East of Eden (Cyclopedia of Literary Characters)
At a glance:
- Author: John Steinbeck
- First Published: 1952
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Regional
- Time of Work: 1865-1918
- Setting: California
- Genres: Long fiction, Regional fiction
- Subjects: North America or North Americans, Suffering, United States or Americans, Parents and children, Murder or homicide, Nineteenth century, Betrayal, 1910’s, California, West, U.S., Brothers, Farms, farmers, or farming, Fathers, Good and evil, Fate or fatalism
- Locales: Salinas Valley, CA
Characters Discussed
Adam Trask, a settler in the Salinas Valley. He marries Cathy Ames in Connecticut and moves west, where he and their twin sons, Caleb and Aron, are deserted by her.
Cathy Ames, Adam Trask’s innocent- appearing but evil wife. Deserting Adam and their twin sons, Caleb and Aron, she becomes the proprietress of a notorious brothel.
Aron Trask, smugly religious, idealistic twin son of Adam Trask and Cathy Ames. Unable to face the knowledge of his parents’ past, he joins the army and is killed in France.
Caleb Trask, impulsive twin son of...
[The entire page is 547 words long]
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See Also:
- - East of Eden summary and study guide in the eNotes.
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