How do samuel and cyrus contrast as storytellers

How are children in Part One influenced by perceived flaws in their fathers, and how do they respond? What are the consequences of parental love, neglect or rejection among the Trasks? Do you, as a reader, like all that he does?

Both are dignified characters, yet both are subject to denigration. Clearly Lee is the more important character. Why does he speak English so readily with Samuel? How many roles does he play in this novel? I think everyone in the world to a large or small extent has felt rejection. And with rejection comes anger, and with anger some kind of crime in revenge for the rejection, and with crime guilt.

Part Two concludes with an evocation of Biblical stories—of Aaron who did not make it to the Promised Land, and Caleb and Joshua who did. Is there a Moses figure in the book thus far, whose vision leads characters out of their spiritual wilderness? Share this: Twitter Facebook. Like this: Like Loading Published by aplanguageblogq4. Published May 21, Leave a Reply Cancel reply Enter your comment here Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in:.

Email required Address never made public. Name required. Create your website with WordPress. Follow Following. Sign me up. Already have a WordPress. SparkTeach Teacher's Handbook. Themes Motifs Symbols. Important Quotes Explained. Mini Essays Suggested Essay Topics. Summary Part One, Chapters 1—5. Page 1 Page 2 Page 3. Popular pages: East of Eden. But is that a statement or a command?

Is it true for all of us? To Steinbeck, these were life's most important questions. Are we all innately evil as Adam and Eve's story is often interpreted? Or are we in control of our evil sides? Part One—Discussion Questions 1. How do the contrasting values in the landscape affect a reader's sense of the valley? There is an epic scope to the opening chapter, as if Steinbeck is announcing to the reader the grandness of his theme. Comment on how he suggests the grandness of his conception.

Steinbeck describes the inhabitants of the valley—Indians, Spanish, Americans—in rather unattractive terms, as if he's echoing an "official" history. Why would he do so? How do the patriarchs, Samuel Hamilton and Cyrus Trask—and their respective families—differ? Compare their different moral environments. How do Samuel and Cyrus contrast as storytellers? Why does storytelling play such a major role in this novel? What kind of storyteller is the character Steinbeck? How are children in Part One influenced by perceived flaws in their fathers, and how do they respond?

What are the consequences of parental love, neglect or rejection among the Hamiltons and Trasks? Regardless of Charles's brutal beating of Adam and his infidelity with Adam's wife, does he love his brother? Are the brothers close? Why might they be closer through letters?

Why does Charles' handwriting change in the strange letter he writes to Adam at the end of Chapter 4? And why might Steinbeck say that this letter is a "key" to the novel? Is Cathy Ames doomed by nature to be who she is, or does she have a choice? Cathy is introduced as a monster in Chapter 8; in Chapter 12 she's described slightly differently. Steinbeck seems to be assessing her character as he writes the book. Why might Steinbeck be asking the reader to assess Cathy carefully?

How might Cathy Ames be an Eve-like figure? Or is she like Lilith, a demon created from filth, who, according to some Jewish myths, was Adam's first wife? What role does human sexuality play in the lives of the characters? How is Adam's good nature and inability to see through Cathy a weakness? If Adam is an "A" character and therefore "good," is he also an admirable character? Do you, as a reader, like all that he does?

Who is telling the story at any given moment? Steinbeck, Olive's son, a character in his own book? The all-knowing narrator who can even tell what others are thinking? Or is the philosopher-critic a third possibility?

Why do you think that Steinbeck includes himself in this text? What might be his point in so doing? Comment on gift-giving in the novel. Why is it so important? Steinbeck has been accused of creating only two types of female characters, mother figures like the heroic Ma Joad and prostitutes like Cathy. While many female characters in this book are not as richly drawn as the male characters, he nonetheless creates fascinating characters in Alice, Liza and later Abra.

Comment on the role of these women as nurturers, as mothers, as confidants. The thematic role of each differs. Early reviewers complained about Cathy. If this is a novel about free will, why is Cathy, a monster seemingly without free will, a major character in the novel? Think about this question as you read the book. Why might Cathy be compared to Alice in Wonderland? Part Two—Discussion Questions 1. In Chapter 13, Steinbeck celebrates "the freedom of the mind to take any direction it wishes, undirected.

They fall prey to their own creations. What traits do these two characters share? And what are some of the dangers inherent in "freedom of the mind"? Is Adam's forgetfulness of his past in his new Eden convincing?

Is his obliviousness a form of repression destined to wreak havoc? From your reading of Chapter 14—about Olive Hamilton, Steinbeck's mother—do you think it is wildly intrusive and inappropriate, as some critics have claimed? Or, is the chapter consistent with other interjections throughout the book and with Steinbeck's ambition to write a novel for his sons in an unrestricted style?

Regarding Cathy, the narrator says: "Who knows but that she tried to tell someone or everyone what she was like, and could not for lack of a common language. What qualities in Cathy are transparent to those who care to notice? How does Steinbeck handle the issue of racial prejudice in his portrayal of Lee, Adam's Chinese servant, and "the Nigger," whorehouse madam?

Both are dignified characters, yet both are subject to denigration. Clearly Lee is the more important character. Why does he speak English so readily with Samuel?

How many roles does he play in this novel? Both Mr. Edwards, the whoremaster in Part One, and Faye, the brothel madam, fall in love with Cathy. The narrator says that Cathy "was mistress of a technique which is the basis of good wrestling—that of letting your opponent do the heavy work toward his own defeat, or of guiding his strength toward his weakness.

Edwards and Faye? How does Cathy play them? Does she play Adam in the same way? Liza Hamilton is mother to Samuel's nine children, four boys and five girls. She "had a finely developed sense of sin. She felt that rewards came later. Which of her characteristics are most admirable? Is Adam's despondence after Cathy abandons him and the children authentic grief?

Or does he derive masochistic pleasure from it, as Samuel Hamilton suggests? What does it say about Adam that he, too, rejects his infant sons for more than a year, ignoring them, not bothering even to name them? If Adam is an "A" character, and thus "good," is that goodness convincing? In discussing the Cain and Abel story with Samuel Hamilton and Adam, Lee says: "The greatest terror a child can have is that he is not loved, and rejection is the hell he fears. I think everyone in the world to a large or small extent has felt rejection.

And with rejection comes anger, and with anger some kind of crime in revenge for the rejection, and with crime guilt. Part Two concludes with an evocation of Biblical stories—of Aaron who did not make it to the Promised Land, and Caleb and Joshua who did. Is there a Moses figure in the book thus far, whose vision leads characters out of their spiritual wilderness? Why do you suppose that Steinbeck includes so much about the Cain and Abel story in the novel, having Samuel read the text?

Part Three—Discussion Questions 1. How does the omnipresence of death change the mood and atmosphere of the novel? Is their deception justifiable as a kindness, or is it ultimately a breach of trust? Compare their actions to that of Lee's father. Note also Lee's advice to Adam about telling the boys the truth about Cathy. How are the twins, Cal and Aron, different?