The Character of Caleb Trask in East of Eden Cal Trask is one of the most complex characters in John Steinbeck's East of Eden. Through Cal's childhood experiences, his personal motives, and his internal conflict, Steinbeck shows the development of Cal's character. First of all, the most important childhood experience which affects Cal's life is Adam's 12 year abandonment of his sons. Since Cathy ran away, the twins have no mother figure to give them tenderness as they grow up. This absence of open
Caleb Trask and the Message of Perseverance in East of Eden Caleb Trask was a man with many faults and shortcomings. Yet, Caleb was also a man who had a deep longing to be perfect and pleasing to his family, a man who craved his father's attention, and a man with a better heart than any other character in the book. In his novel, East of Eden, John Steinbeck uses the character of Caleb Trask to convey the important message of hope and perseverance. When I first read East of Eden, nothing
The Bible as a Sustained Allusion The Bible is a sustained allusion throughout the course of East of Eden, paralleling with the eternal story of Cain and Abel. According to the Bible, Cain is the "tiller of the ground" (Genesis 4:2). Caleb Trask, a farmer at heart, made a vast amount of money by selling beans. Upon presenting Adam with his present of fifteen thousand dollars, Adam not only discarded the gift, but caused Cal pain by comparing him to his godly brother, Aron, who graduated high school
his brother (Fonterose, Joseph. p.3380). The story differs also in that it is Abel who leaves his home instead of Cain. Abel found his Eden, represented by Salinas Valley, but lost it after fathering a second generation very similar to the first, Caleb representing Cain and Aron representing Abel (Fonterose, Joseph. p.3379). The story is changed by Steinbeck to illustrate the idea that men naturally have both good and evil tendencies within them, and that this mixture compels men to choose between
significance of timshel through the introduction of free will, the internal conflict of Caleb, and the blessing of Adam. Steinbeck portrays the significance of timshel through the introduction of free will, which plays an important role in the theme of Cain and Abel and provides the interpretation of Steinbeck. Timshel is brought in by Lee who is the servant of the Trask family and discussed by both Samuel Hamilton, and Adam Trask. In chapter 24 Lee discusses the idea of timshel by showing the different interpretations
The Character of Adam Trask in East of Eden In Webster's Encyclopedic Unabridged Dictionary of the English Language, the word love is defined as a profoundly tender, passionate affection for another person. Love can bring two people together but it can also have a person be rejected by another because of love. In the novel East of Eden by John Steinbeck, the main character, Adam Trask, confronts a feeling of love throughout the whole book but he either rejects the love of people who care about
time of World War I in the Salinas Valley, and the novel is divided into two vital parts. The protagonist family is the Trask family. At the beginning of the first part of the book, the Trask household consists of two brothers, Adam and Charles, and their father, Cyrus. Cyrus Trask inspires the novel by showing more affection for Adam, than for Charles. Once in adulthood, Adam Trask falls in love with a prostitute named Cathy Aims. Cathy is described as the devil itself, and she believes that only evil
in white? The choice between consequence and reward is simple, but the battle between good and evil is not so easily ended. In the book, East of Eden, written by John Steinbeck, the common theme of good versus evil occurs within main character Adam Trask. Adam is surrounded by many positive and negative forces that truly shape the development of his character throughout the progression of the novel. Steinbeck uses symbolic characterization of Samuel Hamilton and Aron as
representing Cain and Abel. Both pairs are similar to Cain and Abel in the way they go about winning their fathers’ favors. All four give gifts to their fathers, and the fathers dismiss the gifts of Charles and Caleb, the Cain representations (Marks, Jay Lester. p.121). Caleb and Charles Trask are obviously the more malignant brothers. They are also the more loving towards their father. Steinbeck’s purpose in this is to illustrate the need of the Cain character in the story. Abel, Adam and Aron
the expressions of their love. Sometime later Adam becomes deathly ill. While on his death bed Lee pleads with Adam to forgive Caleb and bless him. "'Don't crush him with your rejection. Give him your blessing! ... That's all a man has over the beasts. Free him! Bless him!" (602). Slowly and with much effort Adam raises his right hand, displaying his act of blessing on Caleb. Like all strong allegories, East of Eden draws one into a world of fictious characters that seem to take on a life of familiarity
the book, East of Eden, author John Steinbeck explores the development of humans, from childhood, to adulthood, and eventually, to death. East of Eden, by John Steinbeck, is a genealogical novel about the lives of the Trasks, particularly the main character in the book, Adam Trask. Along the way, the Hamiltons, Ames, and many other characters are introduced. Steinbeck makes a point of showing the continually changing nature of some characters, while describing the ceaseless staticness of others.
John Steinbeck used his childhood growing up in the Salinas Valley as the backdrop to his 1952 novel, East of Eden. Similar to the Garden of Eden, the Salinas Valley is lush and fertile in some places like the Trask ranch while other places are dry and barren like the Hamilton’s land. Steinbeck “wrote the story of good and evil, embracing love and hate, demonstrating their inseparability” (Krávlová 51). He creates an allegory for the story of Cain and Abel that follow three generations who, despite
From a very young age, Caleb knows he’s different from his brother, he’s more malicious, “Out of revenge Cal extracted a fluid power, and out of power, joy” (349). Caleb’s malice, desire for revenge, and lack of control leads him to share the secret about their mother that drives Aron to enlist in a war where he dies. Aron’s death triggers a stroke in Adam, something Caleb blames himself for. Caleb also wants to be loved by his father, the way Aron is. Caleb even admits to Will Hamilton that
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
Confused Notions of Good and Evil in East of Eden East of Eden is an epic novel about individual ethics - whether men and women have the power to choose between good and evil. East of Eden, to be polite, it is not Steinbeck's best novel. Not by a long shot. Steinbeck had wrestled with a moral question and lost. It was as though he had been thinking about life, but not too deeply. "East of Eden" was a third-rate best seller, the story of two American families over three generations, seven decades
Adam and Charles, and Aron and Caleb do not have the opulence of experiencing a strong and affectionate brother relationship; they struggle with extreme sibling rivalry. In fact, the majority of the characters in this novel receive only tragic love, reflected from Steinbeck’s personal
Throughout history people have struggled with the issue of good versus evil. Many people are classified by others as either completely good or completely evil. The problem about classifying people like that is that no one person is truly completely good or completely evil. Good and evil exist within every person.Steinbeck explores this timeless issue in many of his works but it is most prevalent in his novel East of Eden. The central characters in East of Eden all struggle with the battle of good
Un-naturalistic When discussing John Steinbeck’s “Great American Novel,” East of Eden, many obvious topics come to mind. Steinbeck’s many biblical allegories to Genesis, more specifically “Adam and Eve”, “Cain and Abel”, and even “Pandora’s Box” come to mind. But, if a reader really wants Steinbeck’s story to come alive, it is important to not look past the allegories and Steinbeck’s running themes of good overcoming evil, but to look deeper into how he used them to develop his story in a non conventional
will judge them, not fate or destiny. Three characters that portray the meaning of timshel are: Adam Trask, Cathy/Kate and Cal Trask. East of Eden supports the meaning for the Hebrew word 'timshel' through the actions of the diverse characters by giving them all the freedom of choice to decide between good and evil. One of the characters in East of Eden who's actions support timshel is Adam Trask. Adam is a representation of good in the novel. He is the Abel of the modern day biblical story of Cain
period of history. As his children grew Steinbeck hoped that East of Eden would show them their roots. The families created in the novel contributed to this significance. The Hamilton's were immigrants from Ireland, Steinbeck's true ancestors. The Trask family was fictional, helping to tell the story Steinbeck felt was important to every man. This universal family living next to a universal neighbor had meaning to his sons as well as to anyone who picked up the work. John Steinbeck calls the novel