English 2 (H) 10; 1 10/5/2003 Cain and Abel: The Symbolic Trio of Pairs “Why are you so angry? Why is your face downcast? If you do what is right‚ will you not be accepted?” so flows verse 7‚ genesis 4. In John Steinbecks novel‚ East of Eden several allusions are made to the biblical story of Cain and Abel‚ the most significant of which revolves around the idea of “timshel:” which is embodied within this quotation. Repeated through the two generations the novel spans are three examples
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Throughout the novel East of Eden‚ Lee is used to portray the importance of an individual’s ability to change their fate. His personal experience allows him to take a strong paternal role in his relationship with Adam’s son Cal and guide him through a very controversial time in his life. Lee is able to reveal the honest truth that while it may be easy to put blame on the idea fate on each action‚ humans still have the power to overcome their sinful nature. Lee’s ability to understand the truth of
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Most other countries find it odd that Americans have such patriotism . Each citizen tries to be a model of what it means to be an American. The novel East of Eden by John Steinbeck shows the American spirit and what it means to be an American. In this novel‚ the reader learns that in order to be a true American one must value education‚ have a desire to be virtuous‚ and strive to be an individual. Education is a major part of being an American. Eacher person wants to a contributor to society‚
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In East of Eden by John Steinbeck‚ the individual family members earn their love only after struggling through loneliness‚ rejection‚ and sin caused by other family members. Strength comes from love and weakness comes from loneliness. When faced with the absence of their loved ones‚ characters crack and become feeble. The “darkness” that surrounds Adam leaves him ignoring his children for the first‚ vital years of their lives (Steinbeck 258). When Catherine leaves Adam‚ Adam becomes weak. However
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In East of Eden‚ John Steinbeck‚ the author‚ introduces two families; the Hamilton family and the Trask family on Part I of the novel. The Hamilton family is warm and big‚ unlike the Trask family which is small and cold. The families are both run by the father; each of them raises them differently though. One through good will and the other through inheritance and rules. Although they run the family completely different‚ how they run it determines how their children turn out to be. The Trask’s and
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than a feeling of rejection. In East of Eden and The Kite Runner‚ many characters find the task of love daunting and insufficient to their expectations. Love presents itself in every aspect of both novels and therefore is a major theme. Whether it was love from family or lovers‚ both novels explore the idea of unrequited love and its consequences on the characters lifelong journeys. The theme of love is a major underlying cause of many problems within East of Eden for it creates a feeling of rejection
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WORLD CONNECTION QUESTION: How does the competition between good and evil in East of Eden relate to good and evil in the world we live in today? The narrator of East of Eden notes that the contest between good and evil stems from the recurring nature of human history. There is a direct correlation to the story of Cain and Abel throughout the entire novel and it is also inferred that mankind has struggled with overcoming evil since the time of Adam and Eve. The narrator states that when someone looks
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good and evil to the acts of brotherhood‚ all of them had an effect. In the largest book of Steinbecks‚ East of Eden‚ he shows one of the most famous of themes in the majority of books. Being the struggle between good and evil. He states that its his opinion that this theme is a recurring object in human history. He even makes the statement that “there is no other story.”(East of Eden‚ XV) The story being written of the Christian tradition gave representatives of Adam and Eve from the bible
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William Hall once said‚ “People have a lot in common with one another‚ whether they see that or not.” This fact was made evident through reading The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseni and East of Eden by John Steinbeck‚ two novels about the lives of people thousands of miles apart but take on the similar challenges and try to lead decent and fulfilling lives. There were minute differences between the novels‚ but for the most part the books were very similar. Through analyzing themes‚ motifs and symbols
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narrator in East of Eden‚ John Steinbeck says that there is only "one story in the world"‚ that of good and evil (Steinbeck 412). The original story of good and evil can be traced back to the biblical tale of Cain and Abel‚ from which Steinbeck picked his title and formed many central characters around. In his novel East of Eden‚ John Steinbeck explores the constant collision between good and evil and forms a parallel between his story and that of Cain and Abel. In his criticism of East of Eden by John
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