East of Eden

John Steinbeck's East of Eden reflects the theme of a person’s inner battle between “morality and immorality”. One of the important characters in the novel, Lee, a Chinese-American servant for Adam Trask and his family is considered one of the key remarkable characters in American Literature. Although just having the job title of “servant”, Lee does more than is expected of him and becomes more of a superior assistant to the Trask Family until the utmost end. In the novel, Lee, a very philosophical person, often introduces themes for the novel including the Hebrew word, “timshel”, which means “Thou mayest”. Consequently, he is depicted as being trapped by racial expectations from others and having to contain his own emotions as he can be seen…

Growing up can be a difficult task to accomplish. However, growing up with a sibling is even more challenging. This ideology is seen throughout John Steinbeck’s novel, East of Eden ,which has many different scenarios in which two siblings are pinned against each other to repeatedly compete for the love and affection of their parents, and to make a claim about who they are. John Steinbeck’s East of Eden constantly demonstrates the effects that sibling rivalry has on the characters in the story…

“But the Hebrew word, the word timshel -‘Thou mayest’ that gives a choice. It might be the most important word in the world,” cried Lee, a character in East of Eden, by John Steinbeck (add citation). Timshel originates from the biblical story of Cain and Abel. The passage in which Lee is speaking, refers to God’s words regarding Cain’s actions. In the Hebrew text, God utilizes the word “timshel” to unveil to Cain that he holds the personal authority to surpass evil, if he chooses to do so.…

East of Eden is a novel with many real life influences. One of the biggest influences in East of Eden is religion. The stories in the novel parallel stories that were told from the Bible and the stories serve as the inspiration for a large selection of the characters. Religion also works to help illustrate one important life lesson that is developed throughout the novel. FFFFFFFFFFFF To truly understand the religious themes and influences of the book, it is best to see how religion played into…

“Being rich has nothing to do with where you live and the digits in your income, yet instead everything to do with how much you can appreciate the moments in life when the smallest things hold the greatest value” (Unknown). In East of Eden by John Steinbeck, Adam Trask and his half brother Charles grow up with a dark rivalry between them. Since Adam knows the struggle of having a brother, he should understand the difficulties that his twin sons, Cal and Aron, face. With help from Lee, the…

Lily Adams Dupre- Period 4 English IV AP Seminar East of Eden: Final Writing Assignment Humans are being that are constantly trying to improve. Whether on a large scale through evolution or by immediate self improvement, this desire to be a better version of what we already are fuels much of our world. The ancient commission of a writer is to write with the purpose of provoking improvement in the readers, whether this is told through a precautionary…

In chapter 52 of East of Eden, Abra talks to Cal about why she no longer loves Aron. She says that, in childhood, their story like dreams of marriage and a happy future satisfied her. But, as she grew older, she grew to realize that she wanted more than to live in a story. This really spoke to me, as the discussion of reality and fantasy intrigues me. I find Abra’s decision to face reality and want to live in it extremely admirable, as fantasy is so often much more appealing and tempting.…

Afflictions of Being an Innocent Antagonist Love - is it a word, an emotion, a state of mind? To some, this four letter term brings a blissful, euphoric aura while others, those not fortunate enough to experience what love has to offer, get sensations of negativity and despair. Charles Trask, unwillingly, is one of those demoralized individuals. John Steinbeck’s East of Eden, while being a revelation of the story of Cain and Abel, revolves around the perception between the extent to which an…

John Steinbeck’s East of Eden draws comparisons to the Bible throughout the whole book. The allusions to the Bible help to reinforce the fight between good and evil that is at the base of East of Eden. John Steinbeck specifically uses the choices Cal makes in contrast to Cain in the Bible to demonstrate that human kind is born evil and the choices, which are based out of a lack of self-satisfaction, people make are what make them good or evil. Cal from East of Eden is written to mirror the…

In Steinbeck 's East of Eden, it follows the baroque lives the Trasks. The Trasks are flawed and dysfunctional. Cyrus, the father, struggles to keep a stable relationship with a wife while his kids are constantly fighting. Charles and Adam each have distinct struggles trying to love or be loved as well. Charles wants his father to love him, but Charles never gets his wish. Adam falls in love with Cathy, but she happens to be a demonic girl who used Adam for his money. Their constant fight for…