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Personification
Explanation and Analysis—Loneliness:
Upon leaving the military after serving out his first five years, Adam finds himself listless and purposeless, looking for meaning and belonging. In Chapter 6, Steinbeck uses personification to highlight this loneliness:
Adam walked through the dark town, increasing his speed as though his loneliness sniffed along behind him.
The above bit of figurative language conjures up the image of a loyal dog, sniffing along in its master's footsteps. Adam's loneliness is so potent that it is a constant presence, following behind him unfailingly. The close relationship Adam has with isolation only fuels his desperation to leave and travel: he desperately wants to move to California, see other parts of the U.S., and vacation abroad. Adam is listless, and he tries on occupations like ill-fitting garments.
Adam's lonesomeness connects directly to the creation narrative in Genesis. After creating Adam, God acknowledges the tragedy of a solitary existence and uses one of Adam's rib bones to create Eve. Adam instantly accepts Eve as his wife, and they live together in the paradise of Eden—at least, until the Fall. In East of Eden, the story of Adam's loneliness and its narrative trajectory are much the same: almost immediately after meeting Cathy, Adam fixates on her as his "Eve," centering her as the cure for his loneliness. He is, of course, mistaken.
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