Comparing Lee And Abra In East Of Eden By John Steinbeck

Who knew a rich young white girl and an old Chinese cook could have so much in common? Of all the characters in the book, East of Eden, by John Steinbeck, the two that seem to share the closest and purest bond are Lee and Abra. Lee is the cook for the Trasks, and Abra is the daughter of the rich county supervisor, but even though they come from very different walks of life, their differences bring them as close as their similarities do. From the beginning, Lee and Abra seem very different indeed. Lee is much, much older than Abra, and his parents are from China. A reader would not expect these two to even cross paths, especially because each character’s backstory is so different from the other. The consequences of Lee’s birth are …show more content…
While Aron is away in the military, the two interact a lot more, and come to see that they are very similar in their mindfulness. Abra has been, as Lee says, “‘a woman since the moment [she was] born.’” (pg. 743). Even as a child, Abra has been constantly analyzing things and looking out for things not many others do. This may be partly due to her childhood and treatment by her parents. Because her father wanted a boy, she wasn’t nurtured as much as other kids, and was almost forced to grow up early. She is, as a result, very mature for her age, and a much deeper thinker than many girls her age. She sees herself as a mother figure to Cal and Aron at first, and tries to help them when she first meets them. Lee has also functioned as a sort of counselor for the characters, doing much of the thinking and decision-making for Adam and his family. This connection could be one of the main forces that keep Abra and Lee close. Another relatable aspect for each of them is that neither Lee nor Abra is in a position of power. Abra is a young girl, and this book takes place during a time when women were very oppressed. Lee is a Chinese cook, and like he says, “‘...English from me they don’t listen to, and so they don’t understand it.’” (pg. 214). He is not thought of as a human being, but only as a foreign cook that doesn’t speak real English. Abra is a young girl so …show more content…
After they are friends for a while, they share so much knowledge and grow so close that the two begin to think of themselves as a family. Abra doesn’t really love her parents, because they never take her seriously, and Lee’s mother was killed when he was a baby and he hasn’t seen his father in a long time. Both lack loving families, so they both get even closer to each other. This is proven in Chapter 53, when Lee says “‘I wish you were my daughter--”’ and Abra replies with “‘I wish you were my father.’” (pg. 754). The combination of like minds and loneliness has made them wish for the other as family, which is not only slightly endearing, but also very sad, because to the general public in this book, this would seem odd or unacceptable. Lee and Abra both know this, so they don’t go around saying it. As a gesture of love, Lee gives Abra a small jade button, which had been his mother’s only possession. This is meant to signify all that Lee can give Abra. Normally it would have been passed down to Lee’s child, but since Abra is as close to his child as Lee can get he gives it to