East of EdenJohn Ernst Steinbeck

John Ernst Steinbeck

• Was born in 1902 and died in 1968

• American writer affected by First World War

• Sorted to group called Lost generation

• In 1962 won The Nobel Prize in Literature Pulitzer prize holder

• Steinbeck was born in Salinas, California. He studied at Stanford University but never graduated

• Moved to New York and started writing• In his books Steinbeck deals with a conflict between good

and evil• In his book he is interested in economic problems of rural

labour, poor workers, belief and an important sign is a soil• He has written a lot of well known books like - Of Mice and

Men, Grapes of Wrath, East of Eden, In Dubious Battle

East of Eden• The book was first

published in 1952• Soon became very popular• In 1955 was the book

made into a film• It is part historical and

part fiction story• It tells us story of two

American families living in California between 1862 and 1918

Plot

In that time large numbers of immigrants were arriving to USA from Europe. Many of them were poor and they were hoping for better opportunities in the new country. Like many others, the Hamiltons moved to the west from Ireland. They lived on a poor farm and raised nine children (on of them was Steinbeck´s mother).

The other family was Trask´s family. Cyrus Trask and his quiet girlfriend looked after two sons – Charles and Adam. Adam went to the American Civil War and Charles stayed at farm. After dad´s and his girlfriend´s death they inherited a lot of money. Adam and his wife Cathy moved to Hamiltons neighborhood and came together well. Cathy delivered twins and went away. She left to a city and became a whore. First she worked there but than she owned it.

Adam and his helper Lee (Chinese guy) raised the twins (Aaron and Cain). Time past by and guys growed up. They were very different, although they were twins and loved each other. Adam told them that their mum died, but later found out the truth. Cathy had a kind of sin inside her and she was cruel. Sons did not love her at all and they loved Adam even more. At the end of the book one of the twins (Aaron) died in the First World War and Cathy killed herself. Adam got a stroke but before he died he forgave all Cain sins and said exactly the same what God said to Cain in Bible.

At the end of the book one of the twins (Aaron) died in the First World War and Cathy killed herself. Adam got a stroke but before he died he forgave all Cain sins and said exactly the same what God said to Cain in Bible.

My opinion I liked the book. In the beginning it was a little bit confusing because of the number of persons. But as soon as I got into the story there was no other problem. The plot was interesting and full of exciting parts. I did not have a difficulty with understanding. I would recommend it to every one.

New words• to rob sb. – okrást někoho• march – pochod• intent – úmysl (I do not intent to go…)• attorney – advokát• greedy – chamtivý

Quotation I believe there is one story in the world, and only one, that has inspired and frightened us. Humans are caught – in their lives, in their thoughts, in their hungers and ambitions in their greediness and cruelty - in a net of good and evil.There is no other story. A man will have only one question left at the end of his life: was it good or evil?

John Steinbeck