East of Eden (Masterplots, Revised Second Edition)
At a glance:
- Author: John Steinbeck
- First Published: 1952
- Type of Work: Novel
- Type of Plot: Regional
- Time of Work: 1865-1918
- Setting: California
- Principal Characters: Adam Trask, Cathy Ames, Caleb Trask, Charles Trask, Samuel Hamilton, Lee, Abra Bacon
- 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
The Story:
The soil of the Salinas Valley in California was rich, although the surrounding foothills were poor and life shriveled during the long dry spells. The Irish-born Hamiltons, arriving after American settlers had displaced the Mexicans, settled on the barren hillside. Sam Hamilton, full of talk, glory, and improvident inventions, and Liza, his dourly religious wife, brought up their nine children there.
In Connecticut, Adam Trask and his half brother Charles grew up in harmony despite the differences in their natures. Adam was gentle and good; Charles was roughly...
[The entire page is 2631 words long]
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