Non-naturalisticWhen we talk about John Steinbeck's "Great American Novel," East of Eden, many obvious topics come to mind. Steinbeck's many biblical allegories about Genesis come to mind, most specifically "Adam and Eve," "Cain and Abel," and even "Pandora's Box." But, if a reader truly wants Steinbeck's story to come to life, it is important to look no further than Steinbeck's allegories and recurring themes of good conquering evil, but to look more deeply at how he used them to develop his story into a unconventional way. To do this, it is important to look at how Steinbeck was classified as a writer and how he took his classification and challenged his readers to read and delve into the text. In the next few pages I will explain, using Steinbeck's novel East of Eden, his own words on the text, and outside scholarship to demonstrate that Eden was not naturalist prose but in fact Steinbeck's response to nature writing. By first discussing naturalism, I will show through Steinbeck's Eden that it is unfair to classify Steinbeck himself as a naturalistic writer and explain how he exhibits this throughout the text. Using biblical allegories and, above all, the recurring theme of good conquering evil, Steinbeck breaks his naturalistic stereotype and shows that fate is not predestined but that many characters in his text are capable of overcoming their destiny and choosing the own path. Before discussing how Steinbeck Eden in anti-naturalistic, it is important to first examine naturalism as a literary movement. Once naturalism is defined, it can be compared to Steinbeck's Eden. Naturalism extends to American authors between the 1890s and 1920s, some dates vary as some naturalistic... half of the document... understanding of Steinbeck as a man and as one of the most insightful authors of American art. Literature.Works Cited Benson, Jackson J. "John Steinbeck: Novelist as Scientist." Novel: A Forum on Fiction.10.3 (1977): 249-264. Web April 5, 2011. Brown, Howard Clark. “A Survey of the Naturalistic Periodical Literature of America” American Midland Naturalist 7.3 (1921): 74-100. Web April 11, 2011. Crane, Stephen. Maggie: a street girl. New York: Norton, 1979. Print.Kuhn, Cynthia. "Class lesson and handout on naturalism." Metropolitan State College of Denver. Date unknown.Steinbeck, John. East of Eden. New York: Penguin, 1992. Print.---.Journal of A Novel. New York: Penguin, 1990. Print. Panesar, Gurdip. "John Steinbeck, Frank Norris, and Literary Naturalism." National Council of Teachers of English 10.8 (1949): 432-438. Web 10 April 2011.