East of Eden
As my generation emerges from the high-school-mandated-who-gives-a-shit-about-reading phase, it’s fun to revisit classics that we formerly shunned. John Steinbeck is a respected author of storytelling gold. The guy knows how to capture and retain your attention. Many of you have probably read Of Mice and Men--which is a wonderful novella-- but to spice it up, I chose a work slightly off the beaten path: East of Eden.
This book is not for the faint of heart—my copy is a cool 691 pages. Still, he kept me genuinely interested throughout. Of course, I was most intrigued by the cover...
What is this absurdly-mustached man sitting uncomfortably in a field brooding over? Why is this suspicious-looking woman creepily staring at him from a short distance? And if there is an umbrella involved, it’s probably way too hot for that overdone getup. I have more questions than I have answers, but if a book looks like this, best believe I’m gonna buy it.
Steinbeck includes eternal themes that don’t lose relevancy. Based on the title, I assumed it would have a lot of religious stuff. Naturally, that is the case, but religious-wary readers-- don’t be put off! It’s mostly concerned with Christian allegory and good vs. evil. He uses Cain and Able as inspiration for some of his characters. The biblical story goes something like this: Cain and Abel are Adam and Eve’s sons, which means they’ve inherited the consequences of original sin. Both boys bring an offering to the Lord based on their particular beginning-of-the-world career choices. God rebuffs Cain’s and smiles favorably upon Abel’s. Cain gets pissed at Abel and kills him. The Almighty confronts Cain, probably because there’s like four people in the world at this point and he’s looking hella shady, and casts the boy out of his sight and into the “east of Eden” (Steinbeck, 308). But first, God marks Cain so that no one can kill him. So, even though Cain is homicidal, God preserves him. Abel probably rolled over in his grave wishing he had given God a shittier gift.
That ending isn’t easy to digest—it skews our sense of justice. Steinbeck taps into that distortion and tries to work out how rejection, wrath, crime, revenge, guilt, respect, and love intertwine with one’s moral compass. The general takeaway: man has a choice to triumph over wickedness and there is glory associated with that victory.
The majority of the sinfulness in East of Eden stems from dishonesty. Dishonesty is tantamount to murder because when a lie is uncovered, it shatters a beautiful Eden-esque world that was originally intact. What someone once thought to be true is killed. Money, acquired purely or impurely, can often be a driving force for lies. When that dough is passed down, children can unknowingly become heir to a set of falsehoods. Moreover, parents are like Gods to their offspring; so, if (when) they’re caught in a lie, it’s not received well. The kid not only questions why his parent is capable of duplicity but also wonders if he himself is skilled at that kind of deceit. Is it in his blood? Even all the way from Cain? Steinbeck’s story is long because it needs to be. He’s showing readers an extended line of inheritance of good AND evil qualities and how those fluctuate between generations.
Also, I like how Steinbeck portrays women. He uses strong female characters who prove clever in both their deception and righteousness. Overall, if you’re looking for an older novel that has stood the test of time, look no further. I give it 4 out of 5 flames.
PS: I’ve read more Steinbeck since this original review. Check out my reviews of these novels: Tortilla Flat, The Red Pony, and The Pearl. Deffffinitely check out my review of his travelogue Travels with Charley in Search for America, because that book rooks.
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