The East of Eden by John Steinbeck incorporates the ideas of love, parental approval, and the meaning behind life fulfillment into one beautifully written novel. The story starts with a man by the name of Cyrus, whose military deranged mind has led him to raise his family in a manner fit for war. Cyrus’ sons Adam, the protagonist, and Charles the envious brute of a brother are pinned against one another for their father’s approval. After a rough childhood Adam and his brother are left with a staggering inheritance from their father. With this Adam takes his beloved wife to California, but his wife Cathy is not pleased. Cathy learns about her pregnancy and tries to abort the life within her, yet she fails and gives birth to two twins, Cal and Aron. Cathy being coming from a, demented background, shoots her husband, murders a brothel owner, and then returns to prostitution.
Adam’s love for Cathy was not one for simple physical pleasure it was a sincere deep love that one must search long and hard for. Adam covered for Cathy’s attempted murder, and then raised his sons indifferently without much passion; because without Cathy in his life he fell into a slight depression. As the twins grow they are pinned against one another for the approval of their father in a similar manner that Adam and Charles were. Aron showing more ambition in academics was always favored by Adam. Aron then went on to Stanford, while Cal searched for a way to pay for Aron’s tuition because Adam’s fortune had gone to ruin’s in a failing business. When Cal came across a large amount of money from selling beans, Adam thought his son was doing the wrong thing. With great anger and frustration Cal revealed to Aron the dark secrets of their mother. This causes Ar...
... middle of paper ...
...he way that Aron was also left without the love of his dear Abra. Both Adam and Aron had their women stolen from them by their brother’s. On their wedding night Cathy slept with Charles, and Cal fell for Abra as he showed her the real meaning of timshel. Steinbeck’s love story was border line soap opera, yet it showed how the world is filled with single handed love. A love where many of us are left alone, we are sometimes left alone and empty because the love that we have has been given to someone else.
With no doubt, The East of Eden will attract readers of all ages. The lessons found in love can be found blown up in modern day society, and the psychological challenges accompanied by the deprivation of parental love will continue through all ages of time. Steinbeck gives his readers something more than an interesting plot, it changes the way we look at life.
Cal and Aron are Cathy's twin sons. In their relationship they too have many conflicts, Aron, the "good" son, studies religion and Cal, the "evil" son, gambles and visits whore houses. Aron tries to convert Cal, but Cal refuses to convert a...
East of Eden by John Steinbeck is an optimistic film about a boy becoming a man and trying desperately to earn the love of his father and mother in the troubled times of the Great Depression. Cal, the main character is a troubled teen who lives with his entrepreneur father, and a brother who is following closely in his fathers steps. Cal’s mother left him and his brother to become a madam of a whorehouse. The struggle takes place between Cal and his father due to his fathers lack of compassion for his son. The conflict rises further when Cal tries to help his father repay a debt, his father further isolates his son and this turns to violent outbursts. Steinbeck focuses on Cal in order to suggest the theme that without love people become violent and mean.
...ances in a person's life, is salvageable to anybody through the idea of free will. Steinbeck advocates the notion of free will throughout the novel, especially via the character Lee as he relates it to the story of Cain and Abel in the bible. Free will is a natural law given to all humans, which allows them to choose to do whatever they want to do, offering the ultimate possibility to anybody to attempt to change the course of their life and be who they want to be. Though Cal has difficulties involved in his relationships with his father, mother and as a result the relationship he develops with his brother, Timshel is there to offer hope to Cal in modern-man's-salvation kind of way. The novel and the idea of Timshel ultimately offers that the loss of self-knowledge and self-identity experiences as a result of ones life-situation is always under their own control.
At age sixteen, Janie is a beautiful young girl who is about to enter womanhood and experience the real world. Being joyous and unconcerned, she is thrown into an arranged marriage with Logan Killicks. He is apparently unromantic and unattractive. Logan is a widower and a successful farmer who desires a wife who would not have her own opinions. He is set on his own ways and is troubled by Janie, who forms her own opinions and refuses to work. He is unable to sexually appeal or satisfy Janie and therefore does not truly connect with her as husband and wife should. Janie's wild and young spirit is trapped within her and she plays the role of a silent and obeying wife. But her true identity cannot withhold itself for she has ambitions and she wills to see the world and find love. There was a lack of trust and communication between Logan and Janie. Because of the negative feelings Janie has towards Logan, she deems that this marriage is not what she desires it to be. The pear tree and the bees had a natural att...
John Steinbeck. East of Eden primariy takes place within the Salinas Valley located in Northern California. The valley is described to have rich odors and lively geological features. These include the Gabilan Mountains and the Salinas River. In the Salinas Valley, an Irish immigrant named Samuel Hamilton moves into the valley with his wife Liza. Although the Hamiltons live on barren land, they earn a comforable and respectable life in America. Samuel works as a blacksmith, and his wife eventually gives birth to four boys and five girls. Years after the Hamilton’s arrival Adam Trask also settles on the Salinas Valley. Adam is a wealthy man with a tragic chidhood. Cyrus Trask, Adam’s father, transmitted a disease called syphilis on to Adam’s mother, soon after Adam’s birth. Consequently, Adam’s mother then proceeded to committ suicide after discovering her illness. Cyrus quickly remarried another young woman named Alice, and they shortly had one child named Charles. Adam is naturally a moral and caring boy, but his intense younger brother is mischevious and hostile. Charles often becomes severely jealous of Adam. Especially, when he discovers their father easily favors Adam instead of Charles. For example, when it was Cyrus’s birthday, Cyrus ultimately preferred Adam’s gift, which was a stray puppy. However he disregarded Charles’ gift of an explensive foreign knife. After discovering this, Charles aggressively beat Adam to the cusp of death, and he left his beaten body on the road side. After this incident, Charles did not reuturn home for several weeks. Adam eventually joins the army, and his father becomes the Secretary of Army. He comes to this postiti...
John Steinbeck's novel, East of Eden is the epic story of a California family who struggle to overcome issues of betrayal, infidelity, and the age old battle between good and evil and sibling rivalry. The story centers around two generations of brothers in the Trask family-Adam and Charles, and Adam's sons Aron and Cal. In each generation, one of the Trask brothers is moral and good while the other brother behaves badly and immorally. Because the good Trask brothers are favored, the bad Trask brothers develop envious tendencies and a recurrent theme of sibling rivalry appears throughout the book. Steinbeck's dramatic account of the Trask brothers and their rivalry in East of Eden is an impressive tale, but it is also a familiar one that closely echoes a
...her and son is what ultimately makes the story so gripping with audiences and readers alike because of the subsequent evolution in the nature of their relationship as the story progresses. With each telling and retelling of Edward Bloom’s stories, the reader and William both gain a little more insight in the enigma who is Edward Bloom. Despite the resentment and anger that dominates William’s feelings for his father, his ability to strive to make peace and make sense of his mystifying father, who has always eluded his own comprehension, is significant to anyone who has ever felt disconnect with a dying family member.
In the novel Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck brings out the themes of Lonliness and companionship, and strengths and weaknesses through the actions, and quotations of the characters. Irony and foreshadowing play a large roll on how the story ends. Lennie and his habit of killing things not on purpose, but he is a victim of his own strength. George trying to pretend that his feelings for Lennie mean nothing. The entire novel is repetitive in themes and expressed views.
Every great writer creates powerful images and presents story lines that draw their readers deep into the pages of their books, however; any writer would be hard pressed to do so without incorporating their own feelings, trials and tribulations into the plots and John Steinbeck is no exception. Through his appreciation for adventure and willingness to indulge in it, Steinbeck found a myriad of fascinating people in addition to experiences that he was eager to share. Past various negative criticisms and frequent rejections of his work, he manages to provide relatable characters capable of deep connections to those who enter into the realms of his tales. John Steinbeck's early life experiences influenced his portrayals of women, his love of the land, and his intimate connection to the plight of lower social classes, themes which translate into his work.
Some of the most aspiring and influential authors show to be American novelists. American novelists brought about a new style of writing, which became very popular. John Steinbeck shows this style of writing in his novel, East of Eden. This makes Steinbeck one of the most significant American novelists in the twentieth century. East of Eden contains many parts, which add detail and interest to the novel. Many of Steinbeck’s novels and other works remain and continue to be nationally acclaimed. Many elements exist in East of Eden that bring about the meaning and concept of the novel. The study of John Steinbeck and his book, East of Eden, will help the reader better understand the element of fiction and interpret the meaning of the work.
Steinbeck's The Grapes of Wrath is a realistic novel that mimics life and offers social commentary too. It offers many windows on real life in midwest America in the 1930s. But it also offers a powerful social commentary, directly in the intercalary chapters and indirectly in the places and people it portrays. Typical of very many, the Joads are driven off the land by far away banks and set out on a journey to California to find a better life. However the journey breaks up the family, their dreams are not realized and their fortunes disappear. What promised to be the land of milk and honey turns to sour grapes. The hopes and dreams of a generation turned to wrath. Steinbeck opens up this catastrophe for public scrutiny.
Steinbeck, John. Journal of a Novel: The East of Eden Letters. 1969. New York: Penguin,
East of Eden was a novel that explored the roots of evil in its most primal form. Through intricate plot lines and complex characters, John Steinbeck weaved a tale of brutality, cruelty, and isolation. One important character that helped to illustrate the presence of evil throughout the book was Cathy Ames, an intelligent woman who ruthlessly used other people to serve her own needs. When reflecting upon East of Eden, a debate that often surfaces is whether Cathy's evil was a result of nature or nurture. Arguments for and against both sides are in the book. At some times, Cathy is portrayed as a wicked fiend who's aggression stems from nowhere but her own empty heart. Other times, Cathy appears weak and afraid of people who aren't the least bit intimidating. Those are the moments in the book where one must question whether Cathy is truly evil, or just an impatient and self-centered individual.
...parents were much more successful in the working world encouraged him to complete many daily activities such as choir and piano lessons. His parents engaged him in conversations that promoted reasoning and negotiation and they showed interest in his daily life. Harold’s mother joked around with the children, simply asking them questions about television, but never engaged them in conversations that drew them out. She wasn’t aware of Harold’s education habits and was oblivious to his dropping grades because of his missing assignments. Instead of telling one of the children to seek help for a bullying problem she told them to simply beat up the child that was bothering them until they stopped. Alex’s parents on the other hand were very involved in his schooling and in turn he scored very well in his classes. Like Lareau suspected, growing up
The main character Adam Trask proves that by letting go of Cathy and deciding to create a new type of Eden that mankind holds the ultimate decision to rise above their destines. After finding Cathy and marrying her, Adam believes that he has found the missing part of his life. Cathy becomes the emblem of perfection and a key to happiness for him. As Adam continues to fall in love with her he starts to fall more out of touch with reality causing him to miss the obvious signals that Cathy does not feel the same way about him. Her manipulative ways are able to fool Adam’s kindness. Adam, being too naive to pay attention the obvious indications that Cathy does not love him is left in complete shock after she shoots and leaves him after the birth of their sons. After centralizing his dream around creating his own Eden with Cathy as his own Eve, he se...