The Forbidden Fruit
The Forbidden Fruit It seems like the greatest anecdotes revolve around an apple; Adam and Eve damned all of mankind for an apple and an apple inspired Newton’s whole life work. The scrumptious Frisbee-shaped apple pie that Gary Soto’s six-year old self snatches is almost worth spending the rest of eternity in hell. The author compels the reader that the rush and risk of stealing appears pleasuring enough when you enjoy it, but guilt fills the conscience when it vanishes. The use of diction, imagery, and allusion aids Soto in describing his unforgivable and sinful pleasure. The author’s diction and imagery entice the audience by describing the scrumptious treat in a million tasty ways and making them forget that he commits a crime. By overlooking his sin, the reader’s mouth waters as Gary writes about “wet, finger-dripping pieces,” and how he feels “like crying, because it was the best thing [he] ever tasted.” By using extremes and delicious diction, he ignores his guilt and focuses on the present, not the consequences that will come in the future. Even though Gary knows that he might pay for his crime, he’s so focused on the pie that everything around him melts, and he devours it like an animal, with dirty hands, crust falling out of his mouth, refusing to share. The delicacy in the child’s hands makes even a burp “perfume” the air and slop sound appealing in its gleaming gold color. As Gary shoves the slop and crust into his mouth, the audience can taste the sweetness. Then, he awakens the audience’s ability to smell when he holds the pie to his nose and “breathes in its sweetness,” “licks some of the crust and [closes his] eyes as [he takes] a small bite.” Soto stimulates spectators’ senses with vivid descriptions of his stolen dessert laced with references from the Bible to teach them the lesson he learned from his experience. Soto utilizes allusion throughout the passage to compare himself to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. At the beginning of the