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A review by kamrynkoble
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
5.0
Steinbeck states that all authors have a "book," and that every one leading up to it is simply practice. East of Eden is Steinbeck's "book," the one stored inside of him for years.
As many reviewers have already stated, it is much too simplistic to say that this book is a retelling of Cain and Able. Cal (Cain) and Aron (Able) don't enter the story until the last section - it commences with their grandfather. There's something beautiful about a generational story. East of Eden doesn't seem unfocused, it's epic. It sweeps over the Salinas Valley covering countless lives, all interesting respectively, connected by overarching, brilliant threads.
I'm reading this for my English final project, and I went in knowing I was doing a character study. I had my trusty yellow highlighter ready and was prepared to only mark character notes - yeah, that didn't last long. Steinbeck inserts way too much brilliance for shoddy annotation. It was a consistent battle to decide which three people would get reports and portraits. Now that I'm finished, I've decided - Lee, Cathy, and Cal. Lee is Good, Cathy is Bad, and Cal is a delicious mix of both.
It's demeaning to call Cal a reproduction of a man who murdered his brother out of spite and jealousy; however, according to Cal, he did. The important thing is the depth of Cal, how he sees himself as "bad" and yet recognizes this - he's bad but he doesn't really want to be that way. It's rich and it's human. He craves his father's acceptance more than anything and is an uncanny motif of his Uncle Charles, sacrificing everything to buy his father's love, only to have the gift discarded. Adam's gift of "timshel" to his son at the end - thou mayest - could not have wrapped the story up better.
Where do I even begin with Lee? He was crafted with expertise and utmost prowess. The racism toward him as a Chinese man was quite consistent, slurs I don't ever hear in 2017. Lee is intelligent, quiet, subdued, and wise - he's a storm in his own clarity.
Then Cathy, my word, Cathy. I don't know if I've ever read a character before who is more the devil than this "woman." I found it quite interesting how Steinbeck always mentions her sharp nails and pointy teeth and lack of breasts, breasts that aren't able to feed her children - she hardly seems human, or woman. She is physically unable to nurture her children and pass more of her lifeblood to them. When Cal finally confronted her and realized he does not have to be his mother, it was a moment of triumph. I suppose Cathy is the Eve figure, forbidden fruit and all of that jazz, but she seems more like the serpent in the end.
Everyone knows this is a great work. I don't have to prove that to you. But I would love to just chat and analyze - it's too brilliant to skim (even though I would glance over the bits about the war that didn't propel the story forward, don't shoot me). Please, let's talk!
As many reviewers have already stated, it is much too simplistic to say that this book is a retelling of Cain and Able. Cal (Cain) and Aron (Able) don't enter the story until the last section - it commences with their grandfather. There's something beautiful about a generational story. East of Eden doesn't seem unfocused, it's epic. It sweeps over the Salinas Valley covering countless lives, all interesting respectively, connected by overarching, brilliant threads.
I'm reading this for my English final project, and I went in knowing I was doing a character study. I had my trusty yellow highlighter ready and was prepared to only mark character notes - yeah, that didn't last long. Steinbeck inserts way too much brilliance for shoddy annotation. It was a consistent battle to decide which three people would get reports and portraits. Now that I'm finished, I've decided - Lee, Cathy, and Cal. Lee is Good, Cathy is Bad, and Cal is a delicious mix of both.
It's demeaning to call Cal a reproduction of a man who murdered his brother out of spite and jealousy; however, according to Cal, he did. The important thing is the depth of Cal, how he sees himself as "bad" and yet recognizes this - he's bad but he doesn't really want to be that way. It's rich and it's human. He craves his father's acceptance more than anything and is an uncanny motif of his Uncle Charles, sacrificing everything to buy his father's love, only to have the gift discarded. Adam's gift of "timshel" to his son at the end - thou mayest - could not have wrapped the story up better.
Where do I even begin with Lee? He was crafted with expertise and utmost prowess. The racism toward him as a Chinese man was quite consistent, slurs I don't ever hear in 2017. Lee is intelligent, quiet, subdued, and wise - he's a storm in his own clarity.
Then Cathy, my word, Cathy. I don't know if I've ever read a character before who is more the devil than this "woman." I found it quite interesting how Steinbeck always mentions her sharp nails and pointy teeth and lack of breasts, breasts that aren't able to feed her children - she hardly seems human, or woman. She is physically unable to nurture her children and pass more of her lifeblood to them. When Cal finally confronted her and realized he does not have to be his mother, it was a moment of triumph. I suppose Cathy is the Eve figure, forbidden fruit and all of that jazz, but she seems more like the serpent in the end.
Everyone knows this is a great work. I don't have to prove that to you. But I would love to just chat and analyze - it's too brilliant to skim (even though I would glance over the bits about the war that didn't propel the story forward, don't shoot me). Please, let's talk!