Madeline
East of Eden is a classic book exploring the differences of good and evil by the talented, John Steinbeck. The story keeps referring to the biblical story of Cain and Abel, where one represents good and the other represents evil. The story also revolves around brothers, also just like Cain and Abel.
Premise of East of Eden
The book starts with a deep description of the Salinas valley in California. Then it rolls into the characters that revolve around this area. Although there are a number of characters in the book with various storylines, the main story revolves around the Trask family.
Adam Trask finds a girl torn to shreds at his door. When it is clear that she will get kicked out by his brother once she is healthy, Adam makes the split decision to marry her. She quickly gets pregnant with twin boys and once they are birth, she makes her way to the city and works up the ranks of a brothel. The story jumps from the Trask boys to the mother constantly revisiting the theme of good and evil.
Good And Evil
The theme first makes its way into the book with Adam and his brother, the do gooder and the man who just wants to get rich. Hinting at the theme to come. Once Adam and his wife have their twins, the theme starts all over with them, but this time with clear and defined lines. Aaron is pure and wants to go into the ministry to which he is called. Cal, on the other hand, cannot stop doing bad things, which he has determined is due to his mother’s nature that has been given to him.
Final Thoughts
In true classic book form, this book did not need to be as long as it was. That being said, the story was engaging and the characters come to life, each with their place in the novel. I was unfamiliar with the story of Cain and Abel, but luckily, the book described the story for those of us who are not familiar, which made it more enjoyable otherwise. Next is to get my James Dean on and watch the classic film.
