East of Eden by John Steinbeck

Synopsis:

This is a fiction book set in the farmland of the Salinas Valley in California. It follows the two families of the Trasks and the Hamiltons. This is a biblical parable of Adam and Eve and Cain and Abel. The Trask family is made up of Charles and Adam Trask, Caleb (Cal) and Aaron (Aron) Trask whom are the sons of Cathy and Adam, and Liza and Sam Hamilton.

Adam likes Aron more than Cal, Aron goes to college to become an Episcopal priest, and Cal is a farmer. Abra is Aron’s girlfriend, but while he is away in the war, she begins a relationship with Cal. Cathy leaves Adam after the boys are gone and becomes a prostitute at a brothel.

Aron enlists in the army during World War I and is killed in action which causes Adam to develop a stroke after hearing the news. Cal tries to convince Abra to run away from him, but she persuades him to return home to see his father who is bedridden and dying. Adam finally forgives Cal and frees him from his guilt and gives him his blessing to live his life without the burden of his sin.

Review:

I enjoyed this book a lot and found it to be very engaging and loved all the biblical references.

“And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord and dwelt in the land of Nod on the east of Eden.”

“I think this is the best known story in the world because it is everybody’s story. I think it is the symbol story of the human soul. The greatest terror a child can have is that he is not loved, and rejection is the hell he fears.”

“This I believe, that the free exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world.”

“The Hebrew word timshel- Thou mayest, that gives a choice. It might be the most important word in the world. That says the way is open. That throws it right back on a man. For if Thou mayest it is also true that Thou mayest not. Thou mayest makes a man great, that gives him stature with the gods, for in his weakness and his filth he has still the great choice. He can choose his course and fight it through and win.”

“Humans are caught in their lives, in their thoughts, in their hungers and ambitions, in their avarice and cruelty, and in their kindness and generosity too in a net of good and evil.”

“It seems to me that if you or I must choose between two courses of thought or action, we should remember our dying and try so to live that our death brings no pleasure to the world.”