Generazioni a confronto

East of Eden tra riscrittura biblica, sibling rivalry e virilità

Abstract

The article focuses on the Trask family and on the parallels between the two generations of Trask brothers and the biblical story of Cain and Abel. Steinbeck’s rewriting of this episode reframes the meaning of such a story, proposing a new reading of Cain as a penitent rather than as an archetype of fratricide. The concept of ‘timshel’ allows the author to explore the theme of the struggle between good and evil, and to highlight the human power embedded in the possibility of choosing how to act and react.

The analysis begins with the contextualization of the story of Cain and Abel in the novel East of Eden, then proceeds to expose the links between the biblical characters and the ones written by Steinbeck, relating the ways in which the latter are symbolic representations of the former, with a deep insight into the first and second generations of the Trask brothers.

Thereafter, the essay analyses some of the male characters of East of Eden and the different kinds of virility they express. It delves into their understanding of the concepts of virility and violence, and how those notions influence the parental duties and, by extension, family bonds, fueling sibling rivalry. The last section of the article deepens the topic of the human conflict between good and evil and its universality, returning to the concept of ‘timshel’ and showing how the characters face the internal struggle.