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Similes
Chapter 5
Explanation and Analysis—Liza's Drunkenness:
In the following passage from Chapter 5, the narrator uses situational irony to describe an important—and hypocritical—development in Liza Hamilton's religious mores:
When Liza was about seventy her elimination slowed up and her doctor told her to take a tablespoon of port wine for medicine. She forced down the first spoonful, making a crooked face, but it was not so bad. And from that moment she never drew a completely sober breath.
Related Themes:
Chapter 6
Explanation and Analysis—Charles's Shyness:
In Chapter 6, Steinbeck describes Charles's life during Adam's absence. Without his brother or father for company, Charles turns to sex workers for human companionship, though he barely views these women as human. Using situational irony, Steinbeck elucidates the nature of these relationships:
Unlock with LitCharts A+There is great safety for a shy man with a whore. Having been paid for, and in advance, she has become a commodity, and a shy man can be gay with her and even brutal to her.
Related Themes:
