East of Eden | East of Eden

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.

East of Eden | East of Eden

At a glance:

Characters Discussed

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