East Of Eden Literary Analysis

East of Eden: A Timeless Classic
An old saying is to never judge a book by its cover. Some stories require deeper thought than just what is offered to the readers on the surface. Many people may suggest that these kinds of stories are somewhat challenging; however, I deeply enjoy discovering the true meanings behind them. One book I recently analyzed for my AP English IV class was East of Eden by John Steinbeck. I have never stumbled upon a book that emphasizes and illustrates the classic controversies of human nature, as well as East of Eden. The book projects an excellent and surprising plot, motifs, themes and symbols.
The setting of the book is portrayed around the 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 remains. After Adam and Cathy are married, they move

to the Salinas Valley, and Cathy gives birth to twin boys, Aaron and Caleb. Soon after she leaves them to return to prostitution. The second vital part of the story mostly follows grown up Caleb and Aaron, and Adam. Although the first part of the story doesn’t follow chronological order, all roads lead back to Adam and his life.
According to my understanding of the book, the major motif throughout the novel is the biblical story of Cain and Able.

The most obvious fact that links the motif of Cain and Able are the names; first Adam and Charles, and later Aaron and Caleb. In both generations the father prefers one son over the other; in the novel, the preferred sons are Adam and Aaron. Even the personalities of Adam and Charles reflect Cain and Able. However, a fascinating plot twist follows Caleb. Despite the traditional story, Caleb realizes that choice determines actions, rather than personality or lineage. I greatly enjoyed this change in events that the reader were anticipating. I was glad that Caleb was able to receive his fathers blessing, instead of living in

sorrow.
Many themes are manifested into the novel, but that as it may, the main theme may be the oldest story in history, the struggle between good and evil. Since I thought the motif was striking, I was delighted that the theme and motif are allied. In one of the chapters Steinbeck states:
“Humans are caught – in their lives, in their thoughts, in their hungers and ambitions, in their avarice and cruelty, and in their kindness and generosity too – in a net of good and evil. I think this is the only story we have and that it occurs on all levels of feelings and intelligence” (East of Eden, 411).
I comprehend that the saving grace in East of Eden is portrayed with the word “timshel”. Timshelis the last word used in the novel; and it emphasizes that each of us have the power to make good choices.
When I read the first sentence: “The Salinas Valley is in Northern California” (East of Eden 1), I had a peculiar feeling. The Salinas Valley exists to represent the world outside of Eden, in which the characters are faced with temptation. Another supporter of this fact is the description of the mountains that surround the Salinas Valley; on one side there are the Gabilan Mountains, which personify light, and on the other side are the Santa Lucia Mountains, which embody darkness. Conveniently, the Salinas Valley is located in the middle, where the struggle will take place.
A great deal of critics disagree that East of Eden is worthy of the title of a masterpiece. Many critics argue that certain scenes in the book have no relevance or that the plot and characters are melodramatic. I firmly counter their arguments. Every piece of the novel has its place and purpose. How the pieces will be interpreted completely depends on the reader themselves.
Putting aside all of the obvious life lessons of choosing between good and evil, another significant advice that I consider Steinbeck provides us with is to be our best selves. We have the choice to look past our flaws, and admire the best aspects of our personalities. Ultimately, this is also the choice Caleb makes at the end of the book. An interesting matter is that Steinbeck includes himself and some of his relatives into the story. By inserting himself in the novel, Steinbeck made the story somewhat personal. Steinbeck took the struggle between good and evil from broad measures, and delivered it to the individual. He made this struggle not only a part of his life, but also a part of the readers life.