Flight and The Snake by John Steinbeck Essay Example

Flight and The Snake by John Steinbeck Paper John Steinbeck is a well-known author who was born in Salinas, California in 1902. The town of Salinas later became the setting of many of his stories, includingâ€Å"Flight† and â€Å"The Snake†, which were short stories in the Long Valley. Steinbeck was well known for his writing style. He was a master of imagery and symbolism, and he made sure the reader had a clear picture of what he was writing. In â€Å"Flight† and â€Å"The Snake† he uses animal references for the main characters, Pepe in â€Å"Flight† and the mysterious woman in â€Å"The Snake†. Besides those references, both stories use color symbolism to describe the character and setting. Both Stories also indicate what happens when an individual is stripped of what they are, either material or psychological. Using these references and symbols makes the readers think more deeply into the story. Even though both stories use similar references and symbolism, the two stories are comp letely different. Many interpretations have been given to both stories so many people will have different opinions on what these two stories mean. As with Steinbeck’s other writings, both â€Å"Flight† and â€Å"The Snake† take place in Salinas, California, one setting out in the Torres ranch and the other setting in a laboratory.â€Å"Flight† tells a tale of an unprepared youth’s failure to achieve maturity (Placentino, 1980) and â€Å"The Snake† tells a story about a Marine Biologist meeting a mysterious woman and what effect she has on him. Animal imagery is used throughout both stories. In â€Å"Flight†, Steinbeck describes Pepe as having as having â€Å"sharp Indian cheekbones and his â€Å"eagle nose†, suggesting his primitive animal-like nature (Placentino, 1980). Snake references are also used for Pepe as when he throws his knife, his wrist â€Å"flicked like a head of a snake† (Placentino, 1980).Similarly, in â€Å"The Snake†, the mysterious woman is described as being snakelike, swaying back an We will write a custom essay sample on Flight and The Snake by John Steinbeck specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Flight and The Snake by John Steinbeck specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Flight and The Snake by John Steinbeck specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer