East of Eden

by John Steinbeck

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In a word: Timshel

In a sentence: The Salinas Valley witnesses the birth, growth, and death of generations of Trasks and Hamiltons.

Synopsis: This generational tale depicts the early years of settlers in the Salinas Valley in California. Interwoven amongst the family histories are religious allegories, and contemplations of the American spirit.

Reactions: Steinbeck breathes life into the Salinas Valley, and hope into the allegory of Cain and Abel. He expertly interweaves the growth of California via settler farmers in with moments of thought-provoking introspection about human nature. There is a sincere, almost child-like joyfulness to East of Eden. It expands a love for the earth and its beauty, and love for man and his toilings and tales.

The allegory of Cain and Abel is the crowning achievement of this novel. By discussing Cain’s capacity for sin and redemption through the lives of different characters, Steinbeck provides a broader commentary on human choice. Also, by supplementing the word ‘may’ into the allegory, Steinbeck empowers Trask boys through the generations with the strength to break free from predestiny, genetics, and the bad examples that came before them, and choose to break the cycle of sin. The word ‘may’ represents human freedom in its purest form.

This is a novel about classic Americanism, and Steinbeck takes the time to paint a picture of early America that examines all its nuance. He tells the story of the Salinas Valley as a story of names. He celebrates the importance of innovation and provides prime examples of the American ‘bootstraps’ concept in Chris Hamilton in particular. East of Eden is a novel of immigrants, and Steinbeck provides direct commentary against stereotypes with his portrayal of Lee. There is also an exceptional passage towards the end of the novel which examines what it means to be an American, including our common heritage, and the shared proclivities that brought our ancestors to this country.

Read if: you’re craving a delicious American classic.