Read this book if you want to exist to your full potential

My first encounter with Steinbeck was The Grapes of Wrath. I didn't enjoy the encounter. Had my first encounter been East of Eden, I most likely would have already read everything else he's written.

This is the the age-old story of the struggle between good and evil, but with an interesting twist. Steinbeck sees the coexistence of good and evil as necessary for the emergence of character or greatness. He lays the responsibility for that emergence squarely on the shoulders of the individual and shows that the exercise of free will (timshel) is the key to that emergence. Some people (Adam, Aron, and Cathy/Kate in the story) possess within themselves only good or only evil. Achieving true character or greatness is an impossibility for them, because choice is not possible and is, in fact, meaningless. Rather than character or greatness, their lives lead inevitably to self-destruction. For others (Sam, Lee, and Cal) good and evil constantly struggle for domination. Even when the good naturally dominates, one must exercise free will to exhibit character or achieve greatness. Sam and Lee are both considered good men, but each must choose actions that hurt Adam and Cal respectively, to bring them to necessary realizations. Sam and Lee consider themselves cowards for having not chosen to act sooner or for not acting in instances where action was called for. In Cal, the evil tends to dominate and he tries to shift the blame for his actions to heredity. He uses the evil as a balm for his guilt...he feels better about himself by feeling sorry for himself. Through Lee's refusal to let Cal do either, Cal begins to take responsibility for his actions and choices.

Steinbeck develops the character (in more than one sense) of Lee throughout the book and uses him as the primary vehicle through which he expounds the concepts expressed above. Of all that can be said about Lee, two things stand out. First is the influence that Sam Hamilton had on him. In a passage near the end of the book, much of what Lee says to Cal is what he learned from Sam early in the book and sounds like Sam speaking to Cal through Lee. Second is that Lee understands the difference between heritage and culture. His life demonstrates that both are important and that they overlap but he never confuses or equates the two.

East of Eden should be required reading in every high school American Lit class.

Although I do like Steinbeck’s strong, simple style of writing, this book let me down. With this book Steinbeck is delivering a message to his readers. I do agree with the message imparted, but I dislike that it is pounded into us. It isn’t enough to draw the story of Cain and Abel in one generation of a family, but Steinbeck repeats the story in the next generation of the family too. The message becomes a rant. God blessed Cain with freewill. That is the message, and it is up to us to choose what we will do with our lives. Will we succumb to evil or will we fight? The choice is up to us. Some of the characters will take up the challenge and others will not.

For me the story is too simplified. Look at the names: Charles and Cathy and Cal and Cain, all with the beginning letter C! Then there is Adam and Aron and Abra and of course Abel.

The book is a mix of fact and fiction. Steinbeck records the life of his own family, the Hamiltons, one of the two families portrayed in the novel. The other family, the Trasks, is fictional. The book has a slow start since one family is based in Connecticut; that is the Trasks. Steinbeck’s own family begins in the Salinas Valley of California. Slowly you learn about both; it takes a while to get all gathered in California where the action gets going. It is also a retelling of the story of Cain and Abel in Genesis.

Feminists may criticize Steinbeck for making Cathy, a woman, into a devil. A little search into Steinbeck’s own life quickly shows that Cathy is modeled on his second wife, Gwyn Conger. Authors do write from their own experiences. I do not make this criticism; I believe authors’ best writing reflect their own life experiences. My complaint is the over simplification of the devil in Cathy; this turns it almost into a horror story. Maybe you enjoy horror stories!

Furthermore let it be said that those readers who are not drawn to character analysis and philosophizing should not choose this book. Here is a sample of Steinbeck’s way of writing, how he draws his characters and how he philosophizes:

Jo Valery got along by watching and listening and, as he said himself, not sticking his neck out. He had built his hatreds little by little, beginning with a mother who neglected him, a father who alternately whipped and slobbered over him, and it had been easy to transfer his developing hatred to a teacher who disciplined him and the policeman who chased him and the preacher who lectured him. Even before the first magistrate looked down on him, Jo had developed a fine staple of hates toward the whole world he knew. Hate didn’t live alone. It must have love as a trigger, a goad or a stimulant. Jo early developed a gently protective love for Jo. He comforted and flattered and cherished Jo. He set up walls to save Jo from a hostile world, and gradually Jo became proof against wrong. If Jo got into trouble it was because the world was an angry conspiracy against him, and if Jo attacked the world it was revenge and they darn well deserved it the sons of bitches. (Chapter 45)
Steinbeck spends many lines on what makes people behave as they do, how love and hate are tied together, one egging on the other! He gives us evil characters, good character and others that are more human, those like most of us who are a mixture of good and bad attributes.

Few authors are able to write masterpiece after masterpiece. I am giving this book two stars because there are interesting ideas and some tremendous lines, but the message is oversimplified and hammered into us. I still like Steinbeck. I gave The Grapes of Wrath five stars. I have chosen to immediately follow this book with Travels with Charley: In Search of America , now I wouldn’t do this if I didn’t appreciate Steinbeck’s writing, would I?! Actions say much more than words. Already I have begun listening to it and feel that this is going to please me much more. It too is a mixture of fact and fiction, but here the ideas presented are an elderly man’s thoughts and queries rather than a rant. And there is a dog! I like books with dogs. Charley is a French Poodle, kind of similar in appearance to Oscar sitting here with me on my avatar. Oscar is no Poodle, though most think he is either a poodle-mix or a sheep; he is a Curly Coated Retriever!

It is very important to pay attention to chapter 24. It sums up the whole book and is found less than half way through to the end. At the book’s conclusion someone dies with the Hebrew word “timshel” on his lips. You have to know what that word means. For those who need some help, here is a link: http://www.oprah.com/oprahsbookclub/E..., that explains what this means and how it is important in the book. Reading this link is a bit of a spoiler, so I am giving you warning.

Finally, I listened to the audiobook narrated by Richard Poe. The narration was excellent. I have no complaints whatsoever. This audiobook was not available to me at Audible, since I live in Belgium, but it was available to me from Downpour

n  n    “and now that you don't have to be perfect, you can be good.”n  n

steinbeck’s magnum opus and the best great american novel. east of eden is a spin on the biblical tale of cain and abel that explores identity within a relationship or on its own amid a sprawling and beautiful landscape. every character in this book feels real and flawed and each has a diverse take on the human condition. his writing is beautiful, and not even one single page is a filler. one of the most perfect classics.

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n  reading journaln
day 1 [chapters 1 & 2]
fuck me. i forgot how beautiful steinbeck's narration was. the description of nature? the love and care he pours into every character? i love how he sets the scene with descriptions of the changes of the salinas valley through time, as this is going to be a family saga that lasts decades.

a quote i loved:
"she felt that people having a good time was wide open to the devil. and this was a shame, for samuel was a laughing man, but i guess samuel was wide open to the devil. his wife protected him whenever she could."

day 2 [chapters 3 & 4]
the detail to family and characterization is beautiful. i love the first allegory of cain/abel through adam and charles. also just the impact of parents & how misery manifests itself through generations.

day 3 [chapters 5 & 6]
what i love the most about east of eden, especially these initial chapters, is steinbeck's ability to describe these two families (the hamiltons and the trasks). they seem like polar opposites of each other, especially the patriarchs—samuel is generous and considers family to be the greatest wealth, while cyrus has divided his family and runs on dishonesty. his description of the two are both so subtle, yet he manages to tease out the little details that really put them against each other as foils.

i know that charles/adam are supposed to allegorize the biblical cain/abel, but steinbeck's writing causes me to actually care about charles, which is really interesting.

day 4 [chapters 7 & 8]
doing this early because i have a stupidly busy day + it's may 4th in some areas of the world so i'm technically not cheating:

chapter 6 (from yesterday's reading) and chapter 7 cut into the flesh of the theme of loneliness. while away from each other, adam and charles have both experienced the brutality of loneliness, albeit in different ways.

"and just as there are physical monsters, can there not be mental or psychic monsters born? the face and body may be perfect, but if a twisted gene or a malformed egg can produce physical monsters, may not the same process produce a malformed soul?"

cathy is also such an interesting study in 'evil', as it manifests in such a more blatant way than charles (who is also supposed to represent 'evil' i guess). while with charles, it is not difficult to get glimpses of humanness and morality, catherine seems so blatantly manipulative and seemingly has no empathy or kindness.

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n  pre-rereadn
the best thing about this book being emma and my big classics project for may 2022 is that we're rereading it and we both already know it's going to be five stars. maybe i'll force her to read anna karenina with me next month.

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n  previous long classicsn
n  march:n middlemarch
n  april:n the tenant of wildfell hall

A beautiful and moving story of families. I simply cannot believe that this is my first Steinbeck. I loved learning about the ways of life and the many intricacies of all of the characters in this story.

Update to my review: I was so tired when I finished this book last night (had been up since 4 a.m.)....anyway, here's my opinion of things: There are characters in certain books that just make me wince and others that I admire. Cathy Ames is one that made me wince. Although it was upsetting for Aron and Cal to realize the truth of who and what their mother was, I was glad Cathy became afraid of the results of her actions. I wish there had been more in the story about the Hamilton family, but I realize that would have made the book yet longer, and I enjoyed reading it.

This book is mind blowing. It is John Steinbeck at his sharpest. He said that every author really only has one "book," and that all of his books leading up to East of Eden were just practice--Eden would be his book.

I could write a summary of the book, but it would be more trouble than it's worth. You will often hear it referred to as a "modern retelling of the Genesis story of Cain and Abel" but that is too simplistic. Steinbeck takes the story of Cain and Abel and makes Cain (in the form of Cal Trask) the sympathetic character. Cal Trask does not act destructively for the sake of destruction, but he is desperately clawing for approval and love from his father, Adam, who prefers Cal's twin brother, Aron. The story isn't that pat, though--Cal and Aron really don't make their entrances as major characters until the last quarter of the 600 page novel. So, to say that this book is simply the retelling of Cain and Abel is to oversimplify the book. The main theme of the book is the desire within everyone for love, and how this desire can make people turn to destructive behavior.

This book has been criticized for being too verbose, meandering, inconsistently paced, and heavy handed in its parallel with the story of Cain and Abel. Yes, it is verbose and meandering, but that's Steinbeck. It gives a full picture of the Salinas valley. It gives you insights and perspectives you might not otherwise have. If anything, Steinbeck's constant forays into unrelated sidebars give the reader a break in pace, a rest that makes the more important parts of the books feel as though they flow more smoothly. As for the parallel with Cain and Abel, it is heavy-handed. That being said, the heavy-handedness didn't bother me. Going in to the novel with the expectation of it being a retelling of Cain and Abel (at least for some of the narrative) is enough to make the obvious references to Cain and Abel seem natural. If Steinbeck had given the impression that he was trying to hide the parallel, it would have been insulting. But Steinbeck isn't trying to hide it--he makes it clear that the story of Cain and Abel are an integral part of his story.

East of Eden is an amazing novel. Its strong points more than compensate for the very few shortcomings. Steinbeck is such a tremendous writer that his shortcomings become strengths. I highly recommend it.

So far, this and Grapes of Wrath are Steinbeck's most liked books. It seems like a simple family story, but it is so expertly written.

Fantastic read, I'm so happy I found myself back to Steinbeck after two decades apart. We will be discussing this for a Reading Envy Podcast, June 29 at 8 pm EST. (Anyone may participate who has read the book!) More to follow.

ETA: Fixed the date - JUNE 29 not July. I'm time traveling.

This is my first John Steinbeck book and I am rating it as excellent. This book explores the human emotions, particularly the emotions of pain and sadness. The plot is simple and follows the lives of two families, the Trasks and the Hamiltons. The setting is the Salinas and Monterey area of California. The characters are all well-developed and relatable due to emotions we all have experienced. I saw throughout the book underlying pains of jealousy and acting out when feeling emotionally hurt.

The title is taken from Genesis 4:16, 'And Cain went from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.' Themes throughout the book include the mystery of identity, the inexplicability of love, and the murderous consequences of love's absence.



I think the book can be summed up with "The greatest terror a child can have is that he is not loved, and rejection is the hell of fears. And with rejection comes anger, and with anger comes some kind of crime in revenge for the rejection, and with the crime guilt--and there is the story of mankind." pg. 270

Overall the story is well-written, full of emotion, and very captivating. If you have not read this, I would definitely recommend it. Thanks!

steinbeck really slayed with “and now that you don’t have to be perfect, you can be good.”

5.5+ stars... I won't talk about the specifics of the book bc I'm afraid to ruin it for ppl wanting to read it. I can go into details and quote it all night long but it wouldn't do it any justice. This is a genius that wrote this wonderful story. All the chapters flowed together nicely and the characters were evil vs good. Steinbeck writes about flawed ppl, war, the Bible, families, cancer, sex, politics and it just never gets boring or daunting. It's one of those books that will always stay with me and I'll compare it to other books and wonder why others can't write with this Awe. It is definitely one of the best 600 pages that I have enjoyed & leaves me wondering what else can possibly be this good.... I have to still absorb the story but wanted to get my thoughts out there before I couldn't at all...

Before he started writing this novel, Steinbeck conceived of it as a gift for his sons. He wrote:

They are little boys now and they will never know what they came from through me, unless I tell them. It is not written for them to read now but when they are grown and the pains and joys have tousled them a little. And if the book is addressed to them, it is for good reason. I want them to know how it was, I want to tell them directly, and perhaps by speaking to them directly I shall speak directly to other people.

Steinbeck wrote that he planned to tell his sons “one of the greatest, perhaps the greatest story of all – the story of good and evil, of strength and weakness, of love and hate, of beauty and weakness” and that he wanted to demonstrate “how these doubles are inseparable – how neither can exist without the other and how out of their groupings creativeness is born”.

The extent to which Steinbeck succeeded or failed in this endeavour is one of the fascinating aspects of this novel. Inserting himself into the narrative as both the narrator and as a minor character, Steinbeck wrote about the Salinas Valley and about his mother’s family, the Hamiltons, with tenderness and love. The other part of the narrative, the account of three generations of the (fictional) Trask family and the re-telling of the Biblical story of Cain and Abel, overshadows the history of the Hamiltons and pulls the novel in lots of different directions. However, the resulting work, while flawed, is powerful and compelling.

There’s so much I love about the novel. I find Steinbeck’s use of language breathtaking. While very accessible, it demonstrates a powerful ability to observe and describe what is being observed in a manner which conveys both images and emotions. In this novel, Steinbeck did not strive for a natural style of dialogue. His characters do not always speak in the way real people speak, but the way they speak is part of the power of the work. I love the characters as much as I love the language. Lee’s insight, Sam Hamilton’s wisdom, Cal’s desperate longing for approval and even Cathy’s psychopathy will haunt me for a long time. I also love the setting, with its carefully detailed evocation of Salinas in the early years of the 20th century.

Most of all, though, I love the passion that Steinbeck put into this novel, the work that meant most to him personally. I’m glad that I listened to the audiobook (very capably narrated by Richard Poe) immediately after reading Jay Parini’s excellent biography of Steinbeck. It’s given me a greater understanding of not just the extent to which East of Eden is Steinbeck’s family history, but also how much of it relates to his complicated personal circumstances at the time he was writing the novel.

As noted above, the novel has flaws. The structure is unwieldy and the narrative is often melodramatic. However, Steinbeck’s passion and warmth, his beautiful prose and the way in which he builds his central themes make this a complete winner for me. It’s one of those novels which I know I will want to read again. Probably very soon.