Although the character of Cathy seems unnaturally vicious and cruel, Steinbeck didn't have to go far to find the inspiration for her existence. Steinbeck's first marriage to Carol Henning was unhappy and bitter, filled with quarrels and arguments. In 1942, he divorced her and turned around in 1943 to marry Gwen Verdon, the mother of his two boys. This marriage proved to be more unsuccessful than the first and "she became a kind of monster in John's mind" (Wyatt, p. xi), thus making the explicit correlation to Cathy. Steinbeck speaks of Gwyn and reflects that "she killed my love of her with little cruelties...American marri

The story of Caleb and Aaron is also a re-creation of the Cain and Abel story in Genesis. Once again Steinbeck uses the first letters of their name to show similarities, but also, Cal is described as being the dark, clever brother, not only in his personality traits, but in his appearance as well. Contrarily, Aaron has angelic features, with a light complexion and a "pure" soul. The darkness of Cal shows the purity in Aaron and visa versa. As opposed to the story of Charles and Adam, the characters of the novel begin to see the parallels between the twins and the Biblical brothers. At one point their servant, Lee, points that in Genesis, "Abel kept the flocks, and Cain worked the soil" (4:3). Samuel, a loyal friend, later makes the correlation between Aaron raising rabbits and says to Cal, "don't tell me you're a gardener" (p.299). Cal responds by saying that his father is soon going to give him some land to cultivate. Samuel sees the association to the characters in the Bible but Lee refuses to acknowledge it, thinking it cruel to condemn either to Cain's or Abel's later fate. This fate cannot be avoided, when, in attempts to raise his father's spirits, Cal makes a generous sacrifice to his father. He gives him 15,000 dollars he has earned to try to compensate for the business expedition in which Adam lost thousands. His father flatly rejects his present for no apparent reason just as God rejects Caleb's sacrifice of the fruit of his soil. At this rejection, Caleb takes Aaron to see his mother at the whorehouse knowing that it will literally shatter his perception of his own purity and in effect, kill him. The next day, Aaron lies about his age, enrolls in the military and is sent to world War I. After receiving the telegram that Aaron has been killed in action, Cal admits that "I'm responsible for Aaron's death...I took him to Kate's. I showed him his mother" (p. 595). The story of Cain and Abel is the first of its kind that illustrates how jealousy and rage can cause brother to turn against brother. In choosing to symbolize this allegory in his novel, Steinbeck illustrates that yesterday's vices are still today's sorrows. Mankind has not changed as "evil must constantly respawn...[and] vice has always a new fresh young face" (p. 415).

When Adam's brother, Charles, meets Cathy for the first time, it makes him perceive the evil that dwells inside him. Before their encounter, Charles feels no remorse about almost killing his brother, Adam. Corresponding to the story of Cain and Abel, Steinbeck not only uses the initials of the brothers for the two characters, Charles and Adam, but it is the rejection of his father that drives him to nearly kill Adam. He later fulfills the rest of Edenic story when he receives a "crinkled scar, and while most scar tissue is lighter than the surrounding skin, Charles' scar turned dark brown" (p. 47). This scar in the Bible is a form of protection, but in the novel, it sets him apart from the rest of society and he forever tills his land alone. It is his violence that gave him the scar and causes his alienation

Some common words found in the essay are:
Caleb Aaron, Salinas Sam, Lord God, Charles Adam, Cain's Abel's, Cain Abel, East Eden, Initially Steinbeck, Cathy Steinbeck, John Steinbeck, cain abel, adam eve, east eden, story cain abel, story cain, charles adam, story world, sharp teeth, evil dwells, boys world, recognize own,
Approximate Word count = 2071
Approximate Pages = 8 (250 words per page double spaced)