Characters Discussed

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Adam Trask

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

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

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

Caleb Trask, impulsive twin son of Adam Trask and Cathy. Rejected in an effort to help his father, he takes revenge by revealing to his brother Aron the secret of their mother’s identity. He later accepts responsibility for the disillusioned Aron’s death.

Abra Bacon

Abra Bacon, Aron Trask’s fiancée. Disturbed because she feels unable to live up to Aron’s idealistic image of her, she finally turns to the more realistic Caleb Trask.

Charles Trask

Charles Trask, Adam Trask’s half brother.

Samuel Hamilton

Samuel Hamilton, an early settler in the Salinas Valley.

Liza Hamilton

Liza Hamilton, Samuel Hamilton’s wife.

Lee

Lee, Adam Trask’s wise and good Chinese servant.

Faye

Faye, proprietress of a Salinas brothel. Her death is engineered by Cathy Ames as she seeks to gain full control of Faye’s establishment.

Will Hamilton

Will Hamilton, business partner of Caleb Trask.

Characters

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Cathy Ames

Cathy Ames is portrayed by the narrator as a monstrous character. She is perpetually malicious in both her thoughts and actions, manipulating others for her own benefit without any sense of guilt. Cold-hearted and ruthless, she appears devoid of any decent emotions. Cathy is the only daughter of a respected family in Massachusetts. From a young age, she stands out from other children, being a nonconformist and a habitual liar. At ten, she gets two boys punished for engaging in sexual play with her, which she initiated; in high school, she drives her Latin teacher to commit suicide. At sixteen, she kills her parents by setting their home on fire. She then becomes a prostitute, but after being brutally beaten by Edwards, she crawls to the Trask farm, where Adam and Charles take her in. Adam falls in love with her, and they marry and move to California. Cathy gives birth to twins but soon decides to leave, shooting Adam in the shoulder and walking out. She becomes a prostitute in Salinas, eventually killing the owner, Faye, and taking over the business. She turns it into a vile establishment, keeping incriminating photos of her clients, many of whom are influential citizens, to later blackmail them. Caleb introduces himself to her and later brings Aron to see her. After this, she physically deteriorates and seems to feel some remorse. She writes her will, leaving everything to Aron, and then takes her own life.

Kate Ames

See Cathy Ames

Abra Bacon

Abra Bacon is the daughter of a corrupt county supervisor in Salinas. During high school, she becomes Aron's girlfriend, and they plan to marry. However, Abra is troubled by their relationship because she feels Aron idolizes her purity and doesn't see her for who she truly is. After Aron leaves for college, she falls out of love with him and burns his letters. She shifts her affections to Caleb and also grows close to Adam and Lee. Abra starkly contrasts with Cathy; she embodies goodness, strength, and wisdom.

Mr. Edwards

Mr. Edwards operates a prostitution ring in Massachusetts and Connecticut, despite leading a seemingly respectable...

(This entire section contains 1852 words.)

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life as a married man with two sons. He hires Cathy as a prostitute but eventually falls in love with her. Upon discovering she murdered her parents, he turns on her and beats her nearly to death.

Ethel

Ethel is an aging prostitute who believes she can prove that Kate murdered Faye. She attempts to blackmail Kate over this, but she drowns before she can benefit from her scheme.

Faye

Faye owns a brothel in Salinas where Kate works. Faye grows fond of Kate and bequeaths her business to her. Kate gradually poisons Faye and inherits the business upon Faye's death.

Dessie Hamilton

Dessie Hamilton, daughter of Samuel and Liza, is warm-hearted and full of laughter. She owns a dressmaking shop in Salinas but eventually sells it to return to the ranch and be with her brother Tom. Tragically, Dessie succumbs to an illness, and Tom, overwhelmed with guilt, takes his own life.

George Hamilton

George Hamilton, the eldest son of Samuel Hamilton, lives an exemplary life but struggles with anemia.

Joe Hamilton

Joe Hamilton, the youngest son of Samuel and Liza, is the family's darling. Lacking practical skills, he is sent to Stanford University. He later finds great success in the advertising industry on the East Coast.

Liza Hamilton

Liza Hamilton, Samuel Hamilton’s Irish wife, is known for keeping a clean house and being a good cook. Respected in the neighborhood, she is extremely pious and despises idleness, card-playing, and drinking. She is wary of fun and lacks a sense of humor. Despite life's challenges, she never complains, believing she will be rewarded by God after death. Later in life, she starts taking wine for medicinal purposes, becoming more relaxed and happier.

Lizzy Hamilton

Lizzy Hamilton, the oldest Hamilton daughter, marries young and moves away, reappearing only at funerals.

Mollie Hamilton

Mollie Hamilton, the youngest and prettiest of the Hamilton daughters, marries and relocates to San Francisco.

Olive Hamilton

Olive Hamilton, the third Hamilton daughter and the narrator’s mother, becomes a teacher, making her family proud. She marries and lives in Paso Robles, then King City, and finally Salinas.

Samuel Hamilton

Samuel Hamilton immigrates to California from Ireland with his wife Liza. An intelligent, self-educated man, he has a knack for invention but lacks financial acumen, preventing the family from becoming wealthy. Despite drilling wells for others, he cannot find water on his own dry land. Samuel is a visionary, dreaming of the future development of the Salinas Valley. He is lively, exuberant, and a skilled storyteller. He is also capable in crises, such as when he delivers Cathy’s twins and helps Adam accept his sons. Samuel remains youthful and energetic until the death of his daughter Una, which deeply saddens him and ages him prematurely.

Tom Hamilton

Tom Hamilton is the third son of Samuel and Liza, bearing a strong resemblance to his father. Gifted in inventing and even more daring than his father, he remains a bachelor and stays on the ranch after everyone else has left. He is thrilled when Dessie returns to live there but is heartbroken when she falls ill. Believing he gave her the wrong medicine, he takes his own life out of guilt.

Una Hamilton

Una Hamilton, the second eldest daughter of the Hamilton family, is thoughtful, studious, and somber, bringing immense joy to her father, Samuel. She marries and moves to Oregon, but sadly dies young. Her death devastates Samuel, causing him to age significantly.

Will Hamilton

Will Hamilton is Samuel Hamilton’s second son, known for his energy but lacking in imagination. Fortunate and skilled at making money, he establishes a successful business selling Ford automobiles, amassing considerable wealth. He offers Adam valuable business advice, which Adam disregards, and also advises Cal, helping him earn $15,000 by selling beans during wartime.

Lee

Lee serves as Adam’s Chinese cook, housekeeper, and advisor. An educated, philosophical, and calm individual, he is prone to deep reflection. Unlike the impractical Adam, Lee manages the household efficiently and plays a significant role in raising Aron and Caleb. Though he dreams of leaving the farm to open a bookstore in San Francisco, he quickly becomes lonely and returns. Lee introduces the crucial concept of the Hebrew word "timshel" in the novel and, in the end, pleads with Adam to forgive Caleb.

Horace Quinn

Horace Quinn is the deputy sheriff in King City. He investigates Adam’s shooting and discovers that Cathy has become a prostitute in Salinas.

Adam Trask

Adam Trask is the son of Cyrus Trask and the half-brother of Charles. He endures a troubled relationship with Charles, who is envious and often violent towards him during their childhood. Adam enlists in the army and serves in the Indian wars. Upon returning to the family farm, he and Charles frequently clash. Adam is honest, naive, and kind-hearted, unlike his hostile and moody brother. He falls for Cathy, idealizing her without recognizing her malevolent nature, which is evident to Lee, Samuel, and even Charles. Adam struggles in business and only enjoys a comfortable life thanks to an inheritance from his father. He heavily relies on his servant Lee for practical matters. Adam learns life’s harsh lessons slowly. He eventually comes to terms with Cathy’s life as a prostitute in Salinas and even visits her, holding no grudge and making excuses for her actions. In his fifties, Adam is burdened by his draft board responsibilities, and his health declines. He becomes deeply interested in the word "timshel" ("thou mayest") from the Cain and Abel story, and after suffering a stroke, it’s the last word he utters, signifying his forgiveness of his son Cal.

Alice Trask

Alice Trask is Cyrus’s second wife and the mother of Charles. She is a quiet woman who fulfills her duties without complaint.

Aron Trask

Aron Trask is the son of Adam and Cathy, and the twin brother of Caleb. Reflecting the dynamic between Adam and Charles, Aron is the innocent and virtuous brother, contrasting with the aggressive and spiteful Caleb. Fair-skinned and more popular, Aron is pure-hearted and attends Stanford with aspirations of becoming a minister. He avoids facing anything dark or challenging and remains unaware of his mother’s disreputable life until Caleb reveals it to him. The revelation shocks Aron, leading him to leave college and enlist in the army, where he is killed during World War I.

Caleb Trask

Caleb Trask, the son of Adam and Cathy, is the twin brother of Aron. Unlike the fair-skinned Aron, Caleb has a darker complexion and has inherited some of Cathy’s malevolent traits. As children, Caleb deceitfully convinces Abra to reject Aron’s gift of a rabbit. His jealousy stems from Aron’s greater popularity. Despite his awareness of his darker impulses, Caleb strives to resist them and choose a better path. For instance, although he knows his mother is a prostitute, he initially shields Aron from this harsh reality. However, Caleb doesn’t always succeed in overcoming his malicious tendencies. When his father dismisses his gift of $15,000, Caleb spitefully takes Aron to meet Cathy, leading to tragic consequences. Guilt-ridden by his actions, Caleb eventually finds forgiveness from his father.

Charles Trask

Charles Trask, the son of Cyrus Trask and Adam’s half-brother, is more aggressive than Adam. As a child, he is envious of their father’s apparent preference for Adam and expresses his jealousy by severely beating him. While Adam joins the army, Charles remains on the family ranch and misses his brother. Upon Adam’s return, persistent tension and frequent quarrels mark their relationship. Unbeknownst to Adam, Charles has an affair with Cathy. After Adam and Cathy relocate to California, Charles becomes miserly, hoarding money without purpose. Upon his death, he bequeaths half of his fortune to Adam and the other half to Cathy.

Cyrus Trask

Cyrus Trask, the father of Adam and Charles, had a wild youth and lost a leg just thirty minutes into his first combat experience in the Civil War. Despite this, he becomes an expert in military affairs and fabricates stories about his involvement in the war. He secures significant roles in the army administration in Washington. A strict authoritarian, he forces the reluctant Adam to join the army. Upon his death, he leaves his sons a substantial fortune, which Charles suspects was acquired dishonestly.

Mrs. Trask

Mrs. Trask, the first wife of Cyrus and Adam’s mother, is a deeply unhappy woman who ultimately takes her own life by drowning.

Joe Valery

Joe Valery works as a bouncer for Kate at her brothel. A small-time criminal, he is willing to do anything for Kate as long as he is compensated. He attempts to blackmail Kate by exploiting her fear of Ethel, but she outsmarts him by revealing his escape from a road gang while serving a five-year sentence for robbery. She betrays him to the authorities, and he is fatally shot while trying to flee with her money after her death.

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