Saralee Says
It is interesting to read a book that was published before I was born. I wondered how I would feel reading East of Eden (Penguin) by John Steinbeck for pleasure as an adult, as opposed to my feelings when this book was forced upon me as required reading almost 30 years ago.
Steinbeck is the author of The Grapes of Wrath, Of Mice and Men, Tortilla Flat, Travels with Charley, The Winter of Our Discontent, The Pearl, and Cannery Row. He was born in Salinas, Calif. which is part of the location of East of Eden, and he attended Stanford University. He was proud of the blue collar jobs he held and was known to be sympathetic toward socialism and the labor movement. If you have read any of his works, I think it is easy to see where his sympathies are regarding class struggles and welfare reform.
One of the first stories in the Bible is about Cain and Abel, the sons of Adam and Eve. They fought and Cain eventually killed Abel. So the rivalry between brothers and the fight between good and evil has been with us since the beginning of time. Steinbeck has woven a novel of the love and hate between two sets of brothers, Charles and Adam Trask, the sons of Cyrus Trask, and the sons of Adam Trask, Caleb and Aaron.
Samuel Hamilton, Lee, and Aaron Trask are lovable characters in East of Eden. Those who appear to be more evil and not so lovable are Charles Trask, Cathy Ames/Kate Albey, and Caleb Trask. Steinbeck's characters, like all of us, make choices about doing things that are good or evil. Just like in real life, there are deadly consequences for some of the characters in East of Eden as a result of being human.
How did you like the way Steinbeck introduced each section of this novel, starting with the Civil War up though World War I, with an overview of the current events at the time this book took place? Was this historical overview helpful and did you agree with the author's interpretation? Do you think this is a retelling of the story of Cain and Abel? If so, what are the similarities and differences between the Bible story and Steinbeck's version? Which characters do you like the most or least and why? Do you think that Adam and Aaron had to struggle as hard as Charles and Caleb to overcome evil? What about Cathy Ames who became Kate Albey, was there anything redeemable about her character? Steinbeck had two young sons when he wrote East of Eden. Do you think this is why he emphasized the relationship between brothers? How does East of Eden rate with Steinbeck's other books? Do you have a favorite?
Larry's Language
Though not as major a novel as The Grapes of Wrath, East of Eden by John Steinbeck is the kind of panoramic multigenerational story that inspires challenges and at times angers.
This story of good and mostly evil spans our nation's history from the Civil War to World War I and moves from Ireland to Boston , California, Florida and South America with most of the setting being in the Salinas Valley area of northern California. This is the tale of the Trask family as they emigrate from Ireland and establish themselves. The first two children are Adam Trask and his brother Charles. Between brotherly rivalry and family striving for money, enough conflicts arise to fill several books as Adam falls for his Eve, who in this story is named Cathy Ames and later has to change her name to Kate Albey when she becomes a business entrepreneur in bustling California. Of course, local law enforcement probably referred to her as a madam and that was not a mark of respect.
The tension, folly and alleged romance between Adam and Cathy/Kate provides the true focus of much of the story and Steinbeck gives it his best soap opera spin as Cathy marries Adam but spends her wedding night in the arms and bed of his brother Charles. Later, in a hateful moment, she implies that their twin sons could have been fathered by Charles and not Adam.
Despite all of the biblical references in this book from the title itself to the names of the characters, there was no Eden for any of these characters to enjoy and there certainly is no higher power seeking the goodness in humanity. This is all evil most of the time in its many shapes and disguises. As Steinbeck moves to the next generation with the twin sons Aaron and Caleb, who are obviously supposed to resemble the biblical Cain and Abel, the reader knows that a bad end is coming and sure enough, one of the brothers creates a situation that inevitably results in disaster.
This summary does not begin to explore the large number of characters involved in this book. Frankly some of the minor characters like the Chinese friend Lee are far more realistic and interesting. Readers of our Book Club should ask whether this novel really is a retelling of much of Genesis or instead simply a modern take on the usual issues of sex, violence, betrayal and lust. Clearly Steinbeck is presenting questions about whether people change and whether such changes are created by external circumstances or internal desires.
Join us for our next Book Club discussion which will feature Mystic River by Dennis Lehane.
