East of Eden Lesson Plan

Why do the characters lie to each other so often? Is it possible to tell a "helpful" lie?

Many of Steinbeck's characters lie to protect those whom they love. Samuel lies to Adam about his wife's whereabouts to protect him from the psychological pain of finding out that she is a notorious whore and brothel owner. In turn, Adam lies to the twins and tells them that their mother is dead, again to protect them from knowing the truth - that their mother abandoned them when they were a week old.

Cal continues the family tradition of dishonesty by failing to acknowledge to Adam and Lee that he has found out the truth, and by continuing to lie to his brother, Aron, in an...