· Anger: Quote from “’What did you do on his birthday?’” to “’And where’s the knife?’” (Steinbeck 29).
· Lists: Quote from “She was very badly hurt,” to “His patient was asleep before he left the room,” (Steinbeck 111).
· Easy conversation: Quote from “’Well, you know how it is,’” to “’Always showing her ankles,’”(Steinbeck 104).
John Steinbeck’s use of syntax in his novel East of Eden helped his characters portray their emotions, show how characters feel around others, and aids in creating simple lists. When Charles Trask confronts his brother, Adam, the short, clipped words and sentences portray his short- tempered and angry attitude. Those clipped sentences show how quickly Charles was spitting out his words and how he couldn’t think of well- developed thoughts through his anger. Steinbeck’s syntax showed another side of Charles around his brother when he was having a casual conversation with him about a local girl. These sentences were short as well, but by the use of word choices paired with the sentence structure, the reader can sense that Charles feels comfortable around his brother and doesn’t feel the need to use long, winding sentences to try and impress him. Syntax isn’t always as personal to the characters, however. It can also come in the form of a list, as used when Steinbeck describes Cathy’s many injuries. By using sentence structures where facts are clearly stated without any use of “flowery language,” this helps the reader to get a clear, and surprisingly descriptive understanding of Cathy’s injuries. By Steinbeck’s clever use of syntax, he was able to portray many different aspects of characters and details in the story.
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ReplyDeleteI also believe that the way a character communicates can reveal a lot about him. As you mentioned, Charles frequently uses clipped sentences while conversing with his brother, and with other people in general, much like his father Cyrus before him and is mainly interested in "just the facts," plain and simple. Just as his words do not have much profound significance (deeper than what is on the surface), there is not much more to Charles than meets the eye. A character like Samuel on the other hand is prone to philosophizing out loud and is more inclined to use "flowery" language. For example, during a conversation with Adam he inquires, "Can't you feel the cold at night of a lone child? What warm is there, what bird song, what possible morning can be good?(256). It is statements like these that reveal Samuel's wisdom so similar to that of Lee (which is probably why they get along so well). It is also evident by the fluidity with which he that Samuel's thoughts flow spontaneously, allowing the reader to infer that he is a carefree character.
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