East of Eden vs the Kite Runner - 1261 Words

The desire for love and the need for acceptance can create more than a feeling of rejection. In East of Eden and The Kite Runner, many characters find the task of love daunting and insufficient to their expectations. Love presents itself in every aspect of both novels and therefore is a major theme. Whether it was love from family or lovers, both novels explore the idea of unrequited love and its consequences on the characters lifelong journeys. The theme of love is a major underlying cause of many problems within East of Eden for it creates a feeling of rejection by family and lovers. The idea that love is blind becomes the center of revolution for the feelings between Adam Trask and his wife, Cathy. Steinbeck â€Å"explores the†¦show more content†¦Amir’s shame brought on by his marriage to honest Soraya was his poor treatment of his closest childhood friend, and later understood half brother, Hassan. Amir questions what would have happened â€Å"had he not as a c hild lied monstrously about Hassan† â€Å"which resulted in Hassan and Ali leaving the service of Baba† (Graves 1). These feelings of inadequacy arose when Amir overheard his father say â€Å"’I’d never believe he’s my son’† (Hosseini 23). Amir and Caleb both indirectly caused the death of their brothers because of their jealousy. Both believed the other sibling was loved more, when all actuality the only reason it seemed this way is because there was more in common between Adam and Aron and Baba and Hassan which led to a stronger bond but not greater love. Finally, Steinbeck and Hosseini both include the trials and tribulations of childhood and its affects on the boys’ later lives. In East of Eden, the difference between Aron and Caleb was the same as the â€Å"opposites of good and evil, strength and weakness, love and hate, beauty and ugliness† (Aubrey 1). Aron was all that symbolized angelic whereas Caleb was everyt hing you would find evil. Caleb would tease and purposefully hurt Aron out of pure joy in his actions, â€Å"nothing could hurt him, and nothing could stop him† (Steinbeck 335). In the end, Caleb tries to compare himself to theShow MoreRelated The Power of Words Essay2225 Words   |  9 Pagesuse powerful sayings or words to intensify their plot and to evoke specific emotions from their audience. â€Å"Timshel† or â€Å"thou mayest† was a reoccurring word in John Steinbeck’s fictional novel East of Eden, their was a struggle or contemplation of the exact translation that was parallel to the theme of good vs. evil found throughout the three generations of brothers (Steinbeck np). This one word meant redemption, forgiveness, and liberation all at once. Another example of the power of words in literatureRead MoreDeveloping Management Skills404131 Words   |  1617 Pages269 United Chemical Company 269 Byron vs. Thomas 271 Active Listening Exercise 272 SKIL L APPLICATION 274 Activities for Communicating Supportively Suggested Assignments 274 Application Plan and Evaluation 274 274 SCORING KEYS AND COMPARISON DATA 276 Communicating Supportively 276 Scoring Key 276 Comparison Data 276 Communication Styles 276 Comparison Data 276 SKILL PRACTICE Diagnosing Problems and Fostering Understanding: United Chemical Company and Byron vs. Thomas 278 Observer’s Feedback Form