John Steinbeck East Of Eden Analysis

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Steinbeck uses the plot in order to incorporate religion into his novel. The stories of Adam and Eve and their sons, Cain and Abel essentially form the structure of the narration of East of Eden. These stories appear in Genesis, the first book of the Bible and are the basis of Steinbeck’s exploration of good and evil and it's conflicting nature. This recurring theme accurately reflects religion as the Bible explicitly says, “Turn away from evil and do good; so shall you dwell forever.” Steinbeck places great emphasis between good and evil and uses this to magnify the large divide between the two characteristics and their subsequent collision. The relationship between Cain and Abel in the Bible is similar to that of Adam and Charles in East…show more content…
Furthermore both Charles and Cal fight for their fathers’ affections in the same way in which Cain fought with Abel over the Lord’s attention. This evident incorporation of good and evil can be traced back to the author’s intent in juxtaposing both qualities with a purpose of suggesting that purity must know wickedness and vice versa. Prior to the onset of World War I in 1914, American citizens had been undergoing a progressive movement whereby the notion of unity was strongly enforced through strengthened nationalism. The new American generation had not been exposed to violence or hardship and therefore maintained strong patriotic, family oriented values that reflected virtue. However, when the atrocities of WWI were announced, many were struck with a sense disillusionment towards their nation. Authors like Ernest Hemingway wrote about the psychological impact of the war and its inadvertent impact on the change of social values. He quoted, “(World War I) was the most colossal, murderous, mismanaged, butchery that has ever taken place on
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