The classic story of Cain and Abel can easily be shown as a parallel to two sets of brothers and one set of women in East of Eden: Charles and Adam, Cal and Aron, and Cathy and Abra. These characters compare very closely to the famous Biblical characters not only by the letter beginning their names but by their behavior and the way they were treated. The ties between these character help us, as readers, see the true underlying meaning of this book and interpret the work as a whole in a completely different way.
Cain and Abel were the children of Adam and Eve. While Cain farmed crops, Adam was a shepherd and looked after the family’s sheep. Prior to having Cain and Abel, Adam and Eve had disobeyed God and He told them they could show Him how poorly they felt by sacrificing a lamb. Naturally, Abel (being the shepherd) would be the one to give God the lamb. Of course, Cain was jealous, not understanding why his hard work on the crops was going unnoticed by God. He assumed that God preferred Abel over him which made him very angry and he struck his brother to the ground, killing him. …show more content…
The connection to Cain and Abel supports the common theme of opposites, particularly Good and Evil, in the novel. This is meant not solely in biblical terms but also applies to characters of East of Eden. Knowing the principle that Adam and Charles, as well as Aron and Cal, are based off of Cain and Abel helps readers to understand the good and evil theme in the book. The characters that fall under Cain (Charles and Cal) are jealous by nature and will stop at nothing to receive love and attention. In contrast, the characters that represent Abel (Adam and Aron) have a sort of innocence about them. They are loved by all but don’t try too hard to seek this love. These characters are the good while Cal and Charles represent evil as they are selfish and hurt
Cain and Abel were the children of Adam and Eve. While Cain farmed crops, Adam was a shepherd and looked after the family’s sheep. Prior to having Cain and Abel, Adam and Eve had disobeyed God and He told them they could show Him how poorly they felt by sacrificing a lamb. Naturally, Abel (being the shepherd) would be the one to give God the lamb. Of course, Cain was jealous, not understanding why his hard work on the crops was going unnoticed by God. He assumed that God preferred Abel over him which made him very angry and he struck his brother to the ground, killing him. …show more content…
The connection to Cain and Abel supports the common theme of opposites, particularly Good and Evil, in the novel. This is meant not solely in biblical terms but also applies to characters of East of Eden. Knowing the principle that Adam and Charles, as well as Aron and Cal, are based off of Cain and Abel helps readers to understand the good and evil theme in the book. The characters that fall under Cain (Charles and Cal) are jealous by nature and will stop at nothing to receive love and attention. In contrast, the characters that represent Abel (Adam and Aron) have a sort of innocence about them. They are loved by all but don’t try too hard to seek this love. These characters are the good while Cal and Charles represent evil as they are selfish and hurt