Literary Analysis: East of Eden
East of Eden
| "Now that you don't have to be perfect, you can be good." |
Bibliographic Information:
John Steinbeck’s East of Eden was published in September 1952, under of which title Steinbeck had received a Nobel prize in literature. Born in Salinas in 1902, John Steinbeck largely based off of the setting of East of Eden to his perception and experience in the valley. Later in his writing career, Steinbeck set out to write a tale that encompasses his beloved Salinas Valley with its primordial roots. The historical era of the publication had a large role in the chronological timeline in the story, which begin around the 1890s to the 1930s. The literary period or era of East of Eden can largely be credited to the late Victorian era that progresses into modernism, with signature works like W.B. Yeats, Dylan Thomas, and John Steinbeck himself. This literary period marks a significant self-conscious break with traditional modes and modernist objectives just before WW1, which is prevalent in East of Eden.
Quote Analysis:
“A man will have left only the hard, clean questions: Was it good or was it evil? Have I done well–or ill?” (Steinbeck 413).
In religious studies that date back to the protestant reformation and the enlightenment, people have sought refuge in the belief that they live in the yarns of fate. In Steinbeck’s opening lines of part four, he discusses the three men who lived different pathways. The division of good and evil, just like the judgment from religions, jurisdict the novelty of a man. This quote serves to help and understand what it means to be uncertain. It is uncertain because the deeming battle of vice and virtue never cease. It is crucial to conceive in the end that mankind does not retain only one trait but a mixture of two, and it is choice and not fate that decide which one should dominate the other.
“We have only one story. All novels, all poetry, are built on the never-ending contest in ourselves of good and evil. Vice has always a new fresh young face, while virtue is venerable as nothing else in the world is” (415).
In East of Eden, Steinbeck describes the archetype of literature as a battle between the righteous and the grotesque, good and evil. He himself has written a work based on the referenced bible of the story of Cain and Abel, resonating the falling of grace, the expulsion from the garden of eden, and the original sin. He believes that this one story tells all stories, and illustrates that by imitating the modern lives of the families in Salinas. Good resides in Adam while evil resides in Charles, and by the turn of clock, good resides in Aaron and evil resides in Cal. The Trask family, then, bear the burden of the archetype as they live their lives in the hands of fate.
“The word timshel–– “thou mayest”––that gives a choice. That throws it right back on a man” (303).
As a philosopher, a worker, and a caretaker, Lee takes a radiant role in East of Eden. In this quote, Lee reflects the intricacies of the word and the truth. The revision of the speech can make a significant difference in the delivery of the truth. In this case, Lee criticizes the delivery of the American Standard translation by its determined solution of conquering sins and therefore committing sin ignorance. He argues that the brilliance of choice is worth the discussion even if he himself does not believe in the divine law. Steinbeck By discussing this word, Lee defies the philosophical belief of predestination and therefore portrays the theme of East of Eden.
Title Significance:
The Bible: Origins
John Steinbeck chooses East of Eden out of five titles: The Salinas Valley, My Valley, Valley to the Sea, Cain Sign, and East of Eden. As Steinbeck grew up with the Bible, he had attached himself to the perspectives of the holy book. Here, the title stands out as a representation of the Bible. He often projects in the peripheral vision and speaks in the voice of commentary, thereby preserving authenticity and argument. East of Eden fills the readers with allegories and allusions to the Bible, reenacting the origins of mankind.
Place
The Bible quote the place of Sod, where Cain is banished to after killing his brother. The impersonation of Cain in part one would be Charles, who geographically is to the East of his brother. Similarly, Charles is also banished from the Garden of Eden which is supposedly located in Salinas Valley, California due to the primordial description of the narrator. This symbolism contains geographical significance that will play a role in the course of the story.
Setting:
The main course of the story takes place in Salinas Valley, a surprising setting coming from the renowned author named John Steinbeck. Rivers, mounds, and poppies hug the Monterey Bay and Steinbeck morphs them into places of heavenly residence. Salinas Valley thrived in the ages of manifest destiny, as the Americans populated and created little towns like Bradley, King City, and Greenfield. The Hamiltons settled to the east of King City and Adam Trask settled with good acreages in the Valley. Part one of East of Eden briefly overviews a small town in Connecticut, where the Trask brothers grow up to separate beings. Part 3 sees the movement of the Trask family to West End, where Cal and Aron attended reputable schools with grades ranging from three to eighth. This setting is related to the modernism time period with aspects to industrialization, the manifest destiny, american dreams, and cultural objectives on radicalism that would uproot traditional America. In the early 1900s, Steinbeck incorporates the tension from the great war with tensions at home. As Salinas Valley slips into war aggression, the plot also tenses up to the climax. Salinas Valley is a serene, poised town with suburban quietude. The Salinas Valley is shielded by the Gabilan Mountains which face the West and the Santa Lucias Mountains which face the East. As a valley, it secludes itself from the outside world of change, irrationality, and tension. Similarly, the Garden of Eden intends to protect and harbor its inhabitants.
Themes:
Mankind does not retain only one trait but a mixture of two, of both good and evil.
The determination of good and the determination of evil can be seen through the portrayals of the characters in East of Eden. In Adam Trask, Steinbeck make him show complete kindness and goodness in his treatment of Cathy and Samuel Hamilton. His ignorance of his brother’s sorrow and isolation, then, shows his inconsiderate nature toward his kin. The favoring love for Aron and distasteful comparison of disposition toward Cal, then shows Adam’s weakness of the original sin. The fatherly figure can only provide favor toward one, and it is destined to the story of Cain and Abel. In Cal Trask, Steinbeck shows his bitter disposition toward the world and his kindness toward his brother Aron. Cal purposefully shields Aron from the evils of the world such as the fact that their angelic mother is the owner of a brothel. He exposes the horrors and absurdities to himself while he chooses that Aron should pursue a different path. In Cathy Ames, Steinbeck leaves her with a sweet aftertaste to the readers as she leaves the world in bitterness. She writes out a will for all her wealth to Aron Trask, her second son. Steinbeck tries to connect to the readers of the double nature of everyone.
It is choice, not fate, that decide whether good shall triumph evil or evil shall overwhelm good.
The most enchanting dialogue in East of Eden must be that between Cal and Lee, arguing for the human power of choice. While the ideology of predetermination and fate has dictated the Trask family, Lee argues that change begins with Cal. The power of the individual, he insists, can turn the tides of traditionalism. Cal, born “mean” and “cruel”, eventually follows Lee’s instructions and breaks the seal of traditionalism, and avoids the mark of Cain. On the other hand, Cathy Ames is born “lacking in manners of kindness” yet she chose to follow down the path of destruction. This theme triumphs in the world with the growing sense of individual determination.
The duration of fatherhood as a guardian, an influencer, a source of safety impact the child throughout his or her life in totality.
Throughout the Bible, the relationship of the father and the son, the divine and the protected, and the omnipotent and the weak is prevalent to the readers. In East of Eden, it is no different. Adam Trask does not redeem himself in the eyes of his father, he does not have to seek protection when he needs his father, and he does not see redemption through his father’s figure. However, another figure that the readers connect to more personally is Cal Trask, who does redeem himself in the eyes of his father, who seeks mental protection, and finds redemption in the end. Fatherly figures such as Samuel Hamilton and Cyrus both wear long beards that symbolise their patriarch appearances. In present society, people no longer have extended families like that of the Hamilton’s, but nuclear families still exist. The relationship in the Bible is still stronger than ever and its values firmer than ever.
Character:
Adam Trask:
Born in a small town in Connecticut, Adam grows with his stepmother and his father Cyrus Trask. Cyrus favors Adam to Charles and insists to see Adam in the army. After he re-enlists, he returns to Charles and meets Cathy Ames. He moves west with Cathy Ames and settles in Salinas Valley, where he raises up his two children with the help of Lee. Adam substitutes the “first man” in the primordial story of Genesis, raising up Cain and Abel and cultivating opulence in the fields. His quiet and loving disposition earns him a great life in the suburban fields, “Adam concealed, something in him shrank from violence, from contention” (20). His fatherly figure imitates that of Cyrus and Hamilton, both of the dark and the light.
Lee:
Lee comes with philosophy, knowledge, cultural background, integrity, and oriental perspective. Steinbeck crafts Lee for a perfect figure to care for the twins and to care for Adam Trask. As a Chinaman, the readers first may perceive him as a comical supplement in his pronunciation. However, as the plot progresses, the readers see more of Lee’s background as an American-Chinese who carries heritage and kindness in the Trask family. In one incidence, he plans to leave the Trasks and set up a Chinese bookstore in San Francisco, only to return a mere six days later, “I don’t want a bookstore. I am incomparably, incredibly, overwhelmingly glad to be home. I’ve never been so lonesome in my life” (419).
Cathy Ames: Steinbeck pours information about Cathy in East of Eden, describing her as lacking in conscience and kindness, full of hatred and mystery, and indecipherably beautiful. Cathy murders both of her parents at a young age. She knows the art of manipulation and utilizes it throughout the novel: the suicide of her Latin teacher, the documents of powerful men, and the intangible love of Adam for her. She impersonates Eve in the Bible, who trespasses the boundary of knowledge and seeks darkness for mankind. However, her appearance in East of Eden contrast with her personality, for she “had from the first a face of innocence” (75).
Caleb Trask: A dark skinned, dark haired teenager in the time of the novel. He retains the recocious sense of maturity, gains fear and respect from his cold position of leadership. Even as Cal conceals his ingenuity, he constantly appears thick-skinned and insensitive. He deliberately attempts to appeal to his father for approval and finds none but denial. His potent is apparent in his ability to manipulate money and tricks, despite his social abilities. In one encounter with Lee, he is stunned by this question, “did you ever think of yourself as a snot-nose kid mean sometimes, incredibly generous sometimes? Maybe it’s true that we are all descended from the restless, the nervous, the criminals, the arguerers and brawlers, but also the brave and independent and generous” (570). Eventually, he forgives his father and releases himself from the mark of Cain.
Aron Trask: Adam Trask is the prize of the family, possessing a sentimental disposition that attract care and favor. He has “pink and white skin, golden hair, blue eyes, he was dogged, steady, and completely fearless fighter, for he did not attempt to hide his disposition” (348). Aron’s sense for learning and the yearning for learning is great. He likes the feeling of accomplishment during his pursuit of learning. Aron seeks religious refuge and religious purity for his sensitive nature. It can be inferred from his temptations to pursue celibacy and his fragility once Cal exposes the cruel nature of his mother, that Aron Trask proves to be incompetent to success. He dies in the great war.
Samuel Hamilton:
In East of Eden, Samuel Hamilton represents the great fatherly figure that shines in brilliance. His fertility, his warmth, his ability to act as a midwife, his patriarch appearance all contribute to Samuel Hamilton’s success in a tale of immigration. The hardships of Samuel eventually attributes to the stability that his children enjoy. The children are his majority of happiness: George, Will, Joe, Tom, Joseph, Una, Lizzie, Dessie, Olive, and Mollie. Samuel’s tender-hearted nature gives Lee and Adam a joy in Salinas. He makes at first acquaintances with Adam Trask and Lee but later develops into eternal friendships. Reminiscing the lives they share with each others, Samuel comments “Do you remember when you read us the sixteen verses of the fourth chapter of Genesis and we argued about them?” (301).
Conflict:
Person vs. self
Starting from Part two onward, the central conflict reside in Cal Trask with himself. He knows the discontentment with his current temperament and situation. He understands clearly that his surroundings and people regard of him as a hostile individual. However, he despises this lifestyle. Cal Trask constantly wants to please his father using material connections and gifts, drifting further away from the delicate self emotionally. Vulnerability, like Lee states, destructs the self-esteem in Cal. Battling with the choice of good or evil, Cal doubts himself against the world.
Person vs. person
The conflict of Adam Trask and Cathy Trask plagues Adam’s heart in both part one and part two, but this conflict subsides gradually in part three and part four as Adam rediscovers his meaning of love. Cathy Ames understands the art of manipulation and attraction, thereby controlling Adam’s actions. Adam Trask overcomes this obsession with the aid of Samuel Hamilton and Lee, raising his two children without Cathy.
Person vs. society
This conflict is not prevalent in East of Eden, but is equally important in the plot progression. The societal pressure in radicalism and the abandoning of traditionalism. In this conflict, Cathy Ames defies traditional roles of women and feminine discipline. Her actions and delinquencies committed such as killing both her parents, enticing suicides, and shooting her husband are violating the boundaries of traditional patriarchy. This is reflective of the feminine movement rising in the early 1920s with the growing sense of feminine individualism. This conflict with the society contributes to Cathy Ames’s downfall to suicide as she can not bear the burden.
Person vs. environment
Adam Trask’s adaptation in the foreign land of Salinas, California proves to be his conflict with environment. This transition proves very smooth as Adam recruits men to soften the land and eradicate the wheat fields and barley fields. The management of his newly bought land, the enduring summers and quick springs, and raising up his children appear rather easy with the help of Lee.
Point of View
The narrative point of view of East of Eden is the third person omniscient. John Steinbeck intends to write in this narrative due to his adherence or imitation of the Bible. The Bible, in this omniscient perspective, views down at the Earth and progressively traces the heritage of individuals and families. Steinbeck traces the lives of the inhabitants of Salinas Valley in the third person omniscient to personally connect to each person’s significance and trace to the primordial origin. Despite John Steinbeck writes in “I” for some subtle details, this fiction work speaks in third person omniscient to consider the ethics, backgrounds, and knowledge inside everyone’s head. John Steinbeck does not use third person limited or first person narrative because of the limited information to surmount to a true biblical narrative.
Beginnings and Endings:
Steinbeck begins East of Eden similarly to the beginning of the Bible. From the careful descriptive nature of Steinbeck to the close simulation of the Garden of Eden, the beginning marks a wonderful setting for later plot configuration. Steinbeck describes the Gabilan Mountains to the east which shine in loveliness and the Santa Lucias mountains which stand dark and brooding. Steinbeck then traces the history of the becoming of the Salinas Valley by tracing carefully from the Native Americans, the Spaniards, and the Americans on their manifest destinies. The introduction of the big Hamilton family and the new Trask family reveal the scene.
The ending scene sees Lee, Cal, and Adam together by Adam’s bedside, Lee persuading Adam to accept Cal as a deeming son. This is significant because in this manner, Adam can eliminate the Mark of Cain and the plunging tradition of the Trasks into the Biblical patterns of Cain and Abel. The last words of Adam conclude the novel and conclude Adam’s life, as he finally whispers the blessed word which appropriately fit–Timshel–thou mayest. By announcing this word, he gives Cal the forgiveness and blessing of choice. He lets Cal go on his own initiative by providing him love and freedom, of not “shall” or “will”, but “may”. This wraps up the plot in its entirety.
Irony:
Verbal Irony
“Maybe the less you have, the more you are required to boast” (4). Steinbeck inserts a verbal irony here because the contrary is true–– the more you have, the more like you are to boast. However, this describes the human condition to boast in pride to fulfill what he does not have.
Situational irony
Situational irony is employed when the outcome of an event is contrary to its original intent. In East of Eden, situational irony is inserted when Adam’s appeal to his father becomes soiled by his father’s favoritism for Aron and his distaste for sinful money. To make up for the loss of lettuce and cover up the shame for “lettuce heads”, Cal intentionally goes into business with Will Hamilton to invest in “future” investments of beans. The result of five thousand dollars earns Cal not only shame but embarrassment, jealousy, and hate for his brother. This enhance the plot by guiding to a consequential action of sending Aron to their mother.
Dramatic irony
The dramatic irony is employed in the case of Cathy Ames’s background as a stray, which the readers understand while the Trask brothers does not. This employment of dramatic irony is ironic because it contributes as to why Adam perceives her as a kind, beautiful, and innocent woman. However, in the case of Charles, it is reflective of his own nature that he is forlorn and distant in relationships because he sees the evil inside others. Steinbeck uses this woman to reflect the traits of the brothers in comparison: Adam loves Cathy while Charles hates her. Dramatic irony is used when the readers or audience knows something that the characters in the work does not.
Literary Devices and Techniques: Chapter 1: 1-13
Imagery: The language that appeals to the senses by the simple manipulation of language. “When June came the grasses headed out and turned brown, and the hills turned a brown which
Parallelism: The grammatical usage of similar adjectives, similar verbs, similar nouns, and similar tenses in a series of three. “First there were Indians, an inferior breed without energy, inventiveness, or culture…” (6).
Foreshadowing: A construction of plotline by using hints or subtle references to the eventual turnout of the plotline. A writer’s use of hints or clues to indicate events that will occur later in the story. A conversation or event that occurs before the beginning of the story. “Then the Americans came––more greedy because there were more of them” (7). This is a foreshadowing of the corruption of the Garden of Eden by the immigrants as they do not enrich the fields but corrupt them.
Personification: the descriptive technique that transforms the inanimate quality of objects to an animate quality of the human. A figure of speech in which an object, animal, or idea is given human characteristics. “Harebells, tiny lanterns, cream white and almost sinful looking” (5). This metaphor is comparing a harebell to a human being with qualities of sinfulness.
Irony: the literary technique that pokes fun at and jests at the society’s, the individual’s, and the environment’s flaws. The dramatic irony, the situational irony, and verbal irony are the most frequently used. “A man who might have been well-to-do on ten acres in Europe was rat-poor on two thousand in California” (12). In this case, one would expect the man to succeed in America when rather California proves harsh for living in the pre-modern world.
Comments
Post a Comment