John Steinbeck s East Of Eden - 1342 Words

â€Å"Maybe we all have in us a secret pond where evil and ugly things germinate and grow strong. But this culture is fenced, and the swimming brood climbs up only to fall back. Might it not be that in the dark pools of some men the evil grows strong enough to wriggle over the fence and swim free? Would not such a man be our monster, and are we related to him in our hidden water?† (Steinbeck 133). The novel, East of Eden, by John Steinbeck, interprets that every human being since Cain and Abel has struggled with the choice between good and evil. He dramatizes the conflict between wickedness and purity within the Trask family and the main characters of the novel struggle with the inheritance of sin. Cyrus, the father of the Trask family, chooses evil by stealing money during his time in the Army. Charles, succumbs to jealousy of his brother, Adam. Cathy chooses evil at every opportunity she gets by manipulating and wounding others for her own pleasure. Cal, finds out about his family’s history of sin and worries that he will inherit his mother’s evil, yet throughout the novel he is caught in between two choices of purity or wickedness. With his two choices, Cal uses his power of decision to support the novel by connecting wicked with innocence. Genesis chapter four verse one talks about Adam and Eve, who birth two sons by the names of Cain and Able. Able managed the flocks and Cain managed the fruits, which he brought forth as an offering to the Lord. Now Able did the same, butShow MoreRelatedJohn Steinbeck s East Of Eden1087 Words   |  5 Pagesimpression on his sons, John Steinbeck portrays experiences he acquired from his childhood in the novel East of Eden through the characters’ conflicts and actions to encourage them to write their own story not dictated by their roots. Steinbeck admits in Journal of a Novel: The East of Eden Letters that he â€Å"hopes his two young sons will find meaning in life when they grow and acquire the experiences to understand.† Steinbeck s failure to feel accepted, accept his father s failures, and failure toRead MoreJohn Steinbeck s East Of Eden1279 Words   |  6 PagesHistory, is the story among which all literary works are linked to, and this statement is true more than any other in John Steinbeck’s East of Eden. Whether one believes that all stories in the Bible have actually happened or not, at least some concepts of them did. How would a writer arrive at the ideas of two brothers and jealousy of love, without having seen it or felt it before? Yet again, how would these ideas survive for so long, unless many people felt them as well and connected to them. TheRead MoreJohn Steinbeck s East Of Eden1072 Words   |  5 Pages once the illusion is destroyed, it also destroys him. Similarly, John Steinbeck explores the double-edged sword of deception, wielded by both children and adults, in his novel East of Eden. Just as the masks that society wears, multiple characters throughout the story at first originally incapable of committing a sin as great as deceit due to their innocent introductions. Despite this initial virtuosity, Steinbeck’s East of Eden evinces humanity’s contrasting and inherent dependence upon selfishRead MoreRe ligion By John Steinbeck s East Of Eden1379 Words   |  6 PagesReligion is a central theme in John Steinbeck’s East of Eden. Religion constantly appears through the similarities between the Cain and Abel story, the Hebrew word timshel, and the presence of God and Fate in the novel. Throughout the book, the characters struggle with the ideas of good and evil, and choice and freewill. As the story unfolds and progresses, we see the characters deal with these things with religion being the base and the root that the book lays upon. The biblical story of Cain andRead MoreJohn Steinbeck s East Of Eden1742 Words   |  7 PagesI. SUBJECT John Steinbeck’s East of Eden centers on the Trask and Hamilton families in the year 1902 in the Salinas Valley, California. After growing up in Connecticut alongside his brother Charles under the harsh parenting and rejection of his father, Adam Trask seeks to find happiness and peace. He vows to be a better man than his father and feels the rolling valleys of California calling him. One night, Cathy Ames crawls onto the doorstep of Adam and Charles’ home after her boyfriend attemptedRead MoreJohn Steinbeck s East Of Eden893 Words   |  4 PagesA central question raised by John Steinbeck’s East of Eden is whether it is possible to triumph over evil, answered by the discussion of free will and inherited sin. The idea of â€Å"timshel† is canvassed through the struggles of Caleb â€Å"Cal† Trask. The concept of inherited sin is illustrated through the actions of Cyrus Trask, Charles Trask, and Cathy/Kate Trask. Although Cal is seemingly â€Å"born† into evil, he struggles against what he sees as his inherited evil from his mother and is eventually ableRead MoreJohn Steinbeck s East Of Eden1763 Words   |  8 PagesEast of Eden, written by John Steinbeck, is a profound, complicated retelling of the biblical story of Cain and Abel, focused around the overall struggle between good and evil . John Steinbeck wrote this for his own sons, John and Tom, to show them not only the history of their family in the Hamiltons, but also the concept of sibling rivalry emerging from the competition over paternal love and acceptance (Shillinglaw). This was first evident in Adam and Charles Trask, and then in Adam’s sons, AronRead MoreSetting in John Steinbeck ´s East of Eden1083 Words   |  4 PagesJohn Steinbeck’s, East of Eden, is set in the Salinas Valley, a secluded area of Northern California. The Salinas River runs through this beautiful, yet unforgiving land and provides ferti lity to the dry land. While the valley has a rich geographical history spanning from sea, to forest, and then to the present day valley, it is a difficult destination to find prosperity. Two dramatic mountain ranges form the landscape of the valley that the author uses to exemplify the idea of good and evil. ThisRead MoreThe Novel The Scarlet Letter And John Steinbeck s East Of Eden813 Words   |  4 Pagesthemselves, in addition to society and others. In short, â€Å"when someone lies, someone loses†(Ericsson 121); This is apparent in works such as Stephanie Ericsson’s essay â€Å"The Ways We Lie,† Nathaniel Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter, and John Steinbeck’s novel East of Eden. In order to illustrate the self-degradation in lying, Ericsson recalls a time when she lended money to a â€Å"friend.† By putting up a facade, he appeared to have â€Å"all the right looks, and the right words, and offered lots of new consciousnessRead MoreBiblical Allusion Of John Steinbeck s East Of Eden1249 Words   |  5 Pages Introduction: In the novel, East of Eden by John Steinbeck, biblical allusion is a literary device that references characteristics of judeo christian doctrine. Steinbeck alludes to the bible with his characters and setting in East of Eden. Salinas Valley and Adam Trask’s garden allude to the Garden of Eden. Steinbeck portrays the biblical allusion of the chapter Genesis from the bible throughout the book. The characters in the novel are allude to those in the book of Genesis. Steinbeck’s characters