East of Eden characters

Cyrus Trask

Cyrus is the bear's daddy. He is a one-sided former soldier, who takes his short military career very seriously. He chooses his beloved son, Adam, for the army - whether Adam wants it or not - and allows the other son of Charles to go to the farm or something else. All the military in the...

Adam Trask

Adam came to the world in 1862 on a farm in Connecticut as a father, the first wife of Cyrus. He is brought up by the second wife of Alice. Cyrus considers him not so strong and wise as his brother Charles. He was a calm, obedient child, evading conflict and violence. Not knowing what to do next...

Charles Trask

Charles is the brother of Adam. Charles is a cruel boy who does not consider the consequences of his actions; although he loves his brother, he beats him badly and tries to kill him once. Charles is the devoted son of his father Cyrus and grows up to become capable, but a lonely farmer. When he...

Samuel Hamilton

Samuel Hamilton, a transplant from Northern Ireland, arrived in the Salinas Valley around 1870. Samuel settled on dry, rocky soil and could never build a successful farm. Thanks to his ingenuity and diligent character, he managed to support his wife and nine children. However, more important than...

Cathy Ames (Kate)

Cathy, one of the most interesting and controversial characters of Steinbeck, is born with what the author calls an "ugly soul" in the small town of Massachusetts (71). From an early age, people are captured and indulged in their innocent faces. As a teenager, she kills her parents...

Lee

Lee is a complex and interesting Chinese-American servant of Adam Trask. Readers meet Lee when he is about to take Samuel to bring him to the ranch to discuss boring fountains with Adam. At first glance, Lee looks like a stereotypical Chinese servant carrying a queue and a Chinese-speaking Pidgin...

Aaron Trask

Aron is one of the twin sons of Cathy and Adam Trask. Aaron looks simple and innocent compared to his dark brother. While Cal is hungry for his father's attention, Aaron wants love for his mother. He allows his girlfriend Abra to join her mother and admits that he is experiencing...

Caleb (Cal) Trask

Cal is the son of Adam and Cathy, Aaron's brother and second Cain. He is also the one who forces you to tell you and to whom you want to hug the book from time to time. He looks very much like Charles (and also looks wise) he wants love for his father and does not understand him. He also fears...

John Steinbeck

Initially, Steinbeck in the novel is revealed to us as a narrator. In the first chapters, he tells us so smoothly and mentally about two families that the unexpected appearance of dialogs at first cut my eyes. The author's voice so drowned and suppressed the voices of the characters that they...