East of Eden. John Steinbeck. 1952.

A good story connects the audience with the lives of its characters. It provides enough detail to create a believable reality and enough meaning to compel the audience to imagine themselves in the characters' shoes. 

The best stories persist in our culture because the details that matter are timeless, making the conditions of life that change over time less important. On a timescale, the oldest stories are the simplest. Old stories are archetypal. They serve as the foundation of our understanding about ourselves and our relationship with each other and the natural world. More recent stories tend to be the most detailed on the surface. They have settings and challenges that the audience can relate to. Unlike older stories, they haven't eroded after years of being retold. But, because they have not yet been time-tested, it is possible that their allure is simply a consequence of the similarities of their surface details, as opposed to depth and meaning. 

East of Eden is a novel that links very old stories to a more recent story. It is essentially a retelling of Cain and Abel, set in early America. In this way it adds incredible detail to the biblical fable, while adding deep meaning to the condition of American life. The novel is beautiful, sad and profoundly true.

The story revolves around two sets of brothers, primarily in the Salinas Valley around the beginning of the 20th century. The first set of brothers, Adam and Charles, are the sons of Civil War Private Cyrus Trask. Cyrus, due more to his story telling abilities than his experience in war, becomes an important figure in the US military. Both sons hold him in great esteem. It is due to this esteem that his apparent favor towards Adam causes the younger brother Charles to resent and in one case nearly kill his sibling.

The second set of brothers are the twins Cal and Aron. It is never clear who fathers them, Adam or Charles, but they move with Adam to the Salinas Valley which is where the bulk of the story is told. The two brothers have a relationship similar to that of their father and uncle. Aron is likable, strong, popular and favored by his father. Cal is darker, complex, and in several situations not favored by his father.

Unlike Charles, however, Cal does not approach his resentment toward his brother with outward violence. He is more calculating, learning at an early age how to play his brother against others. He subtly teases and mocks the affection people automatically show Aron, finding ways to create situations where both his brother and the people who favor him feel rejected and hurt.

Both sets of brothers are allusions to Cain and Abel, a story so old that it has been worn down to 16 verses in the King James Bible (consolidated into paragraphs for space). Steinbeck makes an argument about the real meaning of this story that is described in the link below ("thou shalt"). Technically, this link gives away a critical theme of the novel, but even if you intend on reading the novel and don't want any spoilers, I encourage you to read it.

And Adam knew his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD. And she again bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.

And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel and to his offering: but unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell.

And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is they countenance fallen? If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him. And the LORD said unto Cain, Where is Abel they brother? And he said, I know not: Am I my brother's keeper?

And he said, What has thou done? the voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. And now art thou cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand; When thou tillest the ground, it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and a vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.

And Cain said unto the LORD, My punishment is greater than I can bear. Behold, thou hast driven me out this day from the face of the earth; and from they face shall I be hid; and I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond in the earth; and it shall come to pass, that every one that findeth me shall slay me.

And the LORD said unto him, Therefore whoever slayeth Cain, vengeance shall be taken on him sevenfold. And the LORD set a mark upon Cain, lest any finding him should kill him. And Cain went out from the presence of the LORD, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden.

In an effort to help articulate what makes East of Eden such a wonderful novel, consider these elements of the Cain and Abel story:

• Cain, the unfavored brother, is apparently the father of the entire human race. We are all marked with the curse of his crime.
• This mark is not a part of Cain's punishment. Cain's punishment is being ejected from paradise. The mark is for Cain's protection, an act of mercy shown by God to ease his punishment.
• Abel was favored by God, but this does not mean Cain was necessarily rejected or inherently evil. Cain acted not out of malice, but out of love for God. A love that he felt was not returned.

As you can see, there is so much more to this fable than just what is on the surface. It is not simply about good versus evil. Using the two sets of brothers in East of Eden as instruments, Steinbeck creates a symphony of allusions to Cain and Abel. Cain's struggle repeats itself in multiple generations of Trasks in Salinas Valley and reverberates into the rest of the characters.

This topic, however, is just the foundation of Steinbeck's study in the human condition. The book is filled with poignant explorations into traits and truths we all share. A quick example:

In human affairs of danger and delicacy successful conclusion is sharply limited by hurry. So often men trip by being in a rush. If one were properly to perform a difficult and subtle act, he should first inspect the end to be achieved and then, once he had accepted the end as desirable, he should forget it completely and concentrate solely on the means. By this method he would not be moved to false action by anxiety or hurry or fear. Very few people learn this.

At times in the novel, whole paragraphs diverge from the story being told to plumb the depths of the people involved.

East of Eden connects a description of human life at the dawn of our nation to an outline of human nature at the dawn of our species (literally or figuratively depending on your beliefs). In doing so, it connects American life to a view of human life, in all its beauty, cruelty and depth. In this way it becomes less of a story than a meta-story, a story about the foundational stories of our culture. 

There is so much to this book, so much more than I can express here. In convincing you to read it, I will leave you with this closing argument. Steinbeck is one of the great American authors, and he considered this novel his best work.

When he finished East of Eden, Steinbeck placed his 250,000 word manuscript into a mahogany box he had carved and sent it to his friend Pascal (Pat) Covici. The note he placed on top became the dedication page of the novel.

Dear Pat,
You came upon me carving some kind of little figure out of wood and you said, "Why don't you make something for me?"
I asked you what you wanted, and you said, "A box."
"What for?"
"To put things in."
"What things?"
"Whatever you have," you said.
Well, here's your box. Nearly everything I have is in it, and it is not full. Pain and excitement are in it, and feeling good or bad and evil thoughts and good thoughts - the pleasure of design and some despair and the indescribable joy of creation.
And of top of these are all the gratitude and love I have for you.
And still the box is not full.

After reading this novel, I don't think there is a better way to describe it. East of Eden is a box, and nearly everything is in it.