ipl-logo

Amber Smith's Themes

535 Words3 Pages

Amber Smith’s The Way I Used to Be, is a touching, yet inspirational novel. The Way I Used to Be is about a girl named Eden who is starting her freshman year of high school and gets raped by Kevin, her brother’s best friend. Eden’s world starts to unravel throughout this novel, and her friends and family start to see a different, more rebellious side of her. The dominant themes of this novel are defeat, resilience, and recovery. Even though this novel is a fictional story, many young adults can relate to the storyline. This novel is fitting for students going into American Literature and British Literature because even though it is not a classic, it is an American book that speaks up about problems in society now a day. Students that are …show more content…

The antagonist of this story shows students that one event in their lives can change the way they percieve themselves. Smith highlights the importance of not letting things fester inside, but to instead talk about what is going on. As well as talking about the importance of speaking up against sexual assault, Smith writes about a topic that is avoided in our society. Sexual assault is something that is brought up occasionally, but students and young adults do not always realize the harsh reality of it. In this novel, the antagonist, Eden, felt defeated after being raped, but she eventually was capable of telling her family about the incident that had occurred. By the end of the novel, Eden was able to make peace with the wrong doings of her brother’s best friend. Even though she had lost most of her friends because she had turned to drugs, alcohol, and being verbally abusive towards them, she was able to rebuild her friendships with the people who were important to her. Towards the end of this novel, Eden is having a conversation with her brother, and he says, “I’m your brother. And I love you. That’s all. I don’t know what else to say” (Smith 367). This quote displays how after Eden was vulnerable, she was able to mend the relationship with her brother even after being verbally abusive towards

Show More
Related

Father And Son Relationships In East Of Eden, By John Steinbeck

905 Words | 4 Pages

East of Eden, by John Steinbeck, reflects the complexities in father/son relationships. The connection between a father and his son is vital to their development. The novel explores the impact of these relations is immense. The central allusion of the novel is comparing several characters to Cain and Abel, who were formed through their attempted relationship with their father-like figure, God. They struggled and vied for the attention, love, and respect of God, which subconsciously influenced their actions and thoughts.

Read More

Why Is Beloved Banned

827 Words | 4 Pages

This shows how this book is a book that would be good for many students to read in order to see an example of how one out of many books is written well. Second, the story deals with “haunting” which many high school students would enjoy reading while also containing some history about slaves. Not many students would read a book they think would be uninteresting or boring. For example, when students are forced to read something that is not appealing to them quickly will they want to try and read it?

Read More

Patron Saints Of Nothing By Kennedy Ribay

1261 Words | 6 Pages

When finally expressing grief for her brother, she “starts to cry,” yet “it is soft and quiet. The world after a storm.” (261). By comparing Grace’s cries to “the world after a storm” Ribay further illustrates Grace’s inability to show grief to uphold expectations. By crying “after a storm,” Grace’s grief is hushed and subdued rather than loud and angry, because Grace did not have the chance to be loud and angry, instead narrow expectations constrained her to push through the storm and show no sign of weakness.

Read More

Good And Evil In John Steinbeck's East Of Eden

589 Words | 3 Pages

Steinbeck claims in East of Eden that people will reflect upon whether their life was good or evil, and, above all, if they were loved or not. In Chapter 34, Steinbeck defends his claim that to live a good life and to be loved by many, one must overcome evil with good, using the devices of allusion, anecdote, and juxtaposition. Steinbeck begins the chapter by connecting the common life to allusions of the past. The author first mentions Pearl White, a contemporary silent film actress, and how people fall into a state similar to that of her serials from simply wondering whether they would live a good life. People lose themselves in thought and wonder, just like how most of White’s films were lost to time.

Read More

East Of Eden Essay

1588 Words | 7 Pages

Particularly, Aubrey describes how the East of Eden letters evidently show Steinbeck’s interest in the biblical Cain and Abel story that seem to form the foundation of his novel. Furthermore, Aubrey discusses Steinbeck’s title ideas for his novel that bears emphasis on jealousy and rivalry between siblings. In addition, he explains Steinbeck’s philosophy and thought process writing that opposites like good and evil “cannot exist without the other” (2). In Aubrey’s words, the opposites of the world like good and evil have a relentless attraction to one another, for example, Adam’s moral nature falls for a devil like woman. Farther along in the article, Aubrey points out Adam’s

Read More

The Stages Of Adam Trask In John Steinbeck's East Of Eden

91 Words | 1 Pages

In his thought-provoking novel, East of Eden, John Steinbeck illustrates the stages of Adam Trask’s life to prove that human beings have the God-given power to choose light over darkness. Although Adam doesn’t utter “Timshel!” until the final page of the novel, Chapter 31 reveals that Trask was strong enough to shake off his personal demons long before Aron’s death. Simultaneously, the chapter provides insight into Cathy’s character and quells the questions: What is a monster, and does Cathy constitute one? These revelations are collectively vital to the text’s thematic development.

Read More

Adam Trask Analysis

342 Words | 2 Pages

In the classic novel East of Eden by John Steinbeck, Adam Trask is the main protagonist for the entire first half. Adam was a very innocent child, and he grew up to be a very naïve and innocent man. Adam is majorly dominated by his Superego and ego, while his Id is almost nonexistent. During the entire first half of the novel, not once do we see Adam act in an aggressive manner or seek instant gratification for his actions. In fact, Adam avoids violence and conflict, even as a soldier in the army.

Read More

East Of Eden Theme Essay

1533 Words | 7 Pages

The Apple Doesn’t Fall Far From the Garden East of Eden by John Steinbeck is a literary work that follows the story of two pairs of brothers, whose lives reenact the ancient biblical tale of Cain and Abel. The common theme of the story is jealously as both Charles and Caleb, characters who feel neglected by their fathers are envious of their brothers, Adam and Aron, who their fathers adore. Scenes that Steinbeck uses to develop this theme are when Caleb and Charles offer their gifts to their fathers and are rejected, when their brothers;s gifts are offered and are preferred, and when Charles and Caleb harm their brothers. All three of these scenes run parallel with the Book of Genesis as Cain and Abel encounter similar circumstances of jealousy, which serves as the

Read More

Anger In The Iliad Analysis

653 Words | 3 Pages

In the Biblical narrative, it showcases a unique brotherly relationship between Cain and Abel. The relationship is one of deceit, anger, and resentment. In this instance, the reader can acknowledge a sense of excessive anger. Anger opens the doorway for sin; not agreeing to the holy life that was once created by God in the beginning.

Read More

Cathy Ames In John Steinbeck's East Of Eden

958 Words | 4 Pages

Throughout the novel East of Eden, John Steinbeck explores the roots of evil through a character named Cathy Ames. Being a very ruthless and intelligent woman, Cathy used other people to serve her own needs. When reflecting upon East of Eden, an argument frequently surfaces whether Cathy was born evil or that her personality evolved over time. At some points throughout the book, Cathy demonstrates actions that prove that she was indeed born evil.

Read More

Unrequited Love In John Steinbeck's East Of Eden

2554 Words | 11 Pages

John Steinbeck’s novel “East of Eden” not only depicts the story of Cain and Abel, good versus evil and free choice as well as a narrative of Steinbeck’s own life; it also gives the reader an insightful glimpse into the perils and consequences of unrequited love. This is proven in several characters in the book. Of these, the relationship between Adam and Cathy more prominently displays the perils of unrequited love. John Steinbeck defines love most eloquently in “East of Eden”. Sometimes a kind of glory lights up the mind of a man.

Read More

East Of Eden Analysis

4009 Words | 17 Pages

Despite the sensation that tailed his earlier works, namely Of Mice and Men and Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck defines East of Eden as his “first book”. He writes in his journal, “…perhaps it is the only book I have ever written… there is only one book to a man” , whereby he implies that East of Eden is this one book. Yet in the midst of this novel’s success, Eden leaves critics commenting on the degrading and stereotypical depiction of the female figure. With traditional housewives and harlots in brothels, there is a protruding supremacy of the male icon that is portrayed most prominently by the characters of Adam and Aron Trask.

Read More

The Lovely Bones Themes

1640 Words | 7 Pages

The novel challenges readers to confront some of the most difficult and complex issues within America

Read More

Lauren Oliver Literary Techniques

965 Words | 4 Pages

This statement is an eye catching technique that captures the reader’s attention and explains what is to happen in the novel. Sam is a typical American high school student who is one of the more popular students (at the top of the social pyramid with her three best friends and the perfect boyfriend) but there is always a foundation and flaws to this life. The author explains what she is really thinking and feeling especially when her life is close to the end. This novel is aimed at teenage females who are able to relate more to the journey that Sam went through and understand the informal and familiar language used amongst teenagers. Written in present tense to exaggerate that it was happening at the time the audience experiences the journey with Sam.

Read More

Toni Morrison Beloved Trauma Essay

1530 Words | 7 Pages

As he is “the last of the Sweet Home men” (Morrison 7) and Sethe “could never mistake his face for another’s” (Morrison 7), she is more comfortable discussing her thoughts and feelings about her experiences. “Close relationships may provide the necessary support that can allow traumatised individuals to reconnect with themselves and others and engage in a healing process” (López-Zerón and Blow 581). Paul D’s reappearance in Sethe’s life allowed her to begin healing, as “the responsibility for her breasts, at last, was in somebody else’s hands” (Morrison 22) and “Because with him, in his presence” (Morrison 21) she could finally express her pain and “feel the hurt her back ought to” (Morrison 22).

Read More

More about Amber Smith's Themes

Related Topics

Open Document