East of Eden Summary

East of Eden by John Steinbeck starts with the Trask family consisting of Cyrus a soldier n the Union who loves the army and two of his sons; Charles and Adam. Adam is the favorite and is soft. Adam, on the other hand, always seeks the love of his father but is often frustrated and takes it out on Adam. Adam is forced to get into the military while Charles stays at home to oversee the farm. Cyrus dies, and the brother comes to know that they were left a large sum of the money.

The brothers encounter Cathy, a manipulative sexual woman who was secretly evil. Charles sees beneath her lies, but Adam is naïve and puts her up on a pedestal. He even marries Cathy, and they move to California to a big ranch he dies. Cathy becomes pregnant and gets twins Caleb and Aron. She leaves her family to become a prostitute in Salinas. Adam takes some time to process this while Lee, Adam’s servant, raise the children.

Adam and his family move to Salinas after the boys grow up. Adam favors Aron the naïve of his sons. Caleb, like Charles, craves the love of his father but does not get it. Adam had told his children that their mother was dead, but Caleb finds out the truth and keeps it from his brother.

Adam loses his money, and Caleb decides to step up and takes advantage of the war to make money, and his father becomes disappointed instead of impressed. As a result, Caleb takes Aron to see their mother. Aron joins the army to run from the truth. Adam finds out and has a mild stroke. Caleb feels guilty for what he had done. Aron loses his life in the war, and this causes his father to have a major stroke that paralyzes him. Adam gives Caleb his blessings after the advice of Lee.