East of Eden: Literary References

In many of his novels, John Steinbeck uses biblical references and Greek mythology. One of the novels is East of Eden, written in 1952, which parallels the biblical stories of Adam, Eve, Cain, and Able, and includes references to Pandora’s Box. There are similarities in the names of the main characters and the names of the biblical characters. The main character is Adam Trask and his twin sons are Cal and Aron. Although the story of Adam and Eve is frequently pointed out as a model for the novel, the use of Greek mythology is overlooked. (Barnes) The myth of Pandora’s Box appears throughout the novel, mostly with Cathy and Abra. In the biblical story, Eve brings “mischief on mankind” (Barnes) when she eats the forbidden fruit; in the myth of Pandora’s Box, Pandora causes mischief when she opens a box. Cathy’s likeness to Pandora and Eve is the most obvious since she brought disaster on her family, whereas the character of Aron who starts off as the “good brother” (Barnes) ends up being the wandering brother, changing the similarities between Aron and Abel to Aron and Cain. Along with the fictional characters, there are also characters that Steinbeck used from his mother’s side of the family, who are also called by their real names, the Hamiltons. The novel takes place in the Salinas Valley in California, Steinbeck’s birthplace. Steinbeck uses Adam and Eve’s story, Pandora’s Box, and his own family history in this novel East of Eden. This novel “is crucially important to illustrating the distinction between Naturalistic fiction and the drama of consciousness because of [Steinbeck’s] preoccupation with the problems of man's conscious responsibilities for his actions.” (Twayne’s Author Series)

Sources:
Barnes, Rebecca. "Steinbeck's East of Eden." Explicator 55.3 (1997): 159. Academic Search Complete. EBSCO. Web. 28 Apr. 2010.

“John Steinbeck.” Twayne’s Author Series. Web. 28 Apr. 2010

Picture Source:
http://media.photobucket.com/image/john%20steinbeck/cakeabake/east.jpg?o=56