In this excerpt from the autobiographical narrative, A Summer Life, Gary Soto uses

contrasting elements of religion and temptation, repetition of words and phrases, and tactical
imagery to recreate the experience of his guilty six-year-old self. Soto begins the excerpt as a
pure innocent six year old, and claims he is in the shadows of angels before the temptation
strikes of stealing a pie from the German Market. The temptation begins to overwhelm Gary
Soto and as we read on we learn he falls into temptation and his innocence is lost as he steals the
pie. This criminal act causes the shadows of angels to become simply him laying in cool
shadows representing the pureness lost in Soto six year old self.
Towards the middle of the excerpt Soto spoke of the story of Adam and Eve, how
they fell into temptation, and were cast into the desert with no water. He explains he feared
losing his purity and grace with god and acknowledges a pie may not be worth it. But, that fear
was not nearly as voluminous as his fear of being thirsty (37) in the desert. Neither fear proved
to be enough to surpass temptation because towards the end of the excerpt, Soto returned home
to drink water (73). The satisfaction from indulging in the apple pie blinded him from all
thoughts and fears. The authors use of contrast effectively shows readers the change undertaken
by Soto in his choice in stealing the pie. He explains how purity is hard to maintain and how easy
it is to fall into temptation. In the beginning of the excerpt Soto is very confident in his religion.
He explains how he feels god is everywhere and the howling under the house where he is seated
is definitely God. The confidence in that religion diminishes as he falls out of the grace of god.
As he falls into temptation, his religion becomes second to the temptation and desire. At the end
of the excerpt, when Soto says the howling sound of plumbing. Was it god? (79) shows that his
experience led him to question God. He has fallen from grace but , he still can go home and
drink water and have no fear of being thirsty. He demonstrates how temptation blinded him

from even his own beliefs. The authors use of contrast was used to explain how fear nor religion
was an issue as temptation was supreme in Sotos six year old life.