THE CONCEPT OF TIMSHEL

In both the novel and its accompanying Journal of a

Novel: The East of Eden Letters, Steinbeck reveals

his investigation into the reinterpretation of the Hebrew word timshel, a word presumably mistrans- lated in various versions of the Bible. The King James Bible gives a crucial passage as “Thou shalt rule over him,” (where “him” refers to sin), since it translates the word timshel as “thou shalt.” The phrase is therefore a prophecy, describing what will happen when people encounter sin. The American Standard Bible, on the other hand, gives the phrase as, “Do thou rule over it,” where timshel is trans- lated as “Do thou,” making the phrase an order. However, the character Lee points out that timshel should really be translated as “thou mayest,” which implies that the phrase offers people a choice. In the novel, these discussions take place among Adam, Samuel, and Lee, but in life it was Steinbeck

and his friend Pat Covici who, through primary research, figured out the true meaning of timshel. To them, the discovery that the Hebrew word really means “mayest” implies that man has free will.

In Steinbeck’s belief, it is individual responsibil- ity that invents moral conscience. The great asset of any society and human civilization as a whole is the talent and energy of its people. In his mind, nei- ther “thou shalt” nor “thou do” could give human beings the encouragement to explore their souls and their guilts in order to make their own choices for better or for worse. But the translation of timshel into “thou mayest” enables the release of the energy in every human being. The freeing of human possibilities is one of Steinbeck’s objectives in having the story grounded in the framework of the Cain-Abel story. The departure from God’s order or predetermined destiny allows individuals to build their internal Eden in their families and then their community.

EARLY CRITICISM

As Steinbeck’s first major novel since the Grapes of

Wrath, the publication of East of Eden generated

eager anticipation and perhaps unrealistic expecta- tions among literary critics. Very quickly, it achieved best-seller status with the reading public, but just as quickly reviewers seized upon the book’s flaws. Many of Steinbeck’s prior admirers expressed disappointment, though couched in cautiously approving critiques. The New York Times, a news- paper that had previously applauded almost all of Steinbeck’s writing, published a review fairly typical of the book’s reception. Orville Prescott praised Steinbeck’s effort “to grapple with a major theme” of “good and evil,” but suggested the novel was “defaced by excessive melodramatics” and that the character of Cathy would “sicken and . . . bore many” readers. Leo Gurko, writing for the Nation, immediately indicated that Steinbeck’s “talent has declined,” and offered as an explanation for the decline that the author served himself better as indignant social commentator than as a moral judge. The New Yorker’s critic, Anthony West, identified Steinbeck’s inclusion of himself as narra- tor as “a genius for dissociation” and, after a lengthy discussion of the plot, concluded there “is

nothing more puerile than a discussion [of good and evil]” where “evil is identified with sexual aber- ration.”

More positively, Harvey Curtis Webster, in his column for the Saturday Review, called the book “one of the best novels of the past ten years” and praised Steinbeck for finally addressing “human dignity and what it may achieve.” The critic for the

New York Times Book Review, Mark Schorer,

applauded East of Eden as a “strange and original work of art” and remarked on the book’s “wide- ranging and imaginative freedom.” In the New York

Herald Tribune Weekly Book Review, Joseph Wood

Krutch compared the novel to Thomas Mann’s The

Magic Mountain in a risky blend of symbolism and

realism, and commended Steinbeck for his mastery of “deft little phrases” and his ability to turn “sym- bolic figures” into living characters.

CONTEMPORARY PERSPECTIVES

East of Eden never achieved the widespread popu-

larity nor the stature as an American classic of The

Grapes of Wrath and OF MICE AND MEN. Until

Oprah Winfrey featured the book as one of her favorite classics in June 2003, it had largely been ignored by the reading public after its initial publi- cation and the release of the film based on a por- tion of the book. Scholars and literary analysts of Steinbeck’s works, however, have taken Steinbeck’s self-professed description of the book as his master- piece seriously.

Richard Astro, a longtime admirer of Stein- beck, claims the book “does not work” despite the author’s “great sensitivity” to his family and to California, because of Steinbeck’s “confused narra- tives.” He suggests that Steinbeck allowed “con- ventional morality to replace science and intuition” as a worldview, and thus abandoned his unique perspective. Other critics have given Stein- beck credit for contributing an early example of “metafiction” in which the author explores the role of the artist as creator and makes the creative process a central theme by deliberately including himself as the narrative voice. Peter Lisca criticizes the book’s “scrambled syntax and awkward expres- sion,” while praising Steinbeck’s warm and loving descriptions of the Hamiltons, noting, however,

that the Hamiltons “are in no way involved in the novel’s narrative.” Joseph Fontenrose claims that Steinbeck never resolves the novel’s central theme of good and evil because of an inconsistency in the author’s presentation of the relationship between good and evil. For Fontenrose, East of Eden fails because it lacks ethical insight. In response to those who criticize the book for a lack of structural unity and moral certainty, John Timmerman points to the key characters of Cathy Ames, Horace Quinn, Charles Trask, Caleb Trask, Lee, and Samuel Hamilton as paradigms for Steinbeck’s vision of moral order and ethical challenges. According to Timmerman, Cathy presents a coun- terpoint and a choice for each of these men. For Horace Quinn, she represents a challenge to the

social order of the quiet community of Salinas. For Charles and Caleb Trask, Cathy offers tempting psychological seduction and attendant dilemmas. For Lee, Cathy disturbs his philosophical certainty of human progress and free will. Cathy temporarily undermines Samuel Hamilton’s connection to his spiritual core. With the exception of Charles, each man overcomes Cathy’s enticements, because each has a solid grounding from the love and respect of others.

SYNOPSIS

Part 1 Chapter 1

Steinbeck describes the history of the Salinas Val- ley from prehistoric times to the settlement of Americans.

Chapter 2

Samuel Hamilton arrives with his wife in the Sali- nas Valley from Ireland. Finding that all the rich bottomland is taken, they claim a homestead in the marginal land of the barren hills. The land is harsh and dry, unsuitable for farming, and Hamilton must support his family by drilling wells and making tools in his blacksmith shop.

Chapter 3

Turning to the history of the Trask family, the author relates how Cyrus Trask enlists to fight in the Civil War, where he loses his leg. The mother of his first son, Adam, drowns herself, and Cyrus mar- ries a young neighbor, Alice, who gives birth to a second son, Charles. Cyrus convinces everybody, even himself, of his involvement in all the impor- tant events of the war. A harsh disciplinarian, he raises his two sons in a heavy-handed military way. Adam Trask retreats into quiet passiveness, while Charles becomes cruel and competitive. Cyrus favors his son Adam. He explains to his son the nature and duties of a soldier and announces that Adam will soon be sent to the army. He decides not to put Charles in the army because of his fears that Charles’s aggression will be uncontrollable in the military. Charles is jealous and angry with Adam. He beats his brother savagely and leaves him lying in the grass. Adam, broken and nearly senseless,

74 East of Eden

Poster from the 1955 film production of East of Eden

hides in a ditch when his brother returns with a hatchet to finish his work.

Chapter 4

Cyrus Trask enlists Adam in the cavalry. Adam’s cavalry unit is sent west to eliminate the Indians. Adam is disgusted by the butchery he sees and compensates for it by risking his life to rescue his comrades. During the years of his enlistment he develops a close correspondence with his brother.

Chapter 5

Samuel Hamilton fathers nine children, four boys and five girls. The family lives happily but never prosperously, for Samuel wastes most of his family’s money trying to patent his inventions.

Chapter 6

Cyrus Trask receives a commission from the Grand Army of the Republic, and Charles is left alone on the farm. One day, while trying to move a heavy rock, Charles is hit in the head with an iron bar, leaving a long brown scar in the middle of his fore- head. After five years Adam is discharged from the cavalry. Unwilling to go home, he reenlists. He receives orders to report to the secretary of war in Washington, where his father has become a power- ful man. Cyrus hopes to convince his son to stay with him, offering to secure him an appointment to West Point. Adam refuses, wishing only to return to his regiment.

Chapter 7

Five years later Adam receives his second dis- charge. With no money and no ambition, he wan- ders around the country as a hobo until he is arrested for vagrancy and assigned to a road gang for six months. Upon his release he is immedi- ately picked up and assigned another six months. Three days before his second release he escapes and returns to the farm. Meanwhile, Charles receives word that their father has died, leaving his sons a large inheritance. Adam admits to Charles that he hated their father. Charles learns that his father’s military exploits were a charade. He wonders if it is possible that their father acquired his unlikely fortune dishonestly, but Adam insists Cyrus never lied and that the inher- itance cannot be stolen money.

Chapter 8

Cathy Ames is born to a tanner in a small Massa- chusetts town. She is a beautiful girl and a natural liar and manipulator. Cathy learns early on that she can use her sexuality to gain power over people. She drives her young Latin teacher to kill himself. After her 16th birthday she announces that she is not going back to school, and the next morning she runs away. Mr. Ames finds his daughter and whips her for leaving. Cathy ingratiates herself to her par- ents while she prepares for a second escape. She burns down her parent’s house while they are inside. Fabricating signs of a struggle, she disap- pears with the tannery payroll.

Chapter 9

Mr. Edwards, a Boston whoremaster, falls in love with Cathy. He rents her an apartment and show- ers her with gifts. Tortured by his passion, he deter- mines to get rid of her. He takes her to the countryside and beats her, leaving her for dead. With her last strength, Cathy crawls to a nearby farmhouse and faints.

Chapter 10

Adam and Charles live together in a state of ten- sion, always on the verge of fighting. Adam is rest- less. He complains that they work too much and should enjoy their money. He leaves the farm and travels to South America. When he finally returns, Charles tells him that it is better he leaves before they fall into fighting again.

Chapter 11

The two brothers discover Cathy’s broken body on the steps of the farmhouse. Sensing trouble, Charles wants to take her to town immediately, but Adam insists that they bring her into the house and call for a doctor. She claims to have amnesia. Adam happily cares for the wounded young woman, but Charles is suspicious and encourages his brother to get her out of the house. Adam tells Cathy that he will take care of her and he asks her to marry him. Cathy, realizing that she is helpless and has no money, accepts his offer. They marry the following week while Charles is away from the farm. When Adam tells Charles, he storms angrily out of the house. Later that evening

he returns drunk. Cathy drugs her husband’s tea and makes love to Charles.

Part 2 Chapter 12

Steinbeck describes the arrival of the 20th century.

Chapter 13

Adam Trask and his new wife move to California, where they look for a ranch in the Salinas Valley. One afternoon, he returns to their King City hotel room to find Cathy nearly dead from blood loss. She has badly botched an abortion attempt. She tells the doctor that Adam does not know that she is pregnant. He warns her that if she does not have the child he will ensure that she is jailed for murder. Adam decides to buy the old Sanchez Ranch, 900 acres of beautiful pastures and rolling hills—some of the best farmland in the Salinas Valley. Adam asks Samuel Hamilton for his opinion of the land. The old Irishman agrees that it is fine land, but that there is “. . . a black violence on this valley . . . as secret as a hidden sorrow.”

Chapter 14

The Hamilton children grow up. Olive earns her teaching certificate, becomes a schoolteacher in Salinas, and marries.

Chapter 15

Adam sends his new Chinese cook, Lee, to fetch Samuel Hamilton. Lee and Samuel converse deeply and immediately become friends. Adam hires Samuel to dig wells and build windmills so that he can make “a garden of my land” for his wife. He invites Samuel to stay for dinner. Samuel is over- come by a strange nervousness in Cathy’s presence and hurriedly excuses himself. Cathy tells Adam that she does not like the ranch and is going to leave as soon as she can, but her husband dismisses her words for nonsense.

Chapter 16

Samuel wonders why Cathy makes him ill at ease. He realizes that she has the same eyes as a mur- derer who as a child he saw hanged. He feels guilty for thinking such a terrible thing and resolves to help the Trasks as much as possible.

Chapter 17

Lee announces that Cathy is about to have her baby. Samuel finds the expectant mother crouched silently in the dark with “unforgiving, murderous hatred” in her eyes. While he prepares Cathy for the delivery, she bites his hand savagely, refusing to release him until he grabs her throat and cuts off her wind. Twin boys are born. Cathy will have nothing to do with her new sons. A week later she packs her bags and announces to her husband that she is leaving and that he can throw the babies in a well for all she cares. When Adam tries to prevent her departure she shoots him in the shoulder and leaves him lying on the floor.

Chapter 18

Horace Quinn, the deputy sheriff, comes to the Trask ranch to investigate the shooting. Adam lies despondently in bed. He insists that he shot himself while cleaning his pistol and says that he does not know where his wife has gone. Horace, skeptical of Adam’s unlikely story, suspects him of killing his wife. He goes to Salinas to ask the sheriff for advice. His boss informs him that Cathy Trask is now working in a Salinas whorehouse. The two men agree to keep Cathy’s whereabouts a secret. Meanwhile, Samuel visits the ranch. He reminds Adam that he has two new sons and advises him to “go through the motions.

Chapter 19

Faye, the matronly owner of the newest whore- house in Salinas, hires Cathy, who has changed her name to Kate. Kate ingratiates herself with the kindly woman and soon begins to assume many of the responsibilities of running the house. The sher- iff tells her that he knows who she is. He tells her to dye her hair a different color and warns her that if she ever tells anybody that she is Adam Trask’s wife he will see to it that she is run out of the state.

Chapter 20

Kate and Faye become increasingly intimate, refer- ring to each other as “mother” and “daughter.” Faye has a party for Kate and announces that she has made a will, leaving everything she owns to her new “daughter.”

Chapter 21

Kate begins to plant the idea among the girls that Faye is sick. True to Kate’s word, the madam’s health disintegrates during the following months. Kate takes control of the house, winning the confi- dence of the other girls with presents and pleasant encouragement. She poisons Faye’s meals with cro- ton oil, mildly poisoning herself also, to give the appearance of botulism poisoning from bad food. A few weeks later she gives Faye a final, fatal dose and then buries the incriminating bottles behind the whorehouse.

Chapter 22

Adam withdraws completely, leaving Lee to care for the newborn infants. Samuel is outraged to learn that Adam has not named the two boys after more than a year. He insists that Adam name the boys, awkwardly striking him when he refuses. Samuel suggests naming them Cain and Abel, but Adam rejects the idea. The men engage in a long discussion over the true meaning of the Cain-and- Abel story (Genesis 4:1–16). Finally Adam chooses the names Caleb and Aaron from Mrs. Hamilton’s worn-out Bible.

Part 3 Chapter 23

Una Hamilton dies and her body is shipped home. The death of his favorite daughter affects Samuel deeply and he begins to show his age. His children meet and decide that Samuel and Liza deserve to have a rest. They agree to trick their parents into retirement by inviting them to come and stay a while with each of them. Samuel realizes what his children are up to and assents to the plan, knowing that he is going away to die.

Chapter 24

Samuel pays a final visit to the Trask ranch. The land has been untouched for many years. He tells Adam that he has become “a fallow man on fallow land” and advises him to find a replacement for Cathy and to try to get on with his life. He tells Adam that he has a medicine that might cure him and also might kill him: Cathy lives in Salinas and runs a whorehouse. Grief-stricken, Adam runs into the night. Samuel explains his decision to

Lee: “I exercised the choice. Maybe I was wrong, but by telling him I also forced him to live or get off the pot.”

Chapter 25

Samuel Hamilton dies. After the funeral Adam gets drunk and goes to Kate’s place to confront his wife. Kate tells him that the world contains only evil and