East of Eden

Although centered around the lives of just two families, John Steinbeck's East of Eden can be described as a novel of truly epic scope. Set in the period from the United States Civil War until the end of World War I, the story follows the lives of three generations of the Trask family, from Connecticut, and their contact with the Hamilton family on the opposite side of the country in the Salinas Valley in California.For those who have not read the novel, I will give a brief evaluation before getting into more detail for those who have. ***Spoilers are included in the ‘In Detail’ section,*** so you may not want to read past the quick evaluation if you have not read the book already!Quick Evaluation for those Who Have not Read ItStarting from the opening chapter, Steinbeck's style is exceptionally vivid. You feel you are right there in all the beauty of the Salinas Valley. At the other extreme, when Steinbeck delves into sordid subjects, you also feel right there.The novel includes some of the most intensely developed characters in all of literature. Their interactions are complex and full of genuine dilemmas. You feel the character's happiness and their sorrow. You cannot help but root for some, hope for a demise that cannot come soon enough for others, and have no idea how things will turn out for the remainder.The themes covered are the most important possible: family, love, good and evil, happiness, sorrow, and the relationship or lack of it between these things and money and success. If these sound like themes of interest, and you are not queasy about a considerable percentage of the book delving into dark themes, then this book is highly recommended and will be hard to point down through most parts.Although, from the description on the cover, I worried that the book might become too overtly and excessively religious, this was not the case. Also, although the book is said to describe something distinctive about American culture, this seems like a stretch since nearly all themes have universal applicability.The only real weaknesses of the book are that, ultimately, some things that happen or fail to happen are rather unbelievable, and some things seem exaggerated compared to real life. These, however, are only minor dings on the overall brilliance of the story.In Detail [Spoilers Begin]Key ThemesThe key theme of the novel is family. Specifically, what a strong family makes possible and the destructiveness that absence of familial strength, or complete absence of family, can have. This is where the juxtaposition between the Hamilton's and the Trask's is most pronounced. We see that although the Hamilton family is not immune from tragedy, they are generally happy. For me, Samuel's humor and the Hamilton family’s gentle teasing of each other best demonstrate this, along with the scene where Samuel’s daughter Olive courageously takes to flying at an early airshow. Although Samuel has both had bad luck and never seriously set his mind to becoming wealthy, it seems safe to say that because of his devotion to his family, he is the richest man in the novel.With the Trask's, by contrast, there is general unhappiness, struggle, and uneven and even dubious love throughout. It is fascinating to ponder how this may have affected Adam's attraction to Cathy and Charles's repulsion from her. This is in addition to the more obvious replay of the Cain and Abel story through Caleb and Aron.Another central theme is the relationship between family and good and evil. The question of how much someone should worry about inheriting traits, especially undesirable or even evil ones, from their parents is particularly prominent. This, of course, is best exemplified by Caleb. He is already prone to worry that he is not good, and he begins to worry even more after finding out who his mother, Cathy, really is. (Although it is not mentioned in the book, the fact that he worries about this at all tells the reader that he is something much different from her and can avoid her course.)At the same time, although some children inherit traits considerably from their parents, others seem quite different. Caleb's difference from Aron shows this in the positive direction, while Cathy's difference from her parents shows an extreme in the other direction.Deeply Developed CharactersBeyond the resonance of the themes, the book's other great strength is the depth of characters. As in real life, there are some very good people, like Samuel and Lee, one very bad one, Cathy, and many such as Adam, Charles, Caleb, and Aron, somewhere in between. All characters are completely three-dimensional. Samuel and Lee have had darkness in their backgrounds but emerge above it and become sources of love and light to those around them.Cathy, by contrast, seems to be a pure psychopath (meaning probably due mainly to genetics versus environment) or, at best, only a hair's width away from it. Despite this, Steinbeck is able to get readers inside her head convincingly. Cathy sees herself as stronger and smarter than others, something she realized very early on. Projecting, she can only see evil in others and their attempts to control her. In her mind, any attempt to control her warrants nearly any retribution, including murder.As she gets older, we even see glimmers of conscience in Cathy in the events leading up to and including her suicide. For instance, she worries that her arthritis is punishment for accepting the inheritance from Charles. Additionally, the reader wonders: did she leave Aron rather than Caleb her money because she ultimately realizes she is missing something Aron has? Nonetheless, even these glimmers of conscience do not prevent her from taking out Joe Valery with her last actions since he foolishly thought he could out-manipulate and harm her.Indeed, whether her decision to give everything to Aron was partly motivated by a desire to stir conflict among the twins is unclear. One even wonders if part of her motivation in committing suicide is because she realizes how weak she is becoming, both mentally and physically, compared to her youth. She can no longer be as competently evil as she once was. All these themes are woven together in a sick intensity in her suicide scene, which competes with the opening chapter for the most vivid in the novel.Some Minor Blemishes on a Great NovelDespite the novel's strengths: the depth of its characters, and the power and universality of its themes, some things in the book are blemishes on its greatness. For example, some things stretch the limits of believability. For instance, it stretches credibility that Adam could have such schizoid traits that learning from Cathy that Charles may be the twins' father does not lead to conflict with him. Similarly, given that Charles does not like Cathy, why would he leave half his money to her instead of giving it all to Adam or leaving it held in trust for the twins? Also stretching the limits of believability, why would Cathy, who seems all about vengeance, not get even with Edwards, who beats her within an inch of her life and leaves her for dead?Finally, although stories exploring good and evil on such a grand scale may inevitably have to take some liberties versus just recounting ordinary people's mundane day-to-day lives, the book overplays some things. One is just how prominent in American life brothels were. Was nearly everyone, married, unmarried, from laborer up to politician and lawyer, really visiting them regularly? To such an extent that nobody gets upset in the slightest upon learning that someone else has.Overall, there is quite a bit of somber reading to get through here. Nevertheless, the strength of the Hamilton family and the rise of Caleb and Abra into adulthood make the story, ultimately, a hopeful one.

John Steinbeck's American epic, East of Eden, is a complex analysis of good and evil in society. The book follows two families over three generations (from the end of the Civil War to the beginning of World War I) as their lives intertwine and the characters are faced with a series of tough moral decisions. Reading this book is like being caught in a giant moral dilemma; Steinbeck provides the reader with enough information to form opinions on the morality of the characters in the book. This forces the reader to make tough decisions about who is good and who is evil, while Steinbeck never ceases to shock the reader with the actions of his characters.Steinbeck's novel is held together by the complex and highly developed characters he features as the focus of the book. There are several important characters that can all be defined by a very distinct set of qualities. There is the extremely wise Samuel Hamilton, the intelligent, but naive Adam Trask, and the notoriously evil Cathy Ames. Steinbeck spends a great deal of time developing these characters and the reward is a satisfying representation of America in a period of dishevelment as industrialization and west ward expansion are the focus of society. The plethora of characters created by Steinbeck creates a complex and intricate balance in the novel; the actions of one character will undoubtedly affect all of the characters in either a positive or adverse way. These characters are what truly makes this novel an American classic; Steinbeck's ability to create a memorable cast drive the rest of the story.One of these characters, Cathy Ames, may be the most evil, twisted character ever created in all of American literature. The reader is introduced to Ames as she murders her parents by lighting their house on fire. From this point on, it is clear that Ames is the embodiment of evil in the novel. As Ames becomes ingratiated into the main plot, more evil actions ensue, including the attempted murder of her husband and the murder of a madam in charge of a brothel. These actions occur before Ames becomes truly evil by the end of the novel. Another of the more memorable characters in East of Eden is Lee, the Trask family's loyal Asian servant. Lee is meant to play the stereotypical Asian role in the novel, but Steinbeck attempts to break race barriers by incorporating Lee into the main plot of the novel. Lee is extremely intelligent and very wise. He puts up a facade of a stereotypical Asian servant around ignorant and arrogant Americans. However, around people he trusts, such as Samuel Hamilton and Adam Trask, he reveals his intelligence. Lee is very complex and Steinbeck ensures that he plays an important role in the novel.The novel lacks a clearly defined plot; it follows two families over several generations as they struggle to establish themselves in the Salinas Valley in California. However, the novel does act as an allegory to the Biblical story of Cain and Abel. There are several obvious references to the book of Genesis throughout the novel (East of Eden, Adam Trask, and the twins Caleb and Aaron, meant to represent Cain and Abel), creating an interesting outlet for Steinbeck to analyze religious and social issues prominent in society during this era of American history. There are times when Steinbeck's commentary is somewhat subtle and there are times when his commentary is blatantly obvious as the narrator provides insight into the state of society during this time. However, unlike other fictitious novels that attempt to tackle heavy topics such as religion, Steinbeck is able to provide this commentary without sounding too pretentious; he doesn't claim to know the answers to some of the more controversial issues regarding religion. This adds depth to Steinbeck's already complex and layered novel, contributing to the intricacy of this intelligently written novel.East of Eden, like all of Steinbeck's novels, is full of descriptive passages that are essential in establishing the setting for the novel. The novel also takes place in the Salinas Valley of California, the same place that Steinbeck grew up in as a child. Steinbeck's knowledge of the region enables him to provide deep, descriptive details of the setting for the story. The setting is almost as important as the characters, as the distinct environment of the Salinas Valley shapes their behavior throughout the novel. In fact, the Salinas Valley is a metaphor for the lives of the Hamiltons and the Trasks. The valley appears to be heavenly and fertile, but as one digs into the soil unexpected layers of clay, dirt, and rock are revealed. The Hamiltons and the Trasks also appear to have it all together, but as the reader is familiarized with these characters, it becomes clear that they struggle with a great deal of internal conflict. Steinbeck's emphasis on setting also adds to the complexity of the novel, creating a memorable multilayered epic that has become an American classic.In writing this novel, Steinbeck took on a nearly impossible challenge; he attempted to write a novel that would encompass ideas about morality, religion, and politics, while remaining intelligible to his audience. Steinbeck deserves to be commended for accomplishing this feat. Reading this book should be a requirement for everyone as it successfully touches the reader emotionally, logically, and ethically. The highly complex, but relatable characters will surely find a way to sneak into one's heart and become a conscious reminder of ethical behavior. This novel will truly change lives and this is what has kept it moderately relevant in today's society. Reading this novel will not disappoint.