Throughout the entire story, Steinbeck makes a point of noting the constant struggle for man to resist the temptations of evil,"There is no other story. A man, after he has brushed off the dust and chips of his life, will have left only the hard, clean questions: Was it good or was it evil? Have I done well—or ill?" (413). Steinbeck does this through his depictions of the characters in East of Eden, as they all struggle somewhat even if they don't say it outright, with few characters representing the idea of there being only good in the world and the refusal to believe otherwise and vice versa.
A main example would be Cathy, as she accepts her role in the world to cause pain to others with no end or goal to her personal gain, and she does this because she believes there to be no good to exist anywhere in the world and her goal in life is to do her best to survive.
The opposing force to Cathy would probably be Aron Trask, and I purposefully do not say any of the Hamiltons because, although they are extremely religious and base their lives off of God, they are aware of the evils in the world as they must know what is a temptation by the devil and what to avoid. Aron Trask, on the other hand, is kind-hearted to the point of naivety. He not only does not want to believe there is evil in the world, but does not have the ability to believe it, demonstrated by the fact that when Cal cruelly admits the truth to his brother about their mother, Aron ends up running off to the war and his death rather than face the fact that his mother is pure evil.
The rest of the characters have been shown to struggle between the paths of good and evil, as they are not straight lines. This is especially depicted by Cal Trask, as he was born of the evil nature he shares with his mother and uncle (father?), but constantly tries to better himself by following his brother's example. He is especially helped by Lee, the Trask's housekeeper, by proving to be the voice of reason.
However, there is also a large part of this novel involving the idea of having a choice in regards to whether or not you overcome sin. Eve can blame the snake all she wants, but in the end she was the only who decided to eat the forbidden fruit off the Tree of Knowledge after God explicitly told her not to, and the same principle applies. In Chapter 24, Lee speaks of timshel, "But the Hebrew word, the word timshel—'Thou mayest'—that gives a choice" (303), which was the word that God spoke to Cain before exiling him to Nod. Typically, the word orders men to triumph over sin, while another version says the word promises they will. Only the Hebrew version offers a choice, which is what Lee uses to convince Cal to stray from evil, because he knows Cal wants to do all he can to be a good man and not be the person his mother always was.
This connects to the symbol I defined from earlier, the inherited fortunes and how they symbolized original sin. Two out of three of those fortunes went to more than one person, and only one person out of each pair ended up being of evil nature, while the other was Adam. Adam chose to live an honest life and attempt to be as good a man as he could manage, rather than become the men his father and brother were. This proves that although the money corrupted the Trask family, it is still possible to overcome the power of original sin and be the man you choose to be.
This is also proved by the end of the novel just after his father dies, Cal is finally free to do what he chooses with his life. It is emphasized by the fact that Cathy and Aron have both already died, which were the two strongest forces of good and evil in the novel and both in his immediate family. Without the constant struggle of goof and evil in his family tormenting him and his father holding him back anymore, Cal can finally move on with his life and begin his own story with Abra. The season, not coincidentally, happens to be spring when this occurs, symbolizing rebirth and new beginnings that are ahead for Cal and Abra.
When it came to how I read the text, I specifically utilized certain lessons from Nabakov and Foster. From Nabakov, I found myself constantly recalling his lesson regarding the approach to literature, and how it should come unbiased and without any sort of background knowledge one may have heard regarding the text. I found this slightly difficult, considering the description on the back of the book provided me with the intertextuality relationship I ended up analyzing, rather than me discovering it for myself. I believe if I discovered the relationship for myself, it would've been much more difficult, but I may have been able to recognize the significant components of the novel that contributed to the theme/relationship rather than making possible assumptions due to the fact that I was unconsciously searching for connections.
When it came to Foster, his examination regarding connections to the Bible and symbolism in nature were quite significant in my own analysis. The connection to the Bible was provided for me, as I said before, but his chapter on the Bible aided me in my search for various ways in which Steinbeck could use language and rhetorical techniques to connect back to that basic reference. The analysis of the mountains, the Gabilans and Santa Lucias, was my first inkling into the basic theme of the novel, and ended up becoming the base of my thought for the idea of the struggle for man to overcome the temptations of evil to be the basis of East of Eden.
Wednesday, October 15, 2014
The Bible
One thing Steinbeck does not do in his novel East of Eden is hide his references to The Bible, and if he does, he certainly does not do it very well.
As mentioned in a previous post, I believe there is a slight comparison between the brothers Adam and Charles Trask and the story of Abel and Cain, sons of Adam and Eve, and I want to continue biblical associations.
First of all, I believe the first instinct to associate Adam Trask with Adam from the Book of Genesis is well-founded and Steinbeck's intention, as I also believe Cathy, Adam Trask's wife, correlates with Eve.
I associate Cathy with Eve for the simple reason that Eve was the one was tempted by the serpent in the Garden of Eden and led to the downfall of man out of God's wrath. While Eve falls prey to evil itself, Cathy believes there is nothing but evil in the world and rather than attempt to change it or even sulk about this circumstance, she intends to live her life as richly as she can, causing as much pain to others for her own pleasure with no end goal in sight. The only true correlations between the biblical Eve and Cathy are their husbands and their association with sin.
Back to the original point, I associate Adam Trask with the biblical Adam for two reasons, because I don't think they share a first name out of mere coincidence, and because the main storyline connects Adam Trask's sons Aron and Cal with Abel and Cain, Adam's sons when I originally associated Adam Trask with Abel. I believe Adam's association with Abel is much stronger than his association with the biblical Adam, at least in childhood, but not much is really said about the biblical Adam in the first place.
The only comparison that works completely with the Bible is by correlating the story of Abel and Cain with Aron and Cal. Aron and Cal are the twin sons of Cathy and Adam, though she later claims that Charles is their father. Aron has always been the kind-hearted and likable boy, but is rather weak and easy to send over the edge. Cal was thought to be like Cathy and Charles early in life as he had evil tendencies from a young age and was always very jealous of his brother, but ended up wanting to improve himself and be more like his brother rather than do all he can to be above him.
As explained previously, Abel and Cain bring sacrifices to God. For Thanksgiving, Aron comes home from Stanford University and Cal plans to give $15,000 to his father as gift. Adam, always favoring Aron, is very excited at the prospect of his return. When presented with Cal's gift of money and learning its origin, he demands Cal return it to the farmers he had used to earn it through war profiteering, as he is already horrified that he has to send men to war by sitting on the draft board and does not want to profit off it. This reflects Cyrus's birthday gifts, as Adam viewed Aron's return as enough of a gift (Adam's pup) and was only angered by Cal's well thought out gift (to restore Adam's lost fortune).
In his rage, Cal takes Aron to Cathy's brothel, finally revealing the truth about their mother to Aron. After first coming in and meeting his mother, Aron looked "hurt, bewildered, despairing" and, in his horror, he "quietly went away" while Cal was "leaning against the door and laughing" (551, 548). Aron ends up joining the military after that night and dying in World War I. In this way, Cal's jealousy led him to hurt Aron by bringing him to meet their mother, which led him to join the military, and ultimately his death, thus completing the story of Abel and Cain.
As mentioned in a previous post, I believe there is a slight comparison between the brothers Adam and Charles Trask and the story of Abel and Cain, sons of Adam and Eve, and I want to continue biblical associations.
First of all, I believe the first instinct to associate Adam Trask with Adam from the Book of Genesis is well-founded and Steinbeck's intention, as I also believe Cathy, Adam Trask's wife, correlates with Eve.
I associate Cathy with Eve for the simple reason that Eve was the one was tempted by the serpent in the Garden of Eden and led to the downfall of man out of God's wrath. While Eve falls prey to evil itself, Cathy believes there is nothing but evil in the world and rather than attempt to change it or even sulk about this circumstance, she intends to live her life as richly as she can, causing as much pain to others for her own pleasure with no end goal in sight. The only true correlations between the biblical Eve and Cathy are their husbands and their association with sin.
Back to the original point, I associate Adam Trask with the biblical Adam for two reasons, because I don't think they share a first name out of mere coincidence, and because the main storyline connects Adam Trask's sons Aron and Cal with Abel and Cain, Adam's sons when I originally associated Adam Trask with Abel. I believe Adam's association with Abel is much stronger than his association with the biblical Adam, at least in childhood, but not much is really said about the biblical Adam in the first place.
The only comparison that works completely with the Bible is by correlating the story of Abel and Cain with Aron and Cal. Aron and Cal are the twin sons of Cathy and Adam, though she later claims that Charles is their father. Aron has always been the kind-hearted and likable boy, but is rather weak and easy to send over the edge. Cal was thought to be like Cathy and Charles early in life as he had evil tendencies from a young age and was always very jealous of his brother, but ended up wanting to improve himself and be more like his brother rather than do all he can to be above him.
As explained previously, Abel and Cain bring sacrifices to God. For Thanksgiving, Aron comes home from Stanford University and Cal plans to give $15,000 to his father as gift. Adam, always favoring Aron, is very excited at the prospect of his return. When presented with Cal's gift of money and learning its origin, he demands Cal return it to the farmers he had used to earn it through war profiteering, as he is already horrified that he has to send men to war by sitting on the draft board and does not want to profit off it. This reflects Cyrus's birthday gifts, as Adam viewed Aron's return as enough of a gift (Adam's pup) and was only angered by Cal's well thought out gift (to restore Adam's lost fortune).
In his rage, Cal takes Aron to Cathy's brothel, finally revealing the truth about their mother to Aron. After first coming in and meeting his mother, Aron looked "hurt, bewildered, despairing" and, in his horror, he "quietly went away" while Cal was "leaning against the door and laughing" (551, 548). Aron ends up joining the military after that night and dying in World War I. In this way, Cal's jealousy led him to hurt Aron by bringing him to meet their mother, which led him to join the military, and ultimately his death, thus completing the story of Abel and Cain.
Inheritance
At one point, Lee mentions how he finds it amusing that "Adam, the most rigidly honest man it was possible to find, living all his life on stolen money," and how "Aron, whose priority was a little on the self-indulgent side, living all his life on the profits of a whorehouse," (583). It was at this point when I first noticed the fact that three different fortunes are inherited in the Trask family throughout this novel, a fortune was left for Charles and Adam by Cyrus, a fortune was left for Adam and Cathy by Charles, and a fortune was left for Aron by Cathy. When I look at this list, I see that one of the people willed a fortune were considered to be evil and in turn left a fortune at the end of their life, as Charles, considered to be a malicious child who almost killed his own brother, was left a fortune by his father, and in turn left a fortune to his brother and sister-in-law, and the process repeated with Cathy. I believe this inheritance of money is a symbol of evil being passed down from generation to generation, thus creating original sin in the Trask Family. As in Exodus 34:7, "He punishes the children and their children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation."
Throughout the novel, it is constantly mentioned that you need to get lucky and buy a piece of land with accessible water in order to survive and make a fortune. If the inheritance of large fortunes holds true as a symbol for destined evil, then it follows that Samuel has no water available to be pumped out of the ground for a reason. Samuel has managed to live a good, moral life and has raised his family to be eternally righteous while still living hand to mouth.
Wealth is often considered to be symbolic of corruption, as wealthier people see less reason to dedicate their lives to earning God's love and proving their eternal loyalty if they have the opportunity to live as kings on Earth. If Steinbeck is correct in his theory about the "only story in mankind" about the man's constant struggle between good and evil, with God waiting for the people who avoid temptation and live moral lives to ascend into heaven while the rest descend into hell after giving into temptation, wouldn't money be a temptation by the devil just as the serpent tempted Eve? This holds true by the fact that Cathy (symbolizing Eve) was born evil and continuously used her powers of seduction and innocent looks in order to attain the two things she needed, safety and money. She first went to Mr. Edwards because he was a rich and powerful man and she knew she could attain influence and wealth through her seductive techniques and manipulation, then she ended up marrying Adam because she "needed protection and money. Adam could give her both" (121) and finally growing close to and poisoning a Madam in order to gain her fortune before taking her place.
The Trask family inheritance trend began with Cyrus Trask's supposed robbery of his $100,000 fortune from the United States Army, and ended with the last inheritance, composed of profits from the whorehouse where Cathy was a Madam, going to Adam's son, Aron, who dies in World War I before he knows of his mother leaving him a fortune. Aron's death before his knowledge of the fortunate ultimately ends the trend of evil in the Trask family as the only one left to continue the family name is Cal who intends to attempt to live a moral life with Abra, finally free of his family's corruption and can finally make his own decisions and lead his own life.
Throughout the novel, it is constantly mentioned that you need to get lucky and buy a piece of land with accessible water in order to survive and make a fortune. If the inheritance of large fortunes holds true as a symbol for destined evil, then it follows that Samuel has no water available to be pumped out of the ground for a reason. Samuel has managed to live a good, moral life and has raised his family to be eternally righteous while still living hand to mouth.
Wealth is often considered to be symbolic of corruption, as wealthier people see less reason to dedicate their lives to earning God's love and proving their eternal loyalty if they have the opportunity to live as kings on Earth. If Steinbeck is correct in his theory about the "only story in mankind" about the man's constant struggle between good and evil, with God waiting for the people who avoid temptation and live moral lives to ascend into heaven while the rest descend into hell after giving into temptation, wouldn't money be a temptation by the devil just as the serpent tempted Eve? This holds true by the fact that Cathy (symbolizing Eve) was born evil and continuously used her powers of seduction and innocent looks in order to attain the two things she needed, safety and money. She first went to Mr. Edwards because he was a rich and powerful man and she knew she could attain influence and wealth through her seductive techniques and manipulation, then she ended up marrying Adam because she "needed protection and money. Adam could give her both" (121) and finally growing close to and poisoning a Madam in order to gain her fortune before taking her place.
The Trask family inheritance trend began with Cyrus Trask's supposed robbery of his $100,000 fortune from the United States Army, and ended with the last inheritance, composed of profits from the whorehouse where Cathy was a Madam, going to Adam's son, Aron, who dies in World War I before he knows of his mother leaving him a fortune. Aron's death before his knowledge of the fortunate ultimately ends the trend of evil in the Trask family as the only one left to continue the family name is Cal who intends to attempt to live a moral life with Abra, finally free of his family's corruption and can finally make his own decisions and lead his own life.
Monday, October 13, 2014
Trasks vs. Hamiltons
John Steinbeck's East of Eden is divided into four individual parts, which I figure will be a good way to divide the posts. I have just finished the first part, and I have to say this book certainly brings your mind to places it doesn't usually wander to, unless you often think about sex, violence, disease, and family dysfunction.
In other words, it's pretty messed up and I still have 500 pages to go.
But it's dramatic. Everything that occurs is beyond inconceivable you just have to know what happens next, and in this way there's a lot to notice.
For example, even in the first part, there is a countless amount of symbols in regards to the fact that there is "only one story in mankind," the struggle between good and evil and man's ability to overcome temptation.
Some of these symbols are encased in geography, such as his intentional opening of the novel with a geography lesson about Salinas Valley, specifically mentioning the differences between the the Gabilan Mountains to the east, and the Santa Lucia Mountains to the west. He describes the Gabilans as "light gay mountains full of sun and loveliness," while the Santa Lucias are displayed to be "dark and brooding—unfriendly and dangerous," (3).
These comparisons continue into the storyline, as Steinbeck mentions two families, the Hamiltons and the Trasks. The Hamiltons are a large, loving, and moral family headed by Samuel Hamilton, an intelligent and respectable man who migrates to Salinas Valley from Ireland with his wife Liza to raise a family of four sons and five daughters, all very briefly elaborated on, but are portrayed to be healthy, God-fearing children who live comfortably together on the barren farm Samuel built their family home on.
The Trasks, however, are not candidates to be considered for any adjective used to describe the Hamiltons. The Trasks are a small family, headed by Cyrus Trask before his death, and his two sons, Adam and Charles. Cyrus Trask served in the Civil War, lost his leg, and contracted syphilis from a prostitute before being discharged, conveying him to be a man of relatively no morals. Later on in life, he ends up elevating his reputation in the eyes of others by claiming of his great advancements in the war when in reality, he did nothing to deserve praise or greatness, making himself a dishonest man as well as a vulgar one.
The Trasks are clearly the Santa Lucias to the Hamilton's Gabilans.
The Trask family is heavily elaborated on in comparison to the Hamilton family and I believe it is in order to highlight the importance of knowing the full story behind Adam and Charles' childhood together, specifically a story of their father's last birthday that he spent with his sons. Charles "took six bits and bought him a knife made in Germany" when Adam only "brought him a mongrel pup" (29-30), but it was clear Cyrus much preferred Adam's careless present to Charles' thoughtful one. The night Cyrus revealed to Adam that he "loved him better" (28) was also the night Charles severely beat and almost killed Adam, which makes the first direct connection to a biblical story, the story of Cain and Abel.
In this story, Cain and Abel, the sons of Adam and Eve, bring sacrifices to God. God ends up favoring Abel's sacrifice over Cain's and Cain murders his own brother out of jealousy. As punishment for his crime, God banishes Cain to Nod, the land that lies east of Eden (hmm..interesting).
Is there significance to the fact that Cain murdered his brother and Charles only attempted to? Is there a reason why Adam was not murdered as Abel was?
In other words, it's pretty messed up and I still have 500 pages to go.
But it's dramatic. Everything that occurs is beyond inconceivable you just have to know what happens next, and in this way there's a lot to notice.
For example, even in the first part, there is a countless amount of symbols in regards to the fact that there is "only one story in mankind," the struggle between good and evil and man's ability to overcome temptation.
Some of these symbols are encased in geography, such as his intentional opening of the novel with a geography lesson about Salinas Valley, specifically mentioning the differences between the the Gabilan Mountains to the east, and the Santa Lucia Mountains to the west. He describes the Gabilans as "light gay mountains full of sun and loveliness," while the Santa Lucias are displayed to be "dark and brooding—unfriendly and dangerous," (3).
These comparisons continue into the storyline, as Steinbeck mentions two families, the Hamiltons and the Trasks. The Hamiltons are a large, loving, and moral family headed by Samuel Hamilton, an intelligent and respectable man who migrates to Salinas Valley from Ireland with his wife Liza to raise a family of four sons and five daughters, all very briefly elaborated on, but are portrayed to be healthy, God-fearing children who live comfortably together on the barren farm Samuel built their family home on.
The Trasks, however, are not candidates to be considered for any adjective used to describe the Hamiltons. The Trasks are a small family, headed by Cyrus Trask before his death, and his two sons, Adam and Charles. Cyrus Trask served in the Civil War, lost his leg, and contracted syphilis from a prostitute before being discharged, conveying him to be a man of relatively no morals. Later on in life, he ends up elevating his reputation in the eyes of others by claiming of his great advancements in the war when in reality, he did nothing to deserve praise or greatness, making himself a dishonest man as well as a vulgar one.
The Trasks are clearly the Santa Lucias to the Hamilton's Gabilans.
The Trask family is heavily elaborated on in comparison to the Hamilton family and I believe it is in order to highlight the importance of knowing the full story behind Adam and Charles' childhood together, specifically a story of their father's last birthday that he spent with his sons. Charles "took six bits and bought him a knife made in Germany" when Adam only "brought him a mongrel pup" (29-30), but it was clear Cyrus much preferred Adam's careless present to Charles' thoughtful one. The night Cyrus revealed to Adam that he "loved him better" (28) was also the night Charles severely beat and almost killed Adam, which makes the first direct connection to a biblical story, the story of Cain and Abel.
In this story, Cain and Abel, the sons of Adam and Eve, bring sacrifices to God. God ends up favoring Abel's sacrifice over Cain's and Cain murders his own brother out of jealousy. As punishment for his crime, God banishes Cain to Nod, the land that lies east of Eden (hmm..interesting).
Is there significance to the fact that Cain murdered his brother and Charles only attempted to? Is there a reason why Adam was not murdered as Abel was?
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