In the novel Steinbeck alludes to the biblical story of Cain and Abel through the characterization of Adam, Charles, Aron and Cal. By altering the story in the lives of his characters Steinbeck enhances the novel’s theme of being able to choose your own destiny. Through direct characterization he reveals that Charles and Cal resemble Cain because they are rejected by their fathers, and Aron and Adam resemble Abel because they are their father's favorite child. Charles physically resembles Cain because of a scar on his forehead similar to Cain’s marking by God, but despite their physical similarities Charles chooses to overcome evil by not killing Adam out of jealousy. Steinbeck purposefully made Charles physically resemble Cain because he …show more content…
The land where the Trask family lives in the Salinas Valley is depicted as a Garden of Eden, while the land outside of the Garden of Eden where the Hamiltons live is barren. By alluding to the Garden of Eden the reader expects the Trask family to live a fruitful life, but one that is threatened by temptation. This allusion foreshadows the upcoming battle between good and evil that Cathy and Adam endure. It is expected that the Trask family would have a ‘happily ever after’ living in the Garden of Eden, but instead Steinbeck puts them through turmoil to emphasize the fact that even though Cathy and Adam were given the ideal circumstances in life it is up to them to determine the fate of their relationship. Despite being rich Cathy and Adam live poor lives because of the choices they make; meanwhile, the Hamilton family live prosperous lives because even though they are poor they make the best of what they have. The contrast between the lives of the Trask and Hamilton families, as well as, the land they live on emphasizes Steinbeck’s point that no matter what your background in life is or where you come from, it is ultimately your decision whether you live a good or an evil
Growing up with siblings a sense of competition was always dealt with. Who was better or who got the better present for example. Sibling rivalry was definitely an occurrence that is seen throughout the novel East of Eden by John Steinbeck. Specifically how the author embraces the good and the evil in the personalities of his characters. The brothers from the book Charles and Adam were resembling the more Biblical brothers known as Cain and Abel. As scenes unfolded in the novel, we glimpse at the rivalry that goes on between the two. Even when the generation carries on to the new brothers, Cal and Aron, there’s still a connection being made to the legend. “Symbol story of the human soul” as Lee, a character, relates it to the same idea. In the secence of
Steinbeck shows Cals isolation from love, and its violent repercussions again when Cal reacts to his brothers lack of compassion for him with violence and destruction. In the scene when Cal is spying on his brother Aaron and his brothers girlfriend, he is outraged by the things his brother has to say and he decides to throw large blocks of his fathers ice out of the barn. This sole action shows how childlike Cal has remained due to his isolation from his families love. His unassuming father only says "that boy is out of control" not even acknowledging that there is a greater problem at hand, and even less does he understand the fact that it is partly his fault. Steinbecks theme of isolation form love is greatly illustrated because his father does not even take to scolding Cal, which shows no feelings what so ever.
New beginnings and new land, while made out to seem as beacons of hope and chances for prosperity, are complete opposites; new beginnings offer neither success nor happiness, but rather more failures and recurring sorrows. John Steinbeck and Jack Hodgins introduce the idea of new beginnings and settlements just as they emphasize the importance of togetherness as a community and a family in The Grapes of Wrath and Broken Ground. However, it is important to consider that these new beginnings were involuntary and rather forced due to situational circumstances. These circumstances caused drastic changes in the lives of the characters, changes that ultimately led them towards a downward spiral. In both novels, change in location helped advertise new beginnings as a chance for a new, improved lifestyle, which turned out to be a mere lie. The “promised land” was simply a hoax, which they would later realize, as it left them with nothing more than the broken pieces of their woven dreams.
John Steinbeck frequently expresses his idea of a reoccurring cycle between the struggles of good and evil. It seems fairly apparent that Steinbeck had passed the persistent loop of Cain and Abel’s story from Charles and Adam onto the next generation of brothers, Caleb and Aron Trask. In order to sustain his continuous biblical allusions, Steinbeck uses the metaphor of the man who was “smart as Satan.” This allows for a reestablished pattern of the biblical story, Cain and Abel. By doing so, Steinbeck effectively adds a new element towards his predetermined design of the novel.
The characteristics of people are formed by multiple factors. In many situations, children are raised under similar conditions, however, their later characteristics and life choices are very different. In the book, East of Eden, author John Steinbeck explores the development of humans, from childhood, to adulthood, and eventually, to death. East of Eden, by John Steinbeck, is a genealogical novel about the lives of the Trasks, particularly the main character in the book, Adam Trask. Along the way, the Hamiltons, Ames, and many other characters are introduced. Steinbeck makes a point of showing the continually changing nature of some characters, while describing the ceaseless staticness of others. In East of Eden, John Steinbeck presents his views on the construction of human behavior and the components that are incorporated in it.
The struggle of sibling rivalry over ability and temperament has taken East of Eden in a whole new perspective. Steinbeck’s portrait on sibling rivalry shows the good vs. evil of each character in the story. The nature of good vs. evil as natural selection is also seen in siblings, as a compete for something physical, mental, or something emotional. The sibling rivalry from the biblical characters embraced Steinbeck’s characters throughout every concept in the novel, the good vs. evil confines the characters personality in every idea of Steinbeck’s novel. From the biblical story of Cain and Abel to Adam and Charles to Cal and Aaron the story continues through out every generation.
In John Steinbeck’s East of Eden, Steinbeck uses Cal and Aron Trask to represent the biblical story of Cain and Abel, demonstrating a struggle of good and evil through an underlying religious point of view as well as the overlying fictional telling of the same story. Cal’s innate evil nature contrasting Aron’s inherent goodness are evident throughout the novel and portray Steinbeck’s overall theme of a constant conflict between morality and immorality.
I. John Steinbeck used his personal experiences as a laborer to write many of his novels like Of Mice and Men and The Grapes of Wrath.
Throughout the novel East of Eden, Steinbeck uses many biblical references to illustrate clearly the conflict between the opposing forces of good and evil. Much of the plot of East of Eden is centered upon the two sets of brothers representing Cain and Abel. Both pairs are similar to Cain and Abel in the way they go about winning their fathers’ favors. All four give gifts to their fathers, and the fathers dismiss the gifts of Charles and Caleb, the Cain representations (Marks, Jay Lester. p.121). Caleb and Charles Trask are obviously the more malignant brothers. They are also the more loving towards their father. Steinbeck’s purpose in this is to illustrate the need of the Cain character in the story. Abel, Adam and Aron, is the opposite of his brother and naturally good and pure. The purpose of Adam and Aron in East of Eden is to clarify the belief that purity must know wickedness (Marks, Jay Lester. p.122). Steinbeck illustrates the need for both good and bad with the actions and beliefs of these supposed “good” characters. The representations of Abel, Adam and Aron are both described as unloving. Adam has not treated his children fairly and his treatment is caused by his innate goodness. Aron grows as an ignorant selfish person because he is naturally good (Fonterose, Joseph. p. 3382). Steinbeck uses Cain to illustrate the choice man has. In the case of Charles, Cain dies an unhappy man who did not live a worthwhile life, Caleb on the other hand, chose to realize his dark past, but chose to continue living his life with hope (Marks, Jay Lester. p. 122-123).
Steinbeck uses the biblical story of Cain and Abel in East of Eden to show us that we do not have set fate. Steinbeck uses the Hebrew word “timshel”, which means “thou mayest”, to suggest that man has the ability to choose good or evil. “Timshel” affects the characters in East of Eden such as Cal and Aron and their choice of overcoming good or evil. Steinbeck sees this novel as his most important work, and he uses it as a way to state his personal ideas concerning mankind:“The free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world. And this I would fight for: the freedom of the mind to take any direction it wishes, undirected. And this I must fight against: any idea, religion, or government which limits or destroys the individual.”(Steinbeck,132). Steinbeck shows God has given humans free will and their ability to choose good or evil, if they so decide. He portrays the “C” characters to be connected to Cain, such as Charles and Cal and the “A” characters to be connected to Abel, such as Aron and Adam.
Steinbeck begins the story by creating a serene mood when describing the setting. He illustrates how the Salinas River looks, and stating that “the water is warm too, for it has slipped twinkling over the yellow sands in the sunlight before reaching the narrow pool. On one side of the river the golden foothill slopes curve up to the strong and rocky Gabilan mountains, but on the valley side the water is lined with trees—willows fresh and green with every spring, carrying in their lower leaf junctures the debris of the winter’s flooding; and sycamores with mottled, white, recumbent limbs and branches that arch over the pool” (1). Steinbeck’s word choice alone (“twinkling,” “golden,” and “fresh and green”) makes the setting appealing to the reader. The peaceful mood is created through the way he closely describes every detail; the images that the reader follows are animated and picturesque. He uses such a long sentence with semi-colons, commas, and dashes to make the passage flow smoothly, as opposed to choppy. The run-on like syntax he uses creates a comfortable feeling, showing that the Salinas River and everything surrounding it is an undisturbed area; the...
There is no meaning to life. Life has no inherent meaning. The meanings of our lives are chosen by what we feel and experience or are assigned to us by others. The ends of our existence cannot be foreseen and will not be limited by such things as destiny. These are the ideas and philosophies of those who believe life to be non-teleological. A famous literary example of a non-teleologist is a man named John Steinbeck. Throughout his life Steinbeck experimented with Darwinism, transcendentalism, realism, socialism, naturalism, and Taoism (Endnotes 1). Each of these ways of thinking show up in Steinbeck’s philosophy and therefore his work cannot be classified specifically. All that may be said is that he had a non-teleological way of thinking. As nature played such a major role in his life, Steinbeck’s characters are shaped by nature and their surroundings give purpose to their lives. These characters’ fates are not pre-determined. Instead every event in the natural world gives new meaning to a life. As a result of Steinbeck’s non-teleological beliefs, his characters’ lives contain no inherent meaning and their ever-changing paths are influenced by occurrences and over the passage of time.
Some of the most aspiring and influential authors show to be American novelists. American novelists brought about a new style of writing, which became very popular. John Steinbeck shows this style of writing in his novel, East of Eden. This makes Steinbeck one of the most significant American novelists in the twentieth century. East of Eden contains many parts, which add detail and interest to the novel. Many of Steinbeck’s novels and other works remain and continue to be nationally acclaimed. Many elements exist in East of Eden that bring about the meaning and concept of the novel. The study of John Steinbeck and his book, East of Eden, will help the reader better understand the element of fiction and interpret the meaning of the work.
In The Winter of our Discontent by John Steinbeck, Steinbeck discusses what the American dream meant for families in the 1960s. There are a few things involved in defining the American dream such as being happily married, having children, having a nice house of your own, and making a decent amount of money. Virtue, honesty, loyalty and equality. These elements represent values that exist in American society. However, these morals are undermined as Americans become more concerned with material wealth, than with the well-being of others. John Steinbeck's The Winter of Our Discontent examines the negative aspects of America's cash-crazed society, and how the acquisition of wealth does not always lead to happiness.
Americans strive to obtain the American dream, but they fail to realize that it is our own dissatisfaction and anger that get in our way of keeping the American dream alive. John Steinbeck’s, “Paradox and Dream”, describes these paradoxes that linger in almost all Americans lives. Steinbeck shows how Americans believe in these things, but they contradict them by the actions they take or the words we say. He describes how Americans are dissatisfied, angry and intemperate. John Steinbeck portrayed a negative attitude towards Americans and their ideals by displaying how most are dissatisfied and angry, intemperate and opinionated, and believe in these certain things about ourselves that are not always true.