East Of Eden Puns

Every single person should read this book, no matter who you are or how much you read. I picked it up after enjoying “Grapes of Wrath” and “Of Mice and Men” very thoroughly, but this was a whole new level.

The allegory for Cain and Abel is extremely interesting in both generations, but the plot is not a slave to it. It creates a compelling story and characters, and explores the deepest themes there are: Free Will, and the Need to Be Loved.

Each Character is good and flawed at the same time, creating good characters. Well, except for Cathy:

-Adam is an idiot, but I root for him anyway. His purity and trust is aspirational, but his naivety is a cautionary tale. Aron obviously matches this.

-Charles’s and Cal’s cleverness and competitive nature is good, but their jealousy is showing the result of those two traits sold they go too far.

-Samuel Hamilton is one of my favorite characters of all time in any form of fiction, period. At the surface he may seem like Marty Stu that can’t catch a break, but he’s believable, and so human. He enjoys the small things, and is super compassionate. In addition, he’s like Jim from “The Office” we see Cathy’s true evil without any filter firstly through Samuel; and he’s the even-headed onlooker into the Trask family.

-Lee falls almost into the same boat as Samuel, except he has more of a character arc through the story than Samuel. He starts as the Chinese immigrant speaking pidgy, and at the end he’s the man holding together the Trasks, and completing Cal (and Adam’s) arcs.

-The Hamilton brothers and sisters are unique and interesting, even if only Tom, Dessie, and Will really matter in the story. Will is kind of a dick (to be completely honest), and I wish Dessie had a larger role and that her arc was better described; but Tom was truly something. How Steinbeck made me care about a character with so little of a role in the story is a amazing.

-Liza is an aspirational woman in many ways: she’s the balancing act to Samuel’s dreamer attitude, and I don’t know if he could really get by without her. She carried, birthed, fed, raised, and disciplined 9 children. NINE! She’s a complete hardass and it’s funny sometimes.

-Cathy is evil, but she doesn’t seem like an exaggerated evil, or an evil that’s purely fictional. Steinbeck creates her in a believable way, but she’s still one of the most hateable characters in fiction.

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The book has its flaws: the ending seems very rushed, and the first part of the b

I've read it once before, but I went back to it and the subtle comedy is so enjoyable to read. The ending too hit me so hard, it's probably the first book I've ever read that has almost made me cry. I feel like I related to Adam and I was glued to each chapter of his character ark. Samuel was beautifully written and his whole family's ark held so much meaning. Therefor it is my favorite book of all time lmao

I basically have only read Sci-Fi and Fantasy books(some of which I think are really good) and have never really dived into literature. I decided to read East of Eden because I have heard such great things about it and was blown away. Now that it's over I find myself wishing I was immersed back into that work. Chats between Lee, Adam, and Samuel. Bickering between Cal and Aron. Witty banter between Lee and Adam. Watching sadly as Kate becomes more and more evil. All these things have become comforting to me over the past few days. And it feels like the one book was actually five.

The thing I liked most about the book I think, is all themes it touches on. Free will, identity, Nature Vs Nurture, and good vs evil. After all, there is only one human story. The free will part was particularly intriguing as well as how it tied into good vs evil. Whether Thou Shalt or Thou Mayest. And I loved how Cal broke the cycle and rejected evil(Though unfortunately not before Aron died). And Adam giving Cal the choice to be good rather than his blessing was perfect.

Sorry this kind of turned into a rant without any questions but if you guys have anything to add on to, respond to, or any similar books I would gladly hear them. Thanks for reading! And always remember, Timshel.

I absolutely thoroughly loved East of Eden. I was planning to start Stormlight Archives or Discworld series after finishing it but I don’t feel like reading a fantasy now. At the same time, I do not know what I want to read. Help me out, please?

I just finished East of Eden and it was one of my favorite books that I’ve read. I can’t stop thinking about it and no one I know have read it.

If you have read it, what were some of your favorite/less favorite parts? Thoughts on the character arcs?

My favorite character was definitely Cal. He’s character was so complex and he had to fight so many demons in his head. It just shows how good can win over the evil in your head.

“You see, there’s a responsibility in being a person. It’s more than just taking up space where air would be”

Hey rare book collectors!

I recently found a copy of East of Eden that appears to be a first edition based on the price tag on the dust jacket and copywright page. But, the title on the spine is upside down for some reason. Could anyone help me understand more about this edition?

Pictures: http://imgur.com/gallery/YUCCUDA

Timshel is a Hebrew word that appears in the Cain and Abel story in the Bible. In EoE, it is translated as "thou mayest" indicating that each person is responsible for their actions. Does this mean that it rules out determinism entirely or can it still be interpretated as a compatibilist idea?

This may be a weird question but I'm wondering how realistic the dialogue in Steinbeck's East of Eden is? The book is set from late 1800s into the 1940s and was written in the 50s, I think. The prose is simple and direct but doesn't seem startlingly different from most things I've read. The dialogue, however, definitely is. The characters (when they aren't intentionally lying) speak so honestly and deeply about their emotions. The depth of conversation, honesty, and self-possession is crazy. I know it will vary a ton depending on individual, but did people in this time really speak more frankly?

Let me first say I wish John Steinbeck were standing here so I could shake his hand. I’m still digesting this very long read. But I believe it may be one of my favorites. The characters are so complex and deep!

I felt Cathy with her last act, showed her only notion of...motherhood? She gave her fortune to Aron. Maybe she saw in him the weaker of her sons. The one who couldn’t make a small fortune for the fun of it (much like Adam couldn’t). It was an act of love. She saw him for who he was. Everyone else saw him and loved him, was so impressed by him. She saw through it. Ultimately knowing he would be the one to need her help. I really thought Cal would’ve been the one whose name was left on the desk. But she knew him-knew them enough to know Cal wouldn’t need the money. She saw Aron clearer then Adam, Lee, Abra and perhaps only as well as Cal. Maybe “redeem” is too strong of a word for all the pain she caused, but her last breath was thinking of her sons and that certainly wasn’t how she lived. It felt like an act of unselfish motherly instinct. She passed on what she could for survival of her children. Interesting arc considering her hate for them initially.

Hello r/books! So from what I’ve observed here, East of Eden is particularly popular with Redditors. I’ve seen it hailed as the best book ever written, so I thought I might consult you guys with my issue.

My issue being, I simply can’t immerse myself in this book. I just finished part one (for the second time) after taking a hiatus to read some other, more adventurous novels. I thought that having satiated my need for adventure, I could return to East of Eden with a cleansed palate and properly enjoy it for all the reasons I’ve seen listed on this sub, but for some reason I’m still not seeing what others see in this book.

Don’t get me wrong, I want to enjoy it because it sounds like an incredibly moving experience, but I’m 150 pages in and I suppose my main gripe is this: I don’t see any direction in this book. I’m not expecting a swashbuckling adventure out of it, but it’s been an especially slow burn so far and I still have no idea what I should expect to come of the labor of reading this saga.

My question is, am I reading it with mistakened expectations? Am I approaching it with the wrong attitude? I’d really love some advice, because I really want to enjoy this journey

After reading this book, and to add a backstory this is a beast I’ve often tried to tackle but was led to wary by the first couple pages, I’m satisfied that this is he best book to have hit shelves in that past 60 Year’s (can’t say hundred because Faulkner, Huxley, Orwell, and Joyce topped that).

This book, for those that don’t know, is a modern adaption of the book of genesis in the Old Testament. However I would go to say that this book actually does what Paradise Lost also did, which is to encode emotion into an old text that lacks it. Every character in this piece has a role and is more than just a 2D figure to push the text forward. Take for example the chapter between Dessie and Tom, which I won’t spoil, as it adds nothing to the book but adds so much to what the book means. This book is about people lost in their own times trying to capture a ghost that they cannot see but feel.

Not to detract but a shining point of this book is the culture of America at the turn of the century. While we like to believe America has always been a land of freedom, it actually is a land built on the back of a disposable workforce (thanks blade runner). Lee is a great example of the feelings felt by not just immigrants but people of color in America, this feeling of needing to code switch to fit the stereotype of white culture that dominated back in the day. Lee understand that he can be trusted only if he fits he profile.

This book delves so deep into the effect of love and the effect that people can have. I recommend this book to anyone wanting to find, not an understanding to life, but a reason to be kind and thoughtful to those that surround you.

Tl:DR read this goddamn book and see how it affects you.

And as a few strokes on the nose will make a puppy head shy, so a
few rebuffs will make a boy shy all over. But whereas a puppy will
cringe away or roll on its back, groveling, a little boy may cover his
shyness with nonchalance, with bravado, or with secrecy. And once a
boy has suffered rejection, he will find rejection even where it does
not exist—or, worse, will draw it forth from people simply by
expecting it.

Basically, the idea that when a human experiences too much rejection, they begin to reject the world so that they can reject before others do.

What books explore this idea?

Text wall and SPOILERS approaching (seriously don't read any farther if you don't want the story spoiled), but the TL:DR is that Adam's "blessing" at the end is not a really a blessing, it dooms Cal to the same heartbreak he's experienced all his life as a result of Adam's lack of love for him.

Here's my take on it. There are two important themes that run throughout the book that play into this take: 1.) The Cain and Abel story. To recap, Cain and Abel are Adam and Eve's first sons. Cain raises crops and Abel raises livestock. They both take offerings to God; Abel brings the best of his flock but Cain's offering of crops is not the best of his harvest. God accepts Abel's offering and rejects Cain's because while Abel, in giving the best of his flock, shows his love for God, Cain's sacrifice shows his relative indifference to God (this becomes important later in the book). In jealousy, Cain does what any of would do in that situation and murders his brother out of jealousy. 2.) The Struggle. Steinbeck believed strongly in the "perfectibility of man" which makes man's struggle against his demons a central component of his work, particularly in EoE. The Cains in the book struggle with their dark, brooding, and violent nature, while the Abels struggle with their self-righteousness.

Steinbeck flips the Cain and Abel story on its head in this book. The Cains (Charles and Cal) love their fathers and yearn for their fathers' love in return. The fathers (Cyrus and Adam) love the Abels (Adam and Aaron) even though the Abels do not love them. Furthermore, the Abels give Cain's sacrifice (half-hearted and out of a sense of obligation, not love) and it's still accepted by their fathers. They do not love their fathers, nor do they want the love of their fathers, but their offerings are accepted nonetheless. The Cains love their fathers, but this love is not returned. They give their gifts out of love, but their gifts are rejected anyway.

Both Charles and Cal in the book are driven to jealousy and anger by their fathers' rejection of them in favor of their brothers. But the difference between EoE and the Cain and Abel story is that in EoE, this rejection is without merit. Their entire struggle (or at least a good part of it) is borne from the rejection of an indifferent father, not their own indifference toward a loving father. Cain's misery in the Bible is self-centered and unjustified, which is why God can rightfully say "timshel" to him. Char

Just an inquiry I really enjoyed the dub for Eden of the east and would like to know if or if not king of eden has a dub and where could I find it?

If something like it exists I can't seem to pick up or stick to any book for like 2 months after reading East of Eden.

I'm a non-native English speaker and I want to start reading some other books now. Till now I've mostly read young adult books like John Green's books. I recently tried reading "The Count of Monte Cristo" but I found it too difficult and left reading it.

https://forums.spacebattles.com/threads/east-of-eden-a-new-twist-on-an-old-cycle-worm-au.711736/

Eden works hard to reunite with her partner and understand this new world she's now stuck in

So family is in Hayward and I know Garden of Eden is over there. I’m curious about how legit they are as dispensary because I would like to use their vape cartridges. Does anyone have any experience or way to confirm their legitness(I remember once reading about some thing like weed maps or something) thanks for any info you can give.

Firstly, apologies for another East Of Eden post, I think maybe there have been quite a few recently (seeing a couple gushing about it inspired me to finally read it).

But the first chapter was simple and beautiful - in just 10 pages or so Steinbeck really paints a great picture of the Salinas Valley - how it looks, how it feels, how the narrator felt growing up there, even the history of the area.

Sometimes, forgive me for saying, I can get easily bored of descriptive pages like this to a fault. But the way Steinbeck wrote it, really put me ‘there’ and now I can’t wait to read the rest of the book.

Also, I loved the symbolism tied in with the description of the 30-year rainfall cycle here:

“There would be five or six wet and wonderful years when there might be nineteen to twenty-five inches of rain, and the land would shout with grass. Then would come six or seven pretty good years of twelve to sixteen inches of rain. And then the dry years would come, and sometimes there would only be seven or eight inches of rain. The land dried up and the grasses headed out miserably a few inches high and great bare scabby places appeared in the valley. The live oaks got a crusty look and the sagebrush was gray. The land cracked and the springs dried up and the cattle listlessly nibbled dry twigs. Then the farmers and the ranchers would be filled with disgust for the Salinas Valley. The cows would grow thin and sometimes starve to death. People would have to haul water in barrels to their farms just for drinking. Some families would sell out for nearly nothing and move away. And it never failed that during the dry years the people forgot about the rich years, and during the wet years they lost all memory of the dry years. It was always that way.”

Anyway. Loved the first chapter, Steinbeck knows how to paint a mental picture. Sorry if this is shitposting :)

All three have been sitting on my shelves for ages, so I want to finally get cracking with one. Problem is, I’m not sure which one I want to start. I know all three of them are vastly different in terms of genre and reading experience. I’ve just come off reading that Dark Tower II (not really sure if that helps or not). Which one should I start first?

I read East of Eden after loving Grapes of Wrath. I assumed the film wouldn't do it justice, since most of what I love about the book is the insight Steinbeck provides in so many ways. I was prepared to not be as impressed with the film version, but I wasn't expecting this much disappointment. The storyline is changed so much, that I'm now trying to figure out the point of this.

Obviously, there's too much to fit the whole story in, so I wasn't surprised that it began halfway in, but they changed so much about the story. They got rid of Lee entirely, and they altered or outright removed several key events in the narrative. This is different than the usual let-down that a movie version wasn't as good as the version I had in my had while reading, but what was the point of making the film in the first place? If they're going to change so much, why even use the same characters and setting, or especially the same title? Why not make an entirely different story?

Even some of the best potentially stand-alone scenes and dialogue were changed or left out. Take the scene where the mechanic is explaining to the Trask family how to operate the car. That dialogue was great in the book, and it could have been done word-for-word in the film without needing to relate to anything else in the story, but they didn't even do that. They had the scene, but changed the dialogue. It's like they're doing a nod to the text to satisfy the readers, but why not just actually do the thing that was great about the dialogue? I don't get it.

Is the point to satisfy those who read the book? Surely not, because it's not the same story at all. Is the point to satisfy those who didn't read the book? Those people aren't going to get even a glimmer of what was great about the book, and in my opinion it's not even that great of a film. James Dean had some good moments, but a lot of his teenage angst stuff was just silly and cringe-worthy. I didn't think any of the other actors did anything noteworthy. I'm guessing the point was to capitalize on the title of a recent best-selling book, but I'm honestly surprised that Steinbeck signed off on it.

This isn't the typical "aw the movie wasn't as good as the book" gripe, because honestly I never expect the movie version to be as good as the book, mainly because it can't ever be what I imagined in my mind, but also because in this case there's so much of Steinbeck's greatness as a writer that could not possible be captured in a single feature-lengt

Hi everyone! Hopefully this is the right sub for this, but I'm looking to see if anyone's got songs that remind them of Steinbeck's masterpiece "East of Eden?"

It's one of my all time favorite books and I was hoping to make my brother a playlist for our birthday. Currently have the following songs:

*Poison Oak -- Bright Eyes

*Timshel -- Mumford and Sons

*Heirloom -- Sleeping at Last

Currently have a folky/Americana theme going right now but I'm open to suggestions!

Haven't read a book in years but decided to read this one because of seeing it on this subreddit. I am so glad I did it was amazing and I feel like it has changed me for the better. I honestly was getting pretty choked up at the end. I'm fresh out of college and never read books recreationally so that was unexpected. Anyone feel similarly?

The idea of the book seems to be that we all have the choice between greatness and mediocrity, between good and evil, and between togetherness and separateness. So what was the point of making Kate so central to the story and being so clear she was born without these choices? I could see her being very bad to give Cal his meanness, but why contradict his whole point?

I have a summer reading assignment and I have a difficult time choosing between these two books. I'm going on a long plane ride soon and I figured that it would be a good time to read the book but I'm scared of starting one and ultimately regretting it. East of Eden sounds EXTREMELY more interesting than Adventures of Huckleberry Finn but it's substantially larger and I didn't really like Of Mice and Men from the same author of East of Eden so I'm scared of choosing that one and just getting so bored of it and not even able to finish it during my plane ride there and back and all the other stops too (around a combined 20 hours but I'm probably going to sleep some of that time).At the same time I'm scared of reading Huckleberry Finn and getting bored of that as well and just regretting I didn't choose he more interesting option. Please tell me your opinions on the books and which one you really got into, I generally like classics like Picture of Dorian Grey, Lord of the Flies, and the Little Prince (that's probably not a classic but it's what I can think of from the top of my head). I don't know if this is relevant, but I liked To Kill a Mockingbird because it would so intriguing however Huckleberry Finn seems a lot more boring compared to To Kill a Mockingbird, I wouldn't know though because I have not read it yet. I've read a massive amount of reviews on both books and I just cannot decide between the two!

In all such local tragedies time works like a damp brush on water color. The sharp edges blur, the ache goes out of it, the colors melt together, and from the many separated lines, a solid gray emerges.

I know it's niche but I'm looking for something that hits close to home the way genshiken did.

I can only find a version of this in Swedish.

With how popular this book is I can't believe its not available in English unless I'm not looking in the right place.

Dan someone help or know other providers that sell it?