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A review by leswag97
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
5.0
“East of Eden” is a journey. When one picks up Steinbeck’s final work, they instantly can understand what makes it a classic work, and what makes him such a proficient and beautiful writer. Steinbeck’s emotion jumps off the pages, as he spins a tale that is indebted to folklore, mythology, and sacred texts stretching back to the beginning of human history. Obviously, as the name implies, “East of Eden” imaginatively recreates the story of first persons, of the first family, of the heartbreak and the adventure found therein.
Like those of Scripture, Steinbeck’s host of characters are complex and far from one-sided. There are humans prone to monstrosities, while others are angelic, to a certain degree, and yet, the deck is not stacked in favor of any specific man or woman. Instead, Steinbeck paints a realistic, familiar, and bewildering picture of California in the late 19th century and the early 20th century.
Although a lengthy endeavor, the story of “East of Eden” does not get sidetracked, nor does it become dull. Yet, even though Steinbeck has the goal in mind, and the endpoint always in his forefront, he masterfully keeps his readers in the unknown, allowing them only glimpses and guesses into what will transpire within the world he has created. A foreboding and intense feeling arises in Steinbeck’s readers as they journey along the path to its inevitable end; the characters exhibit attributes and characteristics that make them endearing and relatable, and yet wholly other and terrifying.
Steinbeck has created a masterpiece, and yet, he has done so with the paints and the tools available to all of us. Much of the story finds itself close to Steinbeck’s very home, and one soon finds out that Steinbeck, although he is writing about another family, is also writing about his own, and although he is pointing to the past—even to the ancient past right outside of Eden—he is also highlighting the present and the future. This is, indeed, what gives his story life and beauty, for it is a narrative we all know, with which we are familiar, and in that familiarity we are asked to go deeper and to open ourselves up to both horror and surprise.
Like those of Scripture, Steinbeck’s host of characters are complex and far from one-sided. There are humans prone to monstrosities, while others are angelic, to a certain degree, and yet, the deck is not stacked in favor of any specific man or woman. Instead, Steinbeck paints a realistic, familiar, and bewildering picture of California in the late 19th century and the early 20th century.
Although a lengthy endeavor, the story of “East of Eden” does not get sidetracked, nor does it become dull. Yet, even though Steinbeck has the goal in mind, and the endpoint always in his forefront, he masterfully keeps his readers in the unknown, allowing them only glimpses and guesses into what will transpire within the world he has created. A foreboding and intense feeling arises in Steinbeck’s readers as they journey along the path to its inevitable end; the characters exhibit attributes and characteristics that make them endearing and relatable, and yet wholly other and terrifying.
Steinbeck has created a masterpiece, and yet, he has done so with the paints and the tools available to all of us. Much of the story finds itself close to Steinbeck’s very home, and one soon finds out that Steinbeck, although he is writing about another family, is also writing about his own, and although he is pointing to the past—even to the ancient past right outside of Eden—he is also highlighting the present and the future. This is, indeed, what gives his story life and beauty, for it is a narrative we all know, with which we are familiar, and in that familiarity we are asked to go deeper and to open ourselves up to both horror and surprise.