East of Eden in Around the World in 80 Books

Nov 27, 2009 Lindsey Z rated it it was amazing

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Somehow in my literary career I had avoided this novel. Perhaps it was because excerpts from The Grapes of Wrath left my high school mouth with a sour taste or because Steinbeck as an author in general (besides Of Mice and Men which is one of my favorite novellas) was just plain scary to me. I approached reading this novel (which I forced myself to through the book club I organize) as sitting down at a 9 course French dinner (which, by the way, I've never done, but I would imagine myself to be j Somehow in my literary career I had avoided this novel. Perhaps it was because excerpts from The Grapes of Wrath left my high school mouth with a sour taste or because Steinbeck as an author in general (besides Of Mice and Men which is one of my favorite novellas) was just plain scary to me. I approached reading this novel (which I forced myself to through the book club I organize) as sitting down at a 9 course French dinner (which, by the way, I've never done, but I would imagine myself to be just as anticipatory). I knew there might be parts I'd enjoy or even love, but there might be some murky selections that did not suit my fancy, but that I could appreciate for their intention and presentation. I knew it was going to be an experience. And this is where the fascinating and surprising part of the experience began for me. I was anticipating a sweeping epic of.. well, epic proportions.. that swept me up with the dust clouds that surrounded California at the turn of the 20th century and dropped me off in a confused state of bewilderment. Oh contraire! This novel is accessible, feels much shorter than it is, and is extremely focused on its character base. The Trasks and Hamiltons are at the heart of this story and while sibling rivalry is by all means at the forefront in terms of themes, Steinbeck really explores the good and bad that is in all of us, and in particular in us Americans.

The characters are memorable- from Charles's attempt to to kill Adam when they were boys to Abra's moderate and uncommon woman sensibilities to Lee's uncanny philosophical intellect. There are certainly moments in this story of what it means to need and lack love that shine.

The parallels with the biblical are unignorable (yes, I made that up), as they are practically beaten over your head as a reader. Cain and Abel appear in many forms- in fact, those characters who begin with "C" are often evil and those who begin with "A" are often good. But there's more and this is what makes Steinbeck so amazing and humanity in general which he is able to capture in this story. Charles and Cathy are evil. They recognize this in each other. Cal and Abra are the reformed, redeemed younger versions of these two from a new generation- a new generation of Americans that stem from their evil ancestors abroad. And while Charles and Cathy are evil, Steinbeck gives them both dignity. Cathy's suicide scene is so beautifully written and the allusion to Caroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is fitting to help explain a woman who is absurd, cruel, yet seeking acceptance like every other human in the novel. Cal's feelings of jealousy and despair over his brother and father are raw and the fact that he recognizes these about himself, albeit with the intensely laid hand of Lee, is what gives him the potential for a better future than that of his mother or uncle (or is it father?). Sam Hamilton's death felt as if I had lost a loved member of my community and it was as if I was searching the local newspaper for a clipping about his funeral details. I wanted to be there with Adam and the others.

What Steinbeck has done here is taught us that humans are both good and evil, yet that is what makes us glorious. "Timshel"- thou may'st. We can make of it what we will; the outcome is entirely up to us.
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