East of Eden in Reading with Style

Nov 08, 2009 Elizabeth (Alaska) rated it liked it

I'm probably one of the very few who didn't particularly care for East of Eden. The characters felt very flat to me for the most part. No one is all good or all bad. Also the dialog didn't ring true. Further, I didn't agree with much of the author's philosophy. If an author is trying to convince me of a certain point of view, I'd much rather s/he have his characters do the job. But come down to it, Steinbeck can write, which pulls this up beyond the 2 stars I might otherwise have given it. ...more

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Aug 31, 2011 Bucket rated it it was amazing

Shelves: reviewed, literary, classic, religion, love, parents-affecting-children, good-v-evil, generational-epic, life-and-death, identity

I really loved this novel. The Cain and Abel theme is obvious, but it's really interesting. Charles and Adam, and Cal and Aron are doomed to repeat the story, but their stories happen in a very different way and the end of the novel is hopeful.

*SPOILER: I was in tears when Adam rejected Cal's gift and Cal went to his room, but I barely blinked when the news of Aron's death arrived. END SPOILER* Cal is the more fascinating and likeable character because his faults are just like all of us. He som I really loved this novel. The Cain and Abel theme is obvious, but it's really interesting. Charles and Adam, and Cal and Aron are doomed to repeat the story, but their stories happen in a very different way and the end of the novel is hopeful.

*SPOILER: I was in tears when Adam rejected Cal's gift and Cal went to his room, but I barely blinked when the news of Aron's death arrived. END SPOILER* Cal is the more fascinating and likeable character because his faults are just like all of us. He sometimes has to fight to 'not be mean,' he has learned how to push the buttons of the people he loves, and he's trapped by a past that was out of his control.

As I read, I often considered the way that our past can make us feel like our lives are out of our control and that our future is pre-destined, when really, if we could gain control of our motives, we would understand we always have a choice. As the book says, "timshel" from the Cain and Abel story means "thou mayest" not "thou must."

I was also intrigued by Steinbeck's idea that we are all good and evil, and that our evilness is because we love. He says that most of our sins are based on trying to gain the love or attention of someone or something. Steinbeck also indicates that being good and evil makes us human. A character like Cathy, who is all evil, is "half-human" rather than "inhuman" and the same goes for Aron, who is all good to the point of being unwilling to see anything beyond the perfect picture he has painted over the world.

Lee and Abra are wonderful characters because they are free from the trappings of the Cain and Abel story. They serve as wise guides for the other characters, and interpret what the other characters can't see about themselves while still seeming realistic.

Having only read Of Mice and Men before, I wasn't sure what I'd think of this novel, but I'm so glad I picked it up.

Themes: good vs. evil, pre-destination vs. free will, Cain and Abel story, brothers and fathers, war, California, early 20th century, overcoming the past, what makes us human, inheritance
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Sep 29, 2023 Wendy rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: audiobooks, world-war-i, classics, american-west, 2023

I'm shocked to report that East of Eden has been my least favorite Steinbeck read so far. I took issue with the heavy-handed messaging early on, and struggled to invest myself in characters who read more like symbols and who slogged along in unrealistic relationships. All the women fall into one of the "virgin, mother, or (psychotic) whore" archetypes, and with the exception of the more nuanced Cal, every other character can be labeled as either pure and Good with a capital "G", or Evil.

So, I gu ...more

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