Cathy is capable of thinking about gender and sexuality as societally-imposed constructs, external to herself.

Steinbeck caps off his initial description of Cathy with a Satanic simile, likening Cathy's feet to hooves and evoking common devil imagery.

Adam compares the bodies to logs, perpetuating the dehumanization of indigenous people by the U.S. military and government. Clearly, this action troubles him—Adam is a man not meant for military action. Interestingly enough, Adam has his own way of dehumanizing indigenous people, specifically indigenous women. Earlier in the novel, when speaking to Charles, Adam mentions an indigenous woman he slept with while in the army:

“Some of the boys in the regiment used to keep a squaw around. I had one for a while.”

Cite this Quote

Charles turned to him with interest. “Father would turn in his grave if he knew you was
squawing around. How was it?”

“Pretty nice. She’d wash my clothes and mend and do a little cooking.”

Adam views this woman as an object, an accessory—much like the way he later views Cathy. While he isn't burning her body, he is using it for his own emotional, sexual, and domestic fulfillment.