Religious References in East of Eden
Religion constantly appears throughout Steinbeck's East of Eden. Among these religious appearances are the similarities between the Cain and Abel story and the characters, the Hebrew word timshel, and the presence of God/Fate in the novel.
First, East of Eden is a reenactment of the Cain and Abel tale. Many similarities are seen between the two. The title East of Eden comes from the biblical tale when " 'Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden' " (Steinbeck 352). The relationship between Abel and Cain, who killed Abel, is similar to those of Adam and Charles, who once tried to kill Adam, and Aron and Caleb, who informed Aron of their mother's profession, an act which led to Aron's death in World War I. Charles and Caleb fight for their fathers' affections in the same way in which Cain fought with Abel over the Lord's attention. Also in the novel, "the Cain characters ... are identified by names beginning with "C" (Cyrus, Charles, Cathy, Caleb) and the Abel characters ... with "A" (Alice, Adam, Aron, Abra)" (Lisca 269).
Next is the word timshel-- thou mayest-- a Hebrew word spoken to Cain by the Lord: " 'if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him' " (Steinbeck 351). Lee discovers that the verb in this passage has been translated as both thou shalt [rule over evil] and do thou [rule over evil].With the help of his Chinese elders and a Jewish Rabbi, Lee determines that the original meaning is thou mayest--
"the word timshel ... gives a choice" (398) or free will to mankind to commit good or evil acts. This word appears often in the novel and is important at the very end where Adam's final timshel blesses and forgives Caleb and reminds him that even after his "murder of his brother ... he can still choose his course and fight it through and win", meaning Caleb still has the chance to overcome the tendency for evil which he believes he has inherited form his mother. (Gribben 96)
One of the novel's epiphanies is Lee's translation of timshel to thou mayest. This translation puts choice into man's destiny. According to this view, we are not condemned; we have a choice between good and evil.
The idea of good versus evil is illustrated in several ways in John Steinbeck's East of Eden. This is seen through the external conflicts in the novel, the internal conflicts of the characters, and a universal understanding of the battle between good and evil.
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.
Wilson, J. Bradely Cruxton and W. Douglas. Spotlight Canada Fourth Edition. Toronto: Oxford University Press, 2000.
Malcolmson, P., & Myers, R. (2009). The Canadian Regime: An Introduction to Parliamentary Government in Canada (4th ed.). Toronto, Ontario, Canada: University of Toronto Press.
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
Question 1: In what way is the novel an allegory of The Garden of Eden?
Steinbeck uses the biblical story of Cain and Abel in East of Eden to show us that we do not have set fate. Steinbeck uses the Hebrew word “timshel”, which means “thou mayest”, to suggest that man has the ability to choose good or evil. “Timshel” affects the characters in East of Eden such as Cal and Aron and their choice of overcoming good or evil. Steinbeck sees this novel as his most important work, and he uses it as a way to state his personal ideas concerning mankind:“The free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world. And this I would fight for: the freedom of the mind to take any direction it wishes, undirected. And this I must fight against: any idea, religion, or government which limits or destroys the individual.”(Steinbeck,132). Steinbeck shows God has given humans free will and their ability to choose good or evil, if they so decide. He portrays the “C” characters to be connected to Cain, such as Charles and Cal and the “A” characters to be connected to Abel, such as Aron and Adam.
Frist, federalism is the division of power between the provinces and the federal government (Cutler 2010, 3). As well, Federal systems tend to be made up of multiple parts, which do not necessarily work together (Brock 2008, 3). There has been an increase on the study of federalism in recent years, which has created a more in-depth look at how federalism impacts the government. (Farfard Rocher 2009, 294). There are two aspects of federalism and both of them put limitations on the influence of the prime minister. The first is called political asymmetry; this encompasses the various attitudes of the different provinces such as the culture, economic, social and political conditions and how it shapes the relationship between the provincial and federal governments (Brock 2008, 4). This can create a problem for the federal government because it means that they may ha...
In “The Crossing” McCarthy uses biblical allusions, symbolism, and tonal shifts in order to describe the experience of the protagonist.
May, E. (2009). Losing Confidence: Power, politics, and the crisis in Canadian democracy. Toronto, ON: McClelland & Stewart.
Adam and Eve in the Book of Genesis not only mark a loss of innocence, but for years the story has been used as a biblical teaching. It is an important story that sets up a relationship between God and mankind. The story begins with the phrase, "In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth," (Pagels, xi). From the opening words of the story God is deemed as the creator. He is the creator, the absolute being from which all other things are created. In the process of God's creation, he repeats the phrase "according to its/their kind," (Pagels, xi). He does this to emphasize that each creature has its own unique function, and to establish that there are limits and boundaries to each creatures existence.
"And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in
John Steinbeck's epic novel, The Grapes of Wrath, chronicles the struggles of the Joads as they join the thousands of fellow "Okies" in a mass migration westward. The Joads reluctantly leave behind their Oklahoma farm in search of work and food in California. While Steinbeck writes profoundly and emotionally about the political problems of the Great Depression, his characters also show evidence of a deep concern with spirituality. When they feel hopeless and are uncertain about their immediate future, their concentration on religion dwindles. On the other hand, when they leave their home, the Joads regain spiritual faith; they have something to live for: California. Once they arrive and find only more difficulties, they lose their sense that better things are ahead of them and gravitate back towards thinking politically. However, they finally return to the source of their original faith--religion-- at their most desperate time.
Many may contend that the novel’s main character, Grendel, is guilty of evil by virtue of his vile actions. However, Gardner’s description of Grendel’s resistance to evil impulses and capability of human emotions suggest that Grendel is simply responding to his environment. Furthermore, Gardner deftly accrues readers’ sympathies towards Grendel, making it difficult for the empathetic reader to condemn the monster ex officio. By forging connections between humanity and his protagonist, Gardner indicates that readers are equally as guilty of sin as Grendel. Through this implication, he insinuates that humans are unqualified to judge Grendel’s actions, and, perhaps, each other. After all, if Grendel can be called evil, can the same not be said of all of mankind? The novel’s ultimate truth seems to harken back to Tupac Shakur’s assertion that, “Only God can judge me,” (Tupac