Painting a review of an
epic novel such as this one is how I choose to describe it…painting? Writing is such a hard and fast ink form, sometimes
harsh, and I would like to use a more painterly approach in my attempt to describe
this novel.
First let me say, John Steinbeck
has to be one of the greatest writers…in my estimation. His insights and wisdom, and strength of
determination in his characters, are like none other. His words flow easy, although I'm sure they
did not seem that way to him as he wrote.
He is an historian, a philosopher, a visionary; he is thought-provoking,
arrogant, but never judgmental as he guides you through the psychology of the
human spirit and mind. He leads, you
follow – you follow, he leads you time and again through the labyrinth we call
life. His characters are sometimes evil,
sometimes loving, sometimes heartbreaking, and sometimes introspective,
sometimes visionaries…they think, they act, they breathe, and you breathe with
them.
Maybe I know this because I've been there with all of these characters, and maybe that is where John
Steinbeck has been, and sharing his world with his readers has been his
greatest gift to men and women alike. I
do not see or hear prejudice in his word usage, only the time and period of when
those words were used. Yes, in this now
twenty-first century, words are still discriminated against, and so are the
writers of those words.
We talk about freedom of
speech these days, but really, how free is anyone to write what they please? Always, there is someone to voice an
objection. Banning books is still in existence. The narrow mindedness of people is palpable
to me. The cyber village is a village of
millions upon millions, and the hatred spews forth upon us all, at one point or
another. Writers are wary, cautious, but I am just glad Steinbeck published the words of his choice.
This novel took me months
to read, only because I did not read it every day, nor (for the most part), read
for very long periods of time, but each time I picked this book up, I savored
it bit by bit, character by character. It is a
story that has to be savored, as you are forced to live and walk in the shoes of these characters; you love with them, you cry with them, you become
angry and hate with them, you sit and ponder with them, you are comforted by them, you talk with them and to them, you laugh with them….and importantly you love and accept them for who they are. This
is the genius of Steinbeck’s writing, YOU become these people with whom he lovingly
surrounds you - You and I are no different.
The story takes place
over the lifetime of one character, Adam Trask. His beginnings, his struggles, his later
life. All through this reading, I
wondered how Steinbeck was going to end this story, because it went through
several families, as their lives merged with the Trask family.
John
Steinbeck lived in many places over his lifetime, but the central place for his
growing up was the Salinas Valley in California. The Trask family starts on the East Coast,
and ends in this Valley. Every feeling
you have about the time and place comes to you throughout the seasons. You feel the bitterness of the cold, the heat
of the summer, the wind as it whistles through your hair and around your body. Yes, you feel that ‘sense of place’ along
with these people. You dream about
living there, then change your mind and want to move away. You've got riches, you've got debt, you've got hardships, you've got optimism…and you continue through life to live. The last word spoken was the word, timshel. Here is a brief Spark Notes explanation of this word.
And this I believe: that the free, exploring mind of the
individual human is the most valuable thing in the world. And this I would
fight for: the freedom of the mind to take any direction it wishes, undirected.
Here, in Chapter 13, in another aside to the story, the narrator sets for his
belief that the power of free will in the human mind is the most precious of
human capabilities. He declares his intention to fight against any
force—ideological, religious, political, or otherwise—that threatens to hinder
or constrain this freedom of the individual. In highlighting the importance of
free choice early in the novel, the narrator foreshadows the idea of timshel, or
freedom to choose between good and evil, that becomes the main idea in East
of Eden. Although Cal and other characters struggle with the problem
of evil throughout the rest of the novel, the narrator plants a seed of hope
early, in these words.
As I've tried to paint
you a picture of what is contained IN this story, let it be known that family
and friendship becomes everything - Life and
even death is everything - Love is everything. I will remember this.
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