Temptation can bring even the most innocent to sin. “The juice of guilt” will make one think twice before sinning again. Gary Soto uses complex literary devices in his autobiographical narrative to exhibit his guilty feelings as a six-year old. Soto starts off his narrative with strong biblical allusions and personification. He says, “I knew enough about hell to stop me from stealing.” This reflects his knowledge of sin before he actually steals the apple pie. He then states in the next paragraph that, “But boredom made me sin.” This minor shift and use of personification of “boredom” changes young Gary’s mind on what he knew was wrong. Soto knew that sinning is wrong, yet he does it anyway because of the temptation.
