East of Eden is such a good book so far. Since it is Steinbeck there is a lot of description. I started reading it in the beginning of health class and with he amount of description it was hard to get into it with all the distractions around me. When I went home I curled up on a chair on the back porch and immersed myself into it.
After the opening (the intense imagery of California flowers)the Hamiltons were introduced. The mother and father are Irish immigrants raising a large family on a California ranch. The land is not that fertile due the the dry climate.
The next chapter shifts the the Trask family. The father is a veteran of the Civil War with a missing leg. He raises his two children in a militaristic way. The one brother Adam is the more quiet type; not quite meant to fight. His brother Charles on the other hand is more aggressive. There is the allusion of Cain and Abel with the relationship between the brothers. The father prefers Adam above Charles, thus leading to jealousy and aggression.
So funny--I just recommended "East of Eden" to someone.... and you are so right--the beginning can be a bit slow, with all the detail. But the story itself is sooooo good!
ReplyDeleteI kind of want to read this book, tell me how it is.
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