The, By John Abel - 1920 Words

Just as Steinbeck diverges from the usual interpretation of Charles and Caleb as Cain, he does too in the cases of Adam and Aron as the biblical Abel. Abel is originally described as the good one, the innocent and more likeable, after all it was his gift that God preferred over Cain’s. This is also the case of Adam’s son Aron, that Aron is the preferred son over Caleb. In the first generation of the Trasks, following the Abel-Cain framework, Steinbeck had Adam as the Abel figure. Because there is only little information about Abel’s personality in the Biblical story from Genesis, people make their own assumptions of Abel’s character. All we know is that Abel was the preferred one and at the same time, he was killed by his brother Cain,†¦show more content†¦Adam and Aron had also one thing in common, that they left their home, with no regard to their family. Adam simply went to the army, which seemed as some kind of escape than a service for the country and Aron decided to leave the Salinas to go to college. After Cyrus died, Adam told Charles that he hated their father, even though Cyrus preferred Adam the whole time. This is another example of strange behavior to his brother Charles, who feels abandoned in their family home. Adam did not write him any letters, only to inform him if and when he was coming home. At this point of the story, Adam is no longer the pure and innocent Abel figure. When Adam tells Charles about his time spent in prison, Charles â€Å"felt warmth for his brother you can only feel for one who is not perfect and therefore no target for your hatred† (East of Eden 144). Leatham claims that at this point in the novel, the standard interpretation of Cain and Abel breaks down, and â€Å"so do[es] the dualism that separated Charles and Adam and the arbitrary and false divisions humans in general draw in order to categorize others and order their world† (Leatham 14). This means that neither Charles nor Adam are longer a hundred percent pure good or bad char acters, it seems like they exchanged some of the traits. Adam is not an entirely good character because he neglects his family, he disrespects his father and he is not hard-working, but on the other hand, a reader has to seeShow MoreRelated John Steinbecks East of Eden: Modern Biblical Story of Cain and Abel2225 Words   |  9 PagesJohn Steinbecks East of Eden: Modern Biblical Story of Cain and Abel And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and slew him. And the Lord said unto Cain, Where is Abel thy brother? And he said, I know not. Am I my brothers keeper? And he said, What hast thou done? The voice of thy brothers blood crieth unto me from the ground. And now thou art cursed from the earth, which hath opened herRead MoreInterpretive Question : Genesis 4 : 1-6 And Adam Knew Eve His Wife967 Words   |  4 Pagesconceived, and bore Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the Lord. And she bare his brother Abel. And Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his offering: But unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect . And Cain was very wrothRead More John Steinbecks East of Eden - Biblical Symbols and Symbolism1255 Words   |  6 Pagesrepresenting Cain and Abel.   Both pairs are similar to Cain and Abel in the way they go about winning their fathers’ favors.   All four give gifts to their fathers, and the fathers dismiss the gifts of Charles and Caleb, the Cain representations (Marks, Jay Lester. p.121).   Caleb and Charles Trask are obviously the more malignant brothers.   They are also the more loving towards their father.   Steinbeck’s purpose in this is to illustrate the need of the Cain character in the story.   Abel, Adam and Aron,Read MoreJohn Steinbeck s East Of Eden1279 Words   |  6 Pagesthis statement is true more than any other in John Steinbeck’s East of Eden. Whether one believes that all stories in the Bible have actually happened or not, at least some concepts of them did. How would a writer arrive at the ideas of two brothers and jealousy of love, without having seen it or felt it before? Yet again, how would these ideas survive for so long, unless many people felt them as well and connected to them. The story of Cain and Abel has been around a long time, but the feelingsRead MoreDeeper The Messages of The Crucible by Arthur Miller613 Words   |  3 Pagessince of entitlement can easily be compared to Cain in the story of Cain and Abel. Cain is ultimately jealous of his brother Abel whenever God accepts his offering and not his. As Abigail is jealous of Elizabeth, she can easily be compared to Cain’s hatred for his brother and his jealousy to gain God’s approval. After Abigail’s jealously leads her to try and get Elizabeth convicted of witchcraft, her plans fail and result in John Proctor’s extermination. Abigail’s agony and guilt overwhelms her and drivesRead MoreBiblical Allusion Of John Steinbeck s East Of Eden1249 Words   |  5 Pagesby John Steinbeck, biblical allusion is a literary device that references characteristics of judeo christian doctrine. Steinbeck alludes to the bible with his characters and setting in East of Eden. Salinas Valley and Adam Trask’s garden allude to the Garden of Eden. Steinbeck portrays the biblical allusion of the chapter Genesis from the bible throughout the book. The characters in the novel are allude to those in the book of Genesis. Steinbeck’s characters alluded to Adam, Eve, Cain, Abel, andRead MoreThe Significance of Sibling Rivalry in Steinbecks East of Eden1400 Words   |  6 Pagescharacters embraced Steinbeck’s characters throughout every concept in the novel, the good vs. evil confines the characters personality in every idea of Steinbeck’s novel. From the biblical story of Cain and Abel to Adam and Charles to Cal and Aaron the story continues through out every generation. John Steinbecks novel, East of Eden is the epic story of a California family who struggle to overcome issues of betrayal, infidelity, and the age old battle between good and evil and sibling rivalry. The storyRead More House Made Of Dawn Essay1056 Words   |  5 Pagesthe remembrance of words, but the remembrance of images. Momaday shows the reader twice how different the white men’s words are from the Native American’s word. The first is with Tosamah when he tells about the way John describes his insight. He says of John, amp;quot;†¦old John was a white man, and the white man has his ways, oh gracious me, he has his ways. He talks about the Word. He talks through it and around it. He builds upon it with syllables, with prefixes and suffixes and hyphensRead MoreSwiss Army Man And The Myth Of Cain And Abel1437 Words   |  6 PagesArmy Man the Myth of Cain and Abel In the first book of the bible, the Book of Genesis, readers are introduced to the characters of Cain and Abel. The myth of Cain and Abel relates to jealousy and rage, and how there are always consequences for our actions. The morals that can be learned from Cain an Abel are still relevant today, but in another format, such as in the poster for the 2016 film Swiss Army Man. The Swiss Army Man poster and the myth of Cain and Abel have overlapping themes, such asRead MoreEssay Biblical Allegories in Modern Literature1378 Words   |  6 PagesJohn Milton, in his epic poem â€Å"Paradise Lost,† expresses that â€Å"the mind is its own place, and in itself can make a heaven of hell, a hell of heaven† (Milton). This idea not only counteracts the basic ideals of Christianity but simultaneously disrupts the widely accepted idea of a separated heaven and hell and the expectations needed to be met to achieve entry. Religion and the bible, two of the most widely disputed topics in history, serve as a muse for authors to explain humanity’s fatal flaws