And i finally finished.
Another thing about the re-read, it takes quite a bit longer! But I am so immensely satisfied that I did it, and I will do it again!
2nd reading: Dec 2007-April 2008
I have been immensely enjoying that a re-read means I go way slower through the text - finding words with meaning, rather than simply being all-consumed by the plot (which is oh so fabulous, by the way)

I also found my favorite chapter this time around. Cal gets the very first taste of how much his father has endured and he loves him ferociously enough to sacrifice himself to build up his brother, Aron. In my fav chapter, Adam finally wakes up from his pain long enough to realize that he doesn't know his own son. The dialogue and gripping language that ensues moves deeply in my core. Daddy issues much? :)


And Steinbeck’s fascinating psychological motif, basically summed up to say that all humans have one need: love. If they are loved, they will be more willing to embrace the choice to overcome evil. If they have never been loved, they will be less able/willing to overcome their evil. In this way, Cal and his mother are set up as foils...and the reader's heart hopes so desperately for Cal. (BENJI, Steinbeck is also a hope whore!)

At the core of the argument about timshol I find that I disagree with Steinbeck. I really believe our lives are destined by a greater entity and our paths are chosen for us, even more than we are willing to admit. I do not feel controlled or manipulated by my destiny, in fact, I believe that the cosmos or god (pick your term) are mysterious enough, so entirely OTHER than my human understanding, that it can weave my choices into a pre-existing destiny. I will take issue with anyone (including my beloved John) who says that man always has the ability to simply pull himself up by the bootstraps and overcome his lot in life. Many are simply not equipped to deal with their own destiny, and this is the responsibility of god. But these are my theological thoughts...

That being said, Steinbeck sells his hope into the most gorgeous mini-pill of optimism and redemption that I cannot but swallow and flourish at the imbibing of his words.

First Reading: Jaunary 2006
I picked up East of Eden on a friend's recommendation. I remember being surprised that it read nothing like Grapes of Wrath--no unabashed socio/political themes or propaganda.

East of Eden was Steinbeck's favorite work; it also took him most of his life to complete. He takes a myriad of storylines and expertly weaves them into this novel. Steinbeck states about East of Eden: "It has everything in it I have been able to learn about my craft or profession in all these years." He further claimed: "I think everything else I have written has been, in a sense, practice for this."

I really resonated with the themes he masterfully explores throughout--depravity, beneficence, love, and the struggle for acceptance, greatness, and the capacity for self-destruction, and especially of guilt and freedom. It ties these themes together with references to and many parallels with the biblical Book of Genesis.