John Steinbeck includes more of the tale of Genesis 4 than is actually told in the bible The basis of this is a Jewish story involving twin sisters of both Cain and Abel The two disputed over Abels twin whom Abel was to marry Cain murdered Abel and wed the twin sister of 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
Character Sketch Cathy Ames East of Eden Cathy Ames was a very interesting character in the book East of Eden She was the antagonist in the book In my opinion Cathy was a very deceiving person Also she manipulated many characters from the beginning to the end of the book She killed her parents because they were to worried about her life and set up the scene where they were killed to lead to believe that Cathy was murdered Cathy then changed her name and began to lead a new life She then started
John Steinbeck includes more of the tale of Genesis 4 than is actually told in the bible The basis of this is a Jewish story involving twin sisters of both Cain and Abel The two disputed over Abels twin whom Abel was to marry Cain murdered Abel and wed the twin sister of 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
Have I done well or ill This is what Steinbeck says will be the question looking back at the end of our lives In the telling of the story of the Trask family the author goes through the generations showing the patterns of their similar struggles Cyrus Trask the patriarch of the Trask family and father of Adam and Charles favors Adam over Charles which drives Charles into a deep rage filled jealousy and he tries to kill Adam like Cain and Abel Adam then relieves the story of Cain and Abel with h
We have only one story All novels all poetry are built on the never ending contest in ourselves of good and evil In the novel East of Eden John Steinbeck emphasizes the theme of this struggle between good and evil as he explores his characters and their lives in the California hills of the Salinas Valley He says that this perpetual battle exists as the only true human story in which all of mankind can find themselves and their thoughts and actions Every character even the malicious and blatantl
In East of Eden Steinbeck accentuates the theme of the confrontation between good and evil by specifying that some people become evil and others are born evil But what creates a greater dilemma is what Steinbeck later states Posterior Steinbeck introduces thou mayest which means that everyone has a choice Steinbeck implies his belief that Cal and Aron both have the power to make their own choices and change their fate and choose to be good or evil East of Eden is all about the struggle of this
Distortion in Reverie Humans narcissistic tendency causes people to recognize their own characteristics in others the good identify the decency in those around them while the malevolent are cynical of their surroundings The result is mans distorted image of reality either blatantly pessimistic or blindly optimistic The idealistic of the two often creates a false conception so quixotic that reality can never suffice while the negative individual skeptical of all goodness forms a general distrust