frightened us. Humans are caught – in their lives, in their thoughts, in their hungers and

ambitions, in their greediness and cruelty, and in their kindness and generosity too – in a

There is no other story. A man will have only one question left at the end of is life:

was it good or was it evil? And all novels, all poetry, are built on the never ending

contest in ourselves between good and evil.”

John Steinbeck explores these ideas in his book East of Eden. Written in 1952, the

story itself is part fiction and part personal history. It asks if people are born good or evil,

or can they choose what kind of people they are. The story spans thirty-six years and

nearly three generations of two American families living in California from 1862 and

1918. It’s story about jealousy and sibling rivalry, wealth and poverty, revenge and

John Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California in 1902. He grew up in the area

where much of the story takes place, the Salinas Valley. Throughout his life, he did a

number of different jobs, including work on ranches, and he learned

Some topics in this essay:
War Learning, Charles Adam, Adam’s Steinbeck, Kate Faye’s, Samuel Hamilton, Prize Literature, Eden Written, , Adam Trask, Salinas Valley, don’t feel, salinas valley, enters story, charles adam, samuel hamilton, king city, falls love, short stories, world war, john steinbeck,