From the title alone, one can tell that East of Eden is filled with connections to other references. From Biblical connections to world connections, John Steinbeck’s novel has a large variety of subjects that can find references to almost anywhere. As once can generally tell, East of Eden refers to the Biblical story about Adam and Eve and the Garden of Eden. When God finds that Adam and Eve had disobeyed him by eating the apples, they we forced away from the garden into a world where they were constantly faced with the constant battle between good and evil and situations they never faced within the garden. Salinas Valley represents where Adam and Eve went to live, and the two mountain ranges, the Gabilan Mountains and the Santa Lucias Mountains, represent the ever- present dilemma of good versus evil. The Gabilian Mountains “were light gay mountains full of sun and loveliness and a kind of invitation, so that you wanted to climb into their warm foothills almost as you want to climb into the lap of a beloved mother,” while the Santa Lucias “were dark and brooding- unfriendly and dangerous,” (Steinbeck 3). The Diaries of Adam and Eve by Mark Twain create another text- to- text reference, since they also retell the story of Adam and Eve through a different style. East of Eden also contains a worldly message that many can relate to, since everyone faces dilemmas where they must choose find what is right and what is wrong. Do we allow cloning or not? Should women have the right to decide to abortion? New and old situations like these constantly question our ways of life, and East of Eden’s characters struggle to find the answers to their problems.
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I found your connection to the biblical story of Adam and Eve interesting, as I connected the novel to the story of their children, Cain and Abel. Steinbeck, obviously, relied heavily on the Bible for his main plot of the novel, yet he gave it a new and modern interpretation that became more accessible to current day issues. Your connection of this novel to Mark Twain's The Diaries of Adam and Eve was also quite intriguing. Both novels are different and unique interpretations of the traditional biblical tale of Adam and Eve and their children. As you eloquently explained, this novel also relates to everyone's problems and dilemmas upon which we must make important decisions. Many of the characters in this novel had to make one or more important decisions throughout the story and they all did it in their unique ways, just as every person makes their decision in their own way.
ReplyDeleteI love your text connection, especially your connection of the mountains to the dilemma of good versus evil....stuck between a rock and a hard place. I never thought of it that way, especially with all of the descriptive language used to describe the mountains. But now that you bring light to it, that totally makes sense! I also like that you connected the text to Mark Twain's The Diaries of Adam and Eve. Both of those books are kind of similar in terms or sarcasm I think. What do you think?
ReplyDeleteDefinitely, Andrea! I think Twain seemed to have a simpler, more comedic view of it in his book, while Steinbeck seemed really interested in digging in to the faults of human beings' true nature and expanding on the story more. They both do have that same sarcastic tone, however, which I think makes the original story more interesting.
ReplyDeleteYes Emily, I agree that the sarcatic tone makes the original story more interesting. I think it is interesting that these two authors (and probably many others) sarcastically portray stories of the Bible. It is a wonder if they took the Bible seriously or what their true intentions are of recounting these stories in such a tone?
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