John Steinbeck. East of Eden
Description
This captivating novel, based in California's Salinas Valley, follows the story of the Trask family and the Hamilton family, both struggling to overcome their personal, physical, and philosophical obstacles. Centering around Adam Trask, the novel portrays Adam's struggles in raising his sons Aron and Cal, resembling the biblical representations of Cain and Abel; his struggles through a spurious marriage; and his willingless to overcome the evil in his life. This story, of the timeless conflict between good and evil, teaches us about our individual perspectives on life and life's struggles.
Author Background
John Steinbeck (1902-1968)
John Steinbeck was raised in Salinas, California, where most of his novels are based. From his mother, a teacher, he learned to appreciate and love books and reading. He attended Stanford University and studied marine biology, but did not graduate; his true passion lied in writing. In 1925, he traveled to New York, where he spent a short time working as a reporter, and then returned to California. As he wrote, he took odd jobs in the area, from painting to fruit-picking. Tortilla Flat was his first novel to be widely acknowledged, and his fame and writing abilities increased from this point forward. He received the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1962, and died in New York in 1968.
His other works include:
* Tortilla Flat (1935)
* In Dubious Battle (1936)
* Of Mice And Men (1937)
* The Red Pony (1937)
* The Grapes Of Wrath (1939)
* The Moon Is Down (1942)
* Cannery Row (1945)
* The Pearl (1947)
* The Wayward Bus (1947)
* Burning Bright (1950)
* The Winter of Our Discontent (1961)
* Travels with Charley (1962)
Biographical information based on text from:
http://nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/literature/laureates/1962/steinbeck-bio.html
http://www.kirjasto.sci.fi/johnstei.htm
http://www.americanwriters.org/writers/steinbeck.asp
Text, context, history
Background Information on the novel
East of Eden was published in September 1952, and in November of that same year, East of Eden was number one on the fiction best-seller list. According to Pauline Pearson of the National Steinbeck Center, in A Journal of a Novel: The East of Eden Letter, Steinbeck's diary of East of Eden, Steinbeck calls East of Eden '...the story of my country and the story of me.' According to Pearson, "The book spans the history of the nation from the Civil War to World War I and tells the story of two American families, The Hamiltons, Steinbeck's matenal relatives, are the 'Universal Family' and the fictional Trasks are the 'Universal Neighbors.'" According to the National Steinbeck Center, Steinbeck's inspiration for East of Eden comes from the bible, from the story of Cain and Abel: The fourth chapter of the book of Genesis, verses one though sixteen. Additionally, the book's title was chosen by Steinbeck from Genesis, Chapter 4, verse 16.
According to Pearson, this novel was written for Steinbeck's young sons, Thom and John IV; he wanted to describe the sights and sounds of the Salinas Valley for them in detail.
In A Journal of a Novel: The East of Eden Letter, Steinbeck calls this book 'The big one as far as I'm concerned. Always before I held something back for later. Nothing is held back here.' To Steinbeck, this novel truly revealed his philosophies.
More detailed information is available at: National Steinbeck Center: East of Eden
The biblical story of Cain and Abel
The bible passage referring to the story of Cain and Abel (important points to note are in bold):
"1 And Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord.
2 And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.
3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord.
4 And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering:
5 But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.
6 And the Lord said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen?
7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.
8 And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him.
9 And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?
10 And he said, What hast thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground.
11 And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand;
12 When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.
13 And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear.
14 Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from thy face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.
15 And the Lord said unto him, Therefore whosoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the Lord set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him.
16 And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden."
(from East of Eden: The Story of Cain and Abel)
Further reading
Questions for book clubs or solitary readers
1. East of Eden is based on the biblical story of brothers Cain and Abel (See context information above). Which characters represent the biblical characters Cain and Abel? Were any of these characters "marked" to show that they were evil;was Charles's "scar" a "mark?" Think about Charles and Adam's relationship with their father; was one more loved than the other? Is there this duality between both pairs of brothers: Charles and Adam, and Cal and Aron? Do any other characters show this relationship?
2. What appears to save Adam from falling into a complete state of depression and lethargy? Is it Samuel's influence, the help of Lee, or both? Is it some other factor?
3. Adam's sons Cal (Caleb) and Aron were named from the Bible by Samuel, Lee, and Adam. What is this significance? Is this Steinbeck's way of preaching the message he wants to send through his novel? Is this the point in the book where you realized East of Eden was based on the Bible, or do you believe it was not based on the Bible at all? What evidence is there that Steinbeck was basing his story on the Bible?
4. Did Aron's death have any positive effect?
5. Is there any good in Cathy Ames? Does she have any redeemable qualities? Did she deserve to be beaten by Mr. Edwards, and does she deserve the life of a prostitute? Does she secretly love this life?
6. In what instances in this novel can you observe the conflict between good and evil? Is it simply between brothers in the Trask family, or can it be seen in some of the Hamiltons? Think about Tom's and Dessie's deaths. Why did Tom blame Dessie's death so heavily on himself?
7. What affect does Una's death have on Samuel? Is this the point in the novel where he loses hope? Or is it when Samuel begins to help Adam? Was Samuel happy with his life and his accomplishments, or was he disappointed?
8. Do you agree with Steinbeck that the most important theme in life is the conflict between good and evil? Does this novel demonstrate this? To what degree?
1. Think about the representation of good and evil in this novel. Which characters do you think represent "good?" Which ones represent "evil?" Which ones are neutral, or which ones do you think represent both? If you were to make a list of which characters you think represent good and evil, which characters would you choose? Think about why each character is good and why each is evil, and look back to the text for specific examples.
2. Do you observe a good vs. evil duality with anyone in your life? Does anyone represent "good" or "evil" to you? Do these "evil" people have any redeeming qualities? Think about Cathy: is she the ultimate representation of evil, or does even she have some good qualities to her? Think about your answer to question 5 above.
3. How much does Lee influence Adam's recovery after his incident with Cathy leaving him? Is Lee Adam's "savior?" Have you had any friends who have helped you as Lee helped Adam, or have you ever helped anyone this much? Would anyone in your community ever help anyone this much? Does this make Lee idealistic, or do you think he represents the common good, altruistic individual? Why is Lee so humble?
1. Think about the relationship that Charles and Adam each have with their father. Do you have different relationships with each of your children? If you only have one child, do you think you would treat another child differently than your current one? Is this unavoidable, or can parents truly be impartial when dealing with their children, each who possess different personalities?
2. Was Adam really more loved than Charles, or did Charles just think it was true? Was Charles actually the one that his father loved more? Is this why his father treated him more harshly?
3. Why did only a few people show up to Samuel's funeral? Why does this affect Adam so heavily? Is Steinbeck trying to tell us something about the accomplishments people make in life? Does it matter how many people show up to your funeral, or does it matter if you truly had people who loved you in your life?
4. The Trasks clearly are more wealthy than the Hamiltons and do not appreciate all that they have. Which family is more happy: The Hamiltons or the Trasks? Which would you rather be: rich and unhappy, or poor and satisfied? Is each family truly happy? Is any family your definition of "normal?"
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