[Editor's note: This essay by Roxane Park, Grade 8, Crossroads Academy, is a response to Banned Books Week, which is this week.]Words Worth Saving: John Steinbeck's East of Eden
“It would be absurd if we did not understand both
angels and devils, since we invented them.”
~ John Steinbeck, East of Eden
Since the time of Adam and Eve, humans have been inclined to view good and evil, virtue and vice, as two separate entities. We see an individual as trapped between a holy being and a snake, contemplating their decision before finally succumbing to the ethical word of one or the tempting lure of another. We see two possibilities, two contrasting choices, two qualities that it seems could never co-exist. We see a good person. We see an evil person. We see white; we see black. But it is rare for us to see the gray.
Should the practice of book burning return, and the dystopian world of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 become reality, the work I would unhesitatingly commit to memory is the American author John Steinbeck’s East of Eden. Published in 1952, the narrative explores aspects of human thought and character that I believe should never disappear from this world. Especially in a society where a totalitarian regime attempts to influence the thoughts and actions of the people, it is essential to understand that both good and evil reside within each person. However, given our personal circumstances, we are each given the ability to choose which of the two will constitute our lives, which of the two will manifest and determine the kind of person we will become.
Set in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, East of Eden follows the intertwined stories of the Hamilton and Trask families, inhabitants of the dry but beautiful Salinas Valley of California. Much of the story is composed in first-person narrative, relying on Steinbeck’s memories from his childhood and including many detailed descriptions of his hometown. The Hamilton family was created based on the author’s own maternal family, and included many characters inspired by his non-fictional relatives: the charismatic but aging grandfather Samuel Hamilton, the orderly grandmother Liza, the headstrong mother Olive Hamilton, and her eight siblings. The Trask family, conceived entirely by Steinbeck’s imagination, is defined by the striking similarity between their stories and that of Cain and Abel from the book of Genesis. First the half-brothers, Charles and Adam, and then Adam’s sons along with the singularly wicked Cathy, Caleb and Aron, re-enact the stories of rejection, love, and rivalry present in the first book of the Old Testament. In almost identical stories, the stereotypically “evil” brothers, Charles and Cal, are spurned and rejected by their fathers, while the angelic and “good” brothers, Adam and Aron, are given the attention so yearned for by their siblings. With these two pairs of rival brothers, Steinbeck clearly offers us a view into the constant battle between good and evil, both between different people and within each of the characters. While Cal struggles to overcome his seemingly inherent “mean” (Steinbeck 377) ways in an attempt to gain his father’s love, Aron is forced to confront the possibility of the existence of evil in himself inherited from his mother. These conflicts ultimately lead to the acceptance of one of the twins and the destruction of the other. Through these two characters, Steinbeck displays to us the battle between each of their two sides, and that we must recognize and learn to accept the existence of duality within ourselves.
Perhaps Steinbeck’s principal message in East of Eden can be described with a single word—timshel, which he stylized to be the Hebrew word meaning “thou mayest,” and although the word may not exist, Steinbeck uses its idea to portray his idea that everyone has the ability to choose what kind of person they will be, describing it as a word the Lord used while speaking to Cain. Samuel read, “And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. And the Lord said unto Cain, ‘Why art thou wroth? And why is thy 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.’ ” (266)
Lee’s hand shook as he filled the delicate cups. He drank his down in one gulp. “Don’t you see?” he cried. “The American Standard translation orders men to triumph over sin, and you can call sin ignorance. The King James translation makes a promise in ‘Thou shalt,’ meaning that men will surely triumph over sin. But the Hebrew word, the word timshel—‘Thou mayest’—that gives a choice. It might be the most important word in the world. That says the way is open. That throws it right back on a man. For if ‘Thou mayest’—it is also true that ‘Thou mayest not.’ Don’t you see?” (301)
Lee, the Trask family’s Chinese cook, brings this passage to the attention of Samuel Hamilton and Adam Trask while they discuss possible names from the Bible for the twin Trask boys. The man, although outwardly seeming to be a stereotypical unintelligent immigrant, is identified as one of the most loyal, thoughtful, and perceptive characters as the story progresses, often making insightful comments and offering experienced advice to the people around him.
In a way, this passage encompasses the entirety of the novel. At first glance, Steinbeck characterizes each member of the Trask family as an extreme example of an inherently “good” (345) or “evil” (71) person. Charles is overly violent, constantly directing his anger into assaulting his brother, while Adam is nothing but obedient to his father, secure in believing only the best in people, and so refuses to notice the corruption so evident in his wife. Cathy is described as a “monster” (131), refusing to believe that humans can possibly possess positive qualities, and after using Adam’s security and wealth to recover, she shoots him in the shoulder and abandons her newly born sons to relapse into prostitution in the nearby city of Salinas. Behind her, she leaves a trail of destruction and death, but few can anticipate her intentions. Having a mother with these qualities, her older son, the seemingly cold and brooding Cal, is devastated by the fact that he too, may be fundamentally “evil.” He constantly battles with his inclination to lie and use other’s pain, while envying his brother’s natural goodness, eventually revealing to Aron what kind of person their mother is, and causing him to enlist in the military, where he dies in combat. And Aron, who seems to be born with all the natural righteousness and virtue of the two, possesses a personality almost identical to that of his father, painting exactly the same distorted, perfect image of the girl he believes he loves, Abra, that Adam did of Cathy.
However, Steinbeck emphasizes that these characters, as with all other humans, are born possessing both good and evil—both virtue and vice—within themselves. He considers the possibility that we are able to change what we believe we are “born into” being. To illustrate this we turn to the young Caleb Trask, the protagonist of the novel during its later sections. The boy grew up believing himself to be incapable of good, but over time is able to change and develop as he accepts Lee’s idea of timshel and the possibility that he has the power to redeem himself and follow the essentially “good” path. Regardless of his immoral actions in the past, Cal is able to reform himself and become a person perhaps even more virtuous than his brother. Although he envied his brother, Cal merely longed for his father to return the fierce love he has for him and the parental approval that we all desire. Although he causes his brother’s death and falls in love with Aron’s fiancé, he eventually makes Abra happy by loving her for being her in a way that his brother never could. And at the resolution of the story, his father assures him that he is able to choose the virtuous path and finally accepts him with his dying breath.
Timshel.
“Thou mayest, Thou mayest! What glory!” (307)
Steinbeck, though, did not intend to claim that anybody can come near to achieving perfect “goodness” or “badness” by simply resolving what they desire to be. “In uncertainty I am certain that,” he reflects, “underneath their topmost layers of frailty men want to be good and want to be loved. Indeed, most of their vices are attempted short cuts to love” (412). We may decide to be good but reform in no way, with the belief that we are already everything that defines it. And in order to reform ourselves, it is necessary to take a step away, evaluate, and recognize what we are lacking in. Nor did he mean to say that anyone was capable of truly being virtuous in all aspects, but rather, that a willing person has the ability to “conquer” and control the side they believe to be “evil.” It cannot be said that there are universal definitions for the concepts of “good” and “evil.” Even by attempting to define such complex and ambiguous ideas, even further questions are raised and must be considered. “Goodness” has a slightly different meaning for each individual, determined by the qualities they recognize to be lacking. One person’s idea of “good” might be to be admirably honest, another’s to be faithfully religious; another’s to be both, and more. Regardless of what “good” and “evil” imply for you, East of Eden clearly voices the opinion that we all have the potential to choose our own path, our own direction, our own life. The novel not only explores the contrast between good and evil, but also gives us a window into the different aspects of human character, thought, and motives that will be true for eternity.
East of Eden is an enigmatic and perplexing novel. Through a captivating and astonishing plot, John Steinbeck weaves many of his thoughts about people’s intentions and the endless colors of the human soul. He expresses the idea that all humans have within them both good and evil, while highlighting that every individual is given the opportunity to choose, based on their circumstances, which course they will follow. With the world timshel, we are free to be the people that we want to be. Because “thou mayest,” once we have stepped back and recognized what we aren’t, we can decide what we want to become. No matter what other people may judge us to be, no matter what we may believe we were born to be, East of Eden offers the entirety of humanity something that not all people may consider: that we can choose to be good.
“It would be absurd if we did not understand both
angels and devils, since we invented them.”
~ John Steinbeck, East of Eden
Since the time of Adam and Eve, humans have been inclined to view good and evil, virtue and vice, as two separate entities. We see an individual as trapped between a holy being and a snake, contemplating their decision before finally succumbing to the ethical word of one or the tempting lure of another. We see two possibilities, two contrasting choices, two qualities that it seems could never co-exist. We see a good person. We see an evil person. We see white; we see black. But it is rare for us to see the gray.
Should the practice of book burning return, and the dystopian world of Ray Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 become reality, the work I would unhesitatingly commit to memory is the American author John Steinbeck’s East of Eden. Published in 1952, the narrative explores aspects of human thought and character that I believe should never disappear from this world. Especially in a society where a totalitarian regime attempts to influence the thoughts and actions of the people, it is essential to understand that both good and evil reside within each person. However, given our personal circumstances, we are each given the ability to choose which of the two will constitute our lives, which of the two will manifest and determine the kind of person we will become.
Set in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, East of Eden follows the intertwined stories of the Hamilton and Trask families, inhabitants of the dry but beautiful Salinas Valley of California. Much of the story is composed in first-person narrative, relying on Steinbeck’s memories from his childhood and including many detailed descriptions of his hometown. The Hamilton family was created based on the author’s own maternal family, and included many characters inspired by his non-fictional relatives: the charismatic but aging grandfather Samuel Hamilton, the orderly grandmother Liza, the headstrong mother Olive Hamilton, and her eight siblings. The Trask family, conceived entirely by Steinbeck’s imagination, is defined by the striking similarity between their stories and that of Cain and Abel from the book of Genesis. First the half-brothers, Charles and Adam, and then Adam’s sons along with the singularly wicked Cathy, Caleb and Aron, re-enact the stories of rejection, love, and rivalry present in the first book of the Old Testament. In almost identical stories, the stereotypically “evil” brothers, Charles and Cal, are spurned and rejected by their fathers, while the angelic and “good” brothers, Adam and Aron, are given the attention so yearned for by their siblings. With these two pairs of rival brothers, Steinbeck clearly offers us a view into the constant battle between good and evil, both between different people and within each of the characters. While Cal struggles to overcome his seemingly inherent “mean” (Steinbeck 377) ways in an attempt to gain his father’s love, Aron is forced to confront the possibility of the existence of evil in himself inherited from his mother. These conflicts ultimately lead to the acceptance of one of the twins and the destruction of the other. Through these two characters, Steinbeck displays to us the battle between each of their two sides, and that we must recognize and learn to accept the existence of duality within ourselves.
Perhaps Steinbeck’s principal message in East of Eden can be described with a single word—timshel, which he stylized to be the Hebrew word meaning “thou mayest,” and although the word may not exist, Steinbeck uses its idea to portray his idea that everyone has the ability to choose what kind of person they will be, describing it as a word the Lord used while speaking to Cain. Samuel read, “And Cain was very wroth, and his countenance fell. And the Lord said unto Cain, ‘Why art thou wroth? And why is thy 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.’ ” (266)
Lee’s hand shook as he filled the delicate cups. He drank his down in one gulp. “Don’t you see?” he cried. “The American Standard translation orders men to triumph over sin, and you can call sin ignorance. The King James translation makes a promise in ‘Thou shalt,’ meaning that men will surely triumph over sin. But the Hebrew word, the word timshel—‘Thou mayest’—that gives a choice. It might be the most important word in the world. That says the way is open. That throws it right back on a man. For if ‘Thou mayest’—it is also true that ‘Thou mayest not.’ Don’t you see?” (301)
Lee, the Trask family’s Chinese cook, brings this passage to the attention of Samuel Hamilton and Adam Trask while they discuss possible names from the Bible for the twin Trask boys. The man, although outwardly seeming to be a stereotypical unintelligent immigrant, is identified as one of the most loyal, thoughtful, and perceptive characters as the story progresses, often making insightful comments and offering experienced advice to the people around him.
In a way, this passage encompasses the entirety of the novel. At first glance, Steinbeck characterizes each member of the Trask family as an extreme example of an inherently “good” (345) or “evil” (71) person. Charles is overly violent, constantly directing his anger into assaulting his brother, while Adam is nothing but obedient to his father, secure in believing only the best in people, and so refuses to notice the corruption so evident in his wife. Cathy is described as a “monster” (131), refusing to believe that humans can possibly possess positive qualities, and after using Adam’s security and wealth to recover, she shoots him in the shoulder and abandons her newly born sons to relapse into prostitution in the nearby city of Salinas. Behind her, she leaves a trail of destruction and death, but few can anticipate her intentions. Having a mother with these qualities, her older son, the seemingly cold and brooding Cal, is devastated by the fact that he too, may be fundamentally “evil.” He constantly battles with his inclination to lie and use other’s pain, while envying his brother’s natural goodness, eventually revealing to Aron what kind of person their mother is, and causing him to enlist in the military, where he dies in combat. And Aron, who seems to be born with all the natural righteousness and virtue of the two, possesses a personality almost identical to that of his father, painting exactly the same distorted, perfect image of the girl he believes he loves, Abra, that Adam did of Cathy.
However, Steinbeck emphasizes that these characters, as with all other humans, are born possessing both good and evil—both virtue and vice—within themselves. He considers the possibility that we are able to change what we believe we are “born into” being. To illustrate this we turn to the young Caleb Trask, the protagonist of the novel during its later sections. The boy grew up believing himself to be incapable of good, but over time is able to change and develop as he accepts Lee’s idea of timshel and the possibility that he has the power to redeem himself and follow the essentially “good” path. Regardless of his immoral actions in the past, Cal is able to reform himself and become a person perhaps even more virtuous than his brother. Although he envied his brother, Cal merely longed for his father to return the fierce love he has for him and the parental approval that we all desire. Although he causes his brother’s death and falls in love with Aron’s fiancé, he eventually makes Abra happy by loving her for being her in a way that his brother never could. And at the resolution of the story, his father assures him that he is able to choose the virtuous path and finally accepts him with his dying breath.
Timshel.
“Thou mayest, Thou mayest! What glory!” (307)
Steinbeck, though, did not intend to claim that anybody can come near to achieving perfect “goodness” or “badness” by simply resolving what they desire to be. “In uncertainty I am certain that,” he reflects, “underneath their topmost layers of frailty men want to be good and want to be loved. Indeed, most of their vices are attempted short cuts to love” (412). We may decide to be good but reform in no way, with the belief that we are already everything that defines it. And in order to reform ourselves, it is necessary to take a step away, evaluate, and recognize what we are lacking in. Nor did he mean to say that anyone was capable of truly being virtuous in all aspects, but rather, that a willing person has the ability to “conquer” and control the side they believe to be “evil.” It cannot be said that there are universal definitions for the concepts of “good” and “evil.” Even by attempting to define such complex and ambiguous ideas, even further questions are raised and must be considered. “Goodness” has a slightly different meaning for each individual, determined by the qualities they recognize to be lacking. One person’s idea of “good” might be to be admirably honest, another’s to be faithfully religious; another’s to be both, and more. Regardless of what “good” and “evil” imply for you, East of Eden clearly voices the opinion that we all have the potential to choose our own path, our own direction, our own life. The novel not only explores the contrast between good and evil, but also gives us a window into the different aspects of human character, thought, and motives that will be true for eternity.
East of Eden is an enigmatic and perplexing novel. Through a captivating and astonishing plot, John Steinbeck weaves many of his thoughts about people’s intentions and the endless colors of the human soul. He expresses the idea that all humans have within them both good and evil, while highlighting that every individual is given the opportunity to choose, based on their circumstances, which course they will follow. With the world timshel, we are free to be the people that we want to be. Because “thou mayest,” once we have stepped back and recognized what we aren’t, we can decide what we want to become. No matter what other people may judge us to be, no matter what we may believe we were born to be, East of Eden offers the entirety of humanity something that not all people may consider: that we can choose to be good.
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