John Steinbeck's The Giving Tree

The Giving Tree is a modern children literature written by Shel Silverstein, which is also one of his first successful piece of work. It is about an apple tree who always gives and gives and a boy who always takes and takes. This might be another story to read before bed times for the kids but however, it portrays so many things, from deforestation to modern society. Personally, I believe that The Giving Tree portrays the theme of selflessness versus selfishness, like the unconditional love a parent has for his or her child.

The lyrics of Tim Lopez of Plain White T's song, The Giving Tree, hits home for many who have been in a relationship and gave them there all without receiving it back. The song relates to many people in relationships or even friendships. The relation to the song can range from a variety of ages and sexes. Someone can only put so much into a relationship with receiving little to nothing back, until they finally break down and walk away. Tim Lopez was inspired by a children's book by Shel Silverstein, The Giving Tree, which was about a relationship between a boy and a tree. Tim Lopez wrote this song about his one-way relationship where he gave it his all with little to nothing in return.

Firstly, the tree’s selfless generosity towards the boy demonstrates love in Silverstein’s The Giving Tree. Each time the boy visits, he has a new request that the tree happily obliges to provide him with. The sentence “And the tree was happy,” repeats every time the boy leaves with a part of the tree (Silverstein 51??). This line is repeated after each visit because it describes her unconditional love for the boy. Even though she is losing parts of herself, the tree

When I first read this book I was astounded by how selfish the boy was toward the tree. He would go to the tree and ask more and more from her, even is doing so would end up hurting the tree in the end. He would not only ask the tree for all these favors but he would give her nothing in return for doing so. He would use her and then not return again until he needed something else from the tree. This could easily be compared to an abusive relationship like the second view prompted. When you are in an abusive relationship the abuser only wants what is best for them and doesn’t think twice about their partner’s feelings or how what they are doing might affect them;

East of Eden, written by John Steinbeck, is a profound, complicated retelling of the biblical story of Cain and Abel, focused around the overall struggle between good and evil . John Steinbeck wrote this for his own sons, John and Tom, to show them not only the history of their family in the Hamiltons, but also the concept of sibling rivalry emerging from the competition over paternal love and acceptance (Shillinglaw). This was first evident in Adam and Charles Trask, and then in Adam’s sons, Aron and Cal Trask. The absence of a true mother figure in these two instances of brotherly contention enhances the need for acknowledgment and love from their parental figures. And yet, both mother figures in East of Eden choose to abandon their

A central question raised by John Steinbeck’s East of Eden is whether it is possible to triumph over evil, answered by the discussion of free will and inherited sin. The idea of “timshel” is canvassed through the struggles of Caleb “Cal” Trask. The concept of inherited sin is illustrated through the actions of Cyrus Trask, Charles Trask, and Cathy/Kate Trask.

Beginning at a young age, people are taught to pursue a pure conscience and a bond of trust between close friends and family, all the while turning a blind eye to sin. Children most often learn from their parents and, as a result, believe that their parents are the quintessence of virtue. This concept is one that sticks with them until they catch an adult out for the first time; consequently, their beliefs begin to falter and the realization of a false perfect entity harms the child more than if the illusion were never created. Likewise, many adults struggle with realizing that society is built upon deceit due to masks of decency and credibility, while others deceive themselves by living in a world of illusions because of the pleasure and protection provided. That said, once the illusion is destroyed, it also destroys him. Similarly, John Steinbeck explores the double-edged sword of deception, wielded by both children and adults, in his novel East of Eden. Just as the masks that society wears, multiple characters throughout the story at first originally incapable of committing a sin as great as deceit due to their innocent introductions. Despite this initial virtuosity, Steinbeck’s East of Eden evinces humanity’s contrasting and inherent dependence upon selfish uses of deception, whether it be for self-empowerment, safety, or otherwise, with paltry consideration about the consequences of truth.

Lee was a vital character in East of Eden as he prompted some of the most meaningful conversations and questions for other characters and readers, themselves. Many critics view Lee as the stereotypical, “inscrutable, wise Oriental man” because of the times when he was robustly Chinese. Although, in Part two of the story, Lee tried to convince himself that he was “American”, but acted Chinese as it was what people expected from him. Lee said to Samuel, “Pidgin they expect, and pidgin they’ll listen to. But English from me they don’t listen to, and so they don’t understand it.” (Steinbeck, 163) Lee thought it was best for him to stick with his status quo, and he did with the way he spoke and the way he looked.

The characteristics of people are formed by multiple factors. In many situations, children are raised under similar conditions, however, their later characteristics and life choices are very different. In the book, East of Eden, author John Steinbeck explores the development of humans, from childhood, to adulthood, and eventually, to death. East of Eden, by John Steinbeck, is a genealogical novel about the lives of the Trasks, particularly the main character in the book, Adam Trask. Along the way, the Hamiltons, Ames, and many other characters are introduced. Steinbeck makes a point of showing the continually changing nature of some characters, while describing the ceaseless

“East of Eden” is considered a work of literature because of it’s many complex characters, insights into human nature, and use of literary elements to convey universal themes to the reader.

As a father hoping to leave an inspirational impression on his sons, John Steinbeck portrays experiences he acquired from his childhood in the novel East of Eden through the characters’ conflicts and actions to encourage them to write their own story not dictated by their roots. Steinbeck admits in Journal of a Novel: The East of Eden Letters that he “hopes his two young sons will find meaning in life when they grow and acquire the experiences to understand.” Steinbeck 's failure to feel accepted, accept his father 's failures, and failure to live up to his parents wishes.

John Steinbeck’s East of Eden centers on the Trask and Hamilton families in the year 1902 in the Salinas Valley, California. After growing up in Connecticut alongside his brother Charles under the harsh parenting and rejection of his father, Adam Trask seeks to find happiness and peace. He vows to be a better man than his father and feels the rolling valleys of California calling him. One night, Cathy Ames crawls onto the doorstep of Adam and Charles’ home after her boyfriend attempted to kill her. Adam cares for Cathy and soon falls in love with the woman she portrays herself to be. He is unaware of her dark past and her evil motive to further herself in life. Charles is skeptical of Cathy and wants her to leave their home. As

John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath is often hailed as one of the greatest pieces of American literature in history. At the time of its release, stores tried desperately to supply the demand for this book. It tells the story of loss, hope, and endurance of the American people through the eyes of the people themselves. Steinbeck encapsulates just what it is like to live during this time period as a farmer trying to get by under the threat of the dust bowl, and the banks who want to replace the farmers with tractor drivers.

Innocent people were being thrown off of their hard earned land and at the same time having to take what they could and leave everything they ever knew. As they traveled west, to California, the Californians and others along the way treated the migrants akin to animals. This is where the title of the story comes into play. Steinbeck uses a verse from the song “The Battle Hymn of the Republic” as inspiration for the title of his novel. Throughout the novel, Steinbeck mentions that the “Grapes of Wrath” are beginning to ripen. The people of California hate the migrants and the migrants soon begin to hate the Californians. The migrants not only hate the Californians, but also the big business owners, who were the main reason the migrants lost their land in the first place.

Through our society we are all raised up to be independent and unique individuals such as being ourselves and expressing who each of us are to the world. However, in the book The Giver by Lois Lowry, everyone is raised to count on one another and everyone must look and act the same. Our society differs from Jonas’s in many ways, such as the family units, birthdays, and the way we each learn about our past.