East of Eden: Difference between revisions

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.
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* [[Obfuscating Stupidity]]: Lee, the Pidgin speaking Chinese cook, is actually the smartest character in the whole story.
* [[Obfuscating Stupidity]]: Lee, the Pidgin speaking Chinese cook, is actually the smartest character in the whole story.
* [[Parental Favoritism]]: Cyrus prefers Adam, and Adam {{spoiler|prefers Aron}}.
* [[Parental Favoritism]]: Cyrus prefers Adam, and Adam {{spoiler|prefers Aron}}.
* [[Roman a Clef]]: the Hamilton sections are based heavily on Steinbeck's maternal family history.
* [[Roman à Clef]]: the Hamilton sections are based heavily on Steinbeck's maternal family history.
* [[Self Made Orphan]]: {{spoiler|Cathy, in one of the most chilling scenes in the book.}}
* [[Self Made Orphan]]: {{spoiler|Cathy, in one of the most chilling scenes in the book.}}
* [[Shout Out]]: The title is taken from [[The Bible (Literature)|The Book of Genesis]]: "And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and took up residence in the Land of Nod, east of Eden."
* [[Shout Out]]: The title is taken from [[The Bible (Literature)|The Book of Genesis]]: "And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and took up residence in the Land of Nod, east of Eden."
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* [[The Unfavorite]]: Charles and {{spoiler|Cal}}.
* [[The Unfavorite]]: Charles and {{spoiler|Cal}}.
* [[Throw It In]]: Cal was supposed to deck Adam after he rejects his present. When shooting, James Dean had the impulse to instead hug Raymond Massey. This became a moment of [[Enforced Method Acting]] for Massey who, unpracticed in improvisation, came across exactly as stiff and uncomfortable as Adam ought to be under the circumstances.
* [[Throw It In]]: Cal was supposed to deck Adam after he rejects his present. When shooting, James Dean had the impulse to instead hug Raymond Massey. This became a moment of [[Enforced Method Acting]] for Massey who, unpracticed in improvisation, came across exactly as stiff and uncomfortable as Adam ought to be under the circumstances.
* [[Well Done Son Guy]]: Cyrus to Charles, and later, {{spoiler|Adam to Cal}}.
* [["Well Done, Son" Guy]]: Cyrus to Charles, and later, {{spoiler|Adam to Cal}}.
* [[What Do You Mean Its Not Symbolic]]: The epic religious symbolism is the entire point of the book.
* [[What Do You Mean Its Not Symbolic]]: The epic religious symbolism is the entire point of the book.



Revision as of 13:40, 9 January 2014

"If you want to give me a present, give me a good life. That's something I can value."
Adam Trask

A 1952 novel by John Steinbeck, East of Eden was brought to the screen in 1955 by director Elia Kazan with a cast headed by James Dean.

The novel concerns two families, the Trasks and the Hamiltons, who live in Salinas Valley, California. The Hamiltons, headed by patriarch Samuel Hamilton and wife Liza, initially settle into the valley with their nine kids. When the kids set out to seek their fortunes, the land is settled by the wealthy Adam Trask. The Trask family grows, adding a wife, Cathy, a Devil in Plain Sight, and sons Cal and Aron. Just after the birth of the two sons, Cathy vanishes from their lives. Years later, the now-grown boys meet a girl named Abra, whose presence drives a wedge between the two.

Not to be confused with Eden of the East.


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