East of Eden, by John Steinbeck: The Events After the Fall of Adam

“I believe there are monsters born in the world . . . misshapen and horrible . . . accidents and no one’s fault . . . punishments for concealed sins . . . [their] face and body may be perfect . . . ” but they are the product of “a twisted gene or a malformed egg . . . ” (71). Literature, throughout history, has conveyed a plethora of themes, ranging from the struggle to understand divine intervention, to adversity, to the dramatization of life and death. One of the most prestigious and conventional of these themes is the conflict betwixt good and evil. Demonstrated through many works of literary merit, this divergence intensely sears the pages of history dating as far back as the Biblical story of Adam and Eve. Although this idea is deeply rooted in the past, its relevancy is not depleted, still serving as one of the most controversial topics known to man. Author John Steinbeck procured a fascination with this controversy, and ultimately produced his most ambitious work, East of Eden, to create a symbolic history that would possess significance for all. John Steinbeck’s East of Eden fundamentally captures the essence of the battle between good and evil through the dramatic use of symbolism, which insinuates the Biblical story of Adam and Eve, and the poisonous rivalry between their sons, Cain and Abel.

As the novel begins, the narrator depicts the glorious Salinas Valley, which serves as a symbol of the struggle between good and evil that Adam and Eve face following their banishment from the Garden of Eden. The focal point of the book, the Salinas Valley, is parallel to, as the title implies, the land “East of Eden” in the Biblical story of Adam and Eve. In this infamous anecdote, the first evil or sin in the world is created, ...

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...horoughly embrace. East of Eden exemplifies the idea of good versus evil through the dramatic use of symbolism that alludes to Biblical tales of time’s past. Employing the Salinas Valley, a scar on Charles’s forehead, and Lee’s timshel as symbols, the story of Cain and Abel is repeatedly resurrected to convey the message that good and evil don’t necessarily make up a controversy of extremes, but also include a gray area that John Steinbeck eventually portrays. East of Eden provides a different perspective on an ancient controversy that illuminates the pages of the history books., Steinbeck ultimately offers the idea that although “there are monsters born in the world,” timshel “may be the most important word in the world,” offering the idea that humans have the power of free-will and that humans can resultantly choose their destiny between good and evil (71, 301).