John Steinbecks East of Eden - Caleb Trask and the Message of Persever

Caleb Trask and the Message of Perseverance in East of Eden Caleb Trask was a man with legion(predicate) faults and shortcomings. Yet, Caleb was also a man who had a deep longing to be perfect and pleasing to his family, a man who craved his fathers attention, and a man with a better heart than any other character in the book. In his novel, East of Eden, John Steinbeck uses the character of Caleb Trask to convey the important message of hope and perseverance. When I first read East of Eden, nothing about Cal Trasks personality or his mannerisms made him likable. He was introverted, cold, and hard. I could not help but sense the narration of Cain and Able being played out in a modern day version between him and his twin brother. Although Cal and his brother Aron were twins, distinct differences existed between the two boys. Aron was a natural spot of sunshine, illuminating his surroundings wherever he went. He was a curly topped child who was adamantly attached to his rabbits . Cal was the opposition of his brother, quiet and serious he was looking forward to farming a small patch of land that his father was going to give him. Yet in that location existed an even greater difference between Cal and his angelic brother. Cal had a foreboding sense of anger and evil about him that was completely foreign to Aron. Cal takes pleasure in making his brother cry, and in causing a little girl to urinate in her pants by frightening her so. It becomes apparent, though, that Cal struggles with his darkness and wishes passionately to be rid of his meanness. He doesnt like the way he is, but at the same time he cant change himself, either. From my first introduction of the two brothers, I was taken with Cal. He wa... ... 1989. JOHN STEINBECK(1902-1968). San Jose State University. 17 Jan. 2001. . Levant, Howard. The Novels of John Steinbeck a Critical Study. Columbia U of Missouri Press, 1974. Murray, Robert Davis, ed. Steinbeck. Englewood Prentice-Hall, 1972. Natio nal Steinbeck Center. Salinas, CA. 17 Jan. 2001. . Steinbeck Country. San Jose State University. 17 Jan. 2001. . Trosow, Esther. John Steinbecks Pacific Grove. 17 Jan. 2001. . Trosow, Esther. John Steinbecks Biography. 17 Jan. 2001. . Valjean, Nelson. John Steinbeck The Errant Knight. San Francisco Chronicle Books, 1975.