The central point that I've seen so far in East of Eden is that it dramatizes the continuous conflict between good and evil within individuals and in society as a whole. ... Steinbeck begins the novel with a detailed description of the natural landscape and beauty of the Salinas Valley where he grew up, establishing an important early symbol for the conflict between good and evil: the contrast between the dark, threatening Santa Lucia Mountains to the west and the bright, welcoming Gablian Mountains to the east. The narrator, whose voice is really that of Steinbeck, says that he learned t...

• Word Count: 715
• Approx Pages: 3
• Grade Level: High School

East of Eden In John Steinbeck's Book, East of Eden, he succeeds in recreating the Fall of Man. ... The Fall of Man starts in Chapter Three of Genesis, but East of Eden recreates the Fall of Man by incorporating Genesis Four. When Earth was created, God planted many plants in the Garden of Eden and in the middle of the garden was the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. ... The relationship between Cain and Abel is illustrated in East of Eden through the characters of Charles and Adam. ... In Cain's case, "Went out from the Lord's presence and lived...

• Word Count: 2049
• Approx Pages: 8
• Grade Level: High School

In punishment of this act, God exiled man from the Garden of Eden. ... The scripture states "Therefore the Lord God sent him out from the Garden of Eden to work the ground from which he was taken. He drove out the man and at the east of the garden of Eden he placed the cherubim and a flaming sword that turned every way to guard the way to the tree of life" (Genesis 3:22). ... But man continually returns to wickedness, repents, over and over, just as in the Garden of Eden. ...

• Word Count: 897
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: High School