Do Not Enter My Eden

This road sign represents Charles Trask in John Steinbeck’s East of Eden.  Charles is the true human definition of a loner. He has a self-made lock on his true feelings and suppresses his true opinions. Charles never really lets anyone in; not even close enough to know the true pains of his life. In terms of the biblical story of Cain and Able the red and the very word stop on the sign is like the mark that Cain received. This mark is thought to protect them both, but in Charles’ case it protects him from getting too close to people. “The poor bastard” is how he referred to his own brother before receiving his brother’s newly wedded wife. The red on the sign - his persona - warns people of the danger they might face as they try to get close to him. This is one of the reasons why he could see right through Cathy – they were the same; cold hearts. Although he is the one that makes everyone stay away he is left in fact lonely. Charles creates a façade that makes people think that he does not need any help.

East of Eden Part 3 

Cathy was very afraid when Adam first walked through her door. Her eyes were expressionless and her hands were shaking a little. The uncertainty of what Adam was going to do or how he was going to react left her at a standstill; she was frozen for a short second. Steinbeck conveyed Cathy's physical decline at that time as someone who was knocked a few steps back. She was not in the same light as she was when she was with Adam; she is no longer the goddess that can manipulate and control Adam Trask. It was noticeable, "Adam saw her hair, her scar, her lips...and flat breasts." Adam responded to her quite calmly and pleasantly. He did what he needed and when she spoke "he laughed pleasantly." (pg 318 - 319)

East of Eden part 3

Steinbeck reveled that Charles and Cathy had sexual relations in chapter 11 and in chapter 30 Charles dies from some lung related illness. Charles' fortune was to be divided equally between Cathy and Adam under the circumstance that they are both still alive. Charles did only brother away and drunk himself to impudence. (pg 133) He was also uncertain if he was the one who planted the seed of life into Cathy - this justifies giving her some of is fortune in the case that Adam found out. Throughout the book Charles never really seemed to have a good relationship with anyone or anything but his alcohol. Leaving them - the closest people in his life - his fortune is like leaving them apart of him. He leaves them something that would keep him with them even after death. And the division of the money would keep them together in some way or form. 

East of Eden Part 3

"If Aron should come upon a anthill..he would lie on his stomach and watch...If ...Cal came upon the same anthill, he would kick it to pieces.." (pg 348.) Aron is a calm and collective soul. He is sensitive and open and even his affection towards others is compared to that of a puppy. Based on the description Cal is seen as more of an aggressive soul. He would go out of his way to kick the ants' home to pieces just to see them run in terror. He prays on the puppy like emotions or the weaknesses in others. Cal finds  joy "and the sense of triumph" in the destruction of controlled ambiance. 

East of Eden Part 2

The Theme of Good Vs. Evil

Throughout part two a reader could see the struggle faced between the ideas of good and evil - the idea of a man with morals and one without. It is even indebted in part one. In part two the story of Cain and Able is brought up - the story of a brother who struggles between being a good follower of god by producing a good gift and the evil of his jealousy. Cain's jealousy or the evil inside him takes over and sends him on the path of no return; he killed his brother because God favored Abel's gift over his. At the end of part two while engaged in the discussion of the story the idea of sin following humankind throughout centuries came to the light. "We are Cain's children," - the fruits from a tree of pure sin. (pg. 270)

East of Eden Part 2

The story of Cain and Abel was very dominant throughout the novel due to its similarity to the lives of the characters. Steinbeck clearly hints throughout the novel at the biblical similarities. The relationship between Charles and Adam can be connected to the Cain and Able story - for example. As Samuel read the story of Cain and Able, Adam was stuck reminiscent of a time when he was angry at god. "I remember being a little outraged at God... God accepted Able and rejected Cain." He never understood why it is that God favored one gift over the other. (pg. 269) Charles and Adam presented Cyrus with a gift and Adam's gift was favored. The rejection fueled his rage - he beat his brother half way to death. (Pg 30 - 31) Steinbeck had Samuel read the story because it seemed like his place to enlighten Adam. 

East of Eden Part 2

Throughout the novel there is fine detail about the characters and the buildup of their families. Steinbeck simply went into great detail when describing the life of Olivia Hamilton. He praised her for she is his mother. The chapter was neither widely intrusive nor was it inappropriate. It was just an example of Steinbeck's ambition to write an novel in an unrestricted style. Based on chapter 14, the reason why this novel may be for his sons is because it emphasizes the value of family all throughout the chapters. (pg. 148 - 149)

East of Eden Part 2

"The free exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world." (pg.132) The freedom to voice one's opinion is very important and may come with whiplash. Freedom of the mind may leave a person open to being manipulated because everyone wants to be able to trust and accept people in today's society. Everyone wants to believe that the people on the other side of the fence has the same or even better moral values than oneself - that everyone is good. Adam and Faye are both blind; they are blind to Cathy's true nature. Cathy is a very manipulative person and she takes her victims anywhere she can get them. She prays on them like a snake prays on its dinner. Their belief that there is good in everyone leaves them both wide open for being taken advantage of. She makes them feel better about their situation just by being there. She creates a type of ambiance that makes Adam for example forget anything bad - about her or anything else. "Burned in his mind ... nothing Cathy did or said could warp Adam's Cathy." (pg. 133) 

Love and Hate as a Major Theme 

Love and hate is a concept seen throughout sections of part one of the novel, East of Eden. Understanding the concept of love and hate can be confusing at time because one cannot tell them apart from time to time. At the bottom of page 20 Steinbeck allows Charles to open up about how much he cares for his brother - like a "blind puppy". It leaves the reader to wonder how is it that one could care for a blind puppy and beat it so badly that it has to stay in one place for more than a day. The concepts fight to stand out but end up canceling each other out. There are times when each concept stood by itself - "He developed a love for poor people he could not have conceived if he had not been poor himself." (referring to Adam Pg. 57)

E.O.E Part 1 

Steinbeck presents storytelling as a major part of the lives of the people in the Salinas Valley. Storytelling is what brings the people of the community and family members together. It also presents a common pastime within families. Samuel Hamilton and Cyrus Trask are the two big storytellers in the Valley. A though they are both good storytellers the effects and the purpose of their stories are different. While Samuel tells stories for entertainment and joy Cyrus tells stories to make himself look good (Pg. 10). Cyrus is the type of person that makes people want to present themselves in a more positive light and that is what his stories do as well. Cyrus's stories on the other hand misleads people into thinking that he is a great war hero and that he has done many amazing things in his career as a military man (Pg.17). Steinbeck is a fictional storyteller. He tells stories of happenings in his life and things he has observed around him. His stories demonstrate these things but in such an order that it seems fictional.

E.O.E Part 1

Samuel Hamilton is an upstanding citizen. He is they type of person that everyone admires - a great roll model to a certain extent. Samuel was a man of great moral and as an result anyone in his presence felt a need to be better. He created such an positive impression that even the most vulgar persons would silence their profanity; even if it was just for the time they were spending on his farm. He was a hardworking man with the ability to create wonderful things with his hands - "his hands were clever." (Pg. 8) Samuel was not one to prosper in the world of business, but his willingness to strive helped to uplift his family. While Samuel was scrupulously honest Cyrus Trask was not. Cyrus Trask, a former military man found a way to make himself well known and more liked. He lied to his family about the battles among other things he did while in the war. While the Hamilton family has their issues - no one family is perfect - their glue was love and honesty. Their glue was based upon moral standards while the Trask family was built upon lies told by Cyrus. 

The Beginning to a New Project

Everyday something new happens - phenomenons that may or may not be explainable - but along with that comes great learning opportunities that must not be taken for granted.