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Summary:
Acclaimed author John Steinbeck brings two families together in this novel in a present day setting based on the Book of Genesis, touching mainly on the stories of Adam and Eve and Cain and Abel. The families of the Trasks and the Hamiltons merge together and become a family a fortune and a family of tragedy. Adam and Charles Trask (the two sons of Cyrus and Alice Trask), were at ends with one another. Charles' dark demeanor (compared to Cain) added for the stranded relationship between him and Adam (compared to Abel). Charles knew that Cyrus always favored Adam and that Adam's wife, Cathy, was a problem. Samuel Hamilton is a respected man in California's Salinas Valley and lives a predominately successful life. Adam and Samuel befriend one another when Adam moves to Salinas Valley along with Cathy. Adam and Cathy births twins, but shows in joy in them and leaves Adam. Stunned by this, Adam shows no remorse for his sons and soon falls in a depression. Neglecting his sons for many years, Aron and Cal learn how to think and do for themselves. Readers are soon introduce to Cal's dark side. It can easily be compared to that of the behavior the Charles showed to Adam. Steinbeck strategically places the Biblical message within the pages saying that God has made each person to choose their own destiny and not be confined by that of their parents. Throughout the novel, Steinbeck mentions the importance of an individuals own identity. He makes it clear that people can easily be vulnerable to Cain's dark side but can then turn around and inherit the skill to redeem themselves.

Throughout the book the question "Is man responsible for his actions or not?" was pondered. In the end the consensus was that it is up to the individual. You are responsible for your action. If you want to be good you can and if you want to be evil you can. This corresponds to what was going on in America at that time. During the 1800s and early 1900s America was still being settled. People came from different countries to make better lives for themselves. It was up to the individual to be the best they could be and prosper or simply float by settling with what they had.
 * The American Experience:**

Adam: Father to Cal and Aron. He marries Cathy and when she leaves him, he raises the boys on the farm. Mr. and Mrs. Ames: Cathy’s parents, they do their best to provide her with a great education Mr. Edwards: Owned a whorehouse in Boston, Cathy worked for him Cathy/Kate: Kills her parents and runs away. Married Adam, had two children and left to own a whorehouse as soon as they were born. Aron: Cal’s brother, more timid than Cal, goes off to war and dies. Cal: Aron’s brother. Finds out the truth about Aron and his mother. Charlie: Adam’s brother. Beats up Adam from jealousy. Cyrus: Charlie and Adam’s father. Pretended to be a soldier. Mrs. Trask: Charlie and Adam’s mother. Dies right after Adam is born. Alice Trask: Takes the motherly figure to Adam and Charlie even though she is only a few years older than them. Lee: Chinese servant that stays at the Trask farm and helps Adam raise the boys. Abra: The girl that Aron likes and likes Aron. Then when Aron dies, she falls for Cal Faye: a sweet and motherly figure to Kate. She owns a nice whorehouse and makes a decent salary. Kate kills her to get the whorehouse. Sheriff Quinn: tracks Cathy and all her bad deeds. He convicts her of all the felonies. Samuel Hamilton: moved to Salinas Valley and inhabited a piece of land with no water. He drills for land as a job and helps the community with many tricks of the trade. Liza: Samuel’s wife, a very stern woman who doesn’t show emotion Joe: ended up working at the whorehouse Kate owns George: the oldest son Will: got rich and “fat” Tom: ended up lonely on the family farm Joe: youngest son Olive: became a teacher Dessie: comes to own a dress shop Una: has her head in the clouds Mollie: the prettiest of the girls Lizzie: eldest daughter
 * Character Reel:**
 * Hamilton Children-**

__East of Eden__ was an experience to read. With each turn of the page something new and exciting happened. There was a lot of scandal that intrigued the reader to keep reading. Steinbecks descriptions of his characters made this a book you didn't want to put down. Reading about Adams struggles with love and life added to the suspense of the book. The reader never new what the character Cathy was going to do next. The twins that were born Aron and Cal made the book more interesting as we watched them grow up. In the book there are several biblical references and many philosophical questions. By the time you finish this book you will probably have a lot of questions about humanity and its intentions. Overall this was a great American classic that everyone should enjoy.
 * Evaluation-**

http://www.steinbeck.org/EastEden.html
 * Website-**