- Juxtaposition
- Imagery
- Aphorism
He also provides clarity via imagery, in which he offers insight into the psyche of twisted characters such as, “Cathy [who] had always been able to shovel into the mind of any man and dig up his impulses and his desires”(159). In this passage, Steinbeck is able to clearly and elegantly convey Cathy’s manipulative tendencies by using language that practically paints a picture in the mind of the reader.
Aphorism is yet another prominent, recurring device found throughout the novel. These concise truisms, spouted most often by Lee are instrumental in supplying coherent ideas that apply to all people or life in general, but are most poignant when applied to misunderstood characters. In one memorable instance, Lee claimed that, “The greatest terror a child can have is that he is not loved, and rejection is the hell he fears”(268). By elucidating Cal’s foremost fear openly, Steinbeck is able to shed some light on his most enigmatic character using unvarnished prose.
I also felt that Steinbeck's usage of juxtaposition was an important aspect of the novel. It helped readers to more easily understand the personalities of each character and their differences. Many of the characters-Alice Trask and Cyrus Trask, Adam and Cathy, Adam and Charles, and of course Aron and Cal- were very different from one another and embodied a main theme of "good versus evil".
ReplyDeleteI also felt that Steinbeck used Lee as almost the "voice of reason" in this novel. Lee was often the wisest and most influential character in the novel. This can be taken further to say that Lee was Steinbeck's way of expressing his own feelings about characters and topics within the novel.