John Steinbeck published his highly controversial novel East of Eden, the work that he referred to as "the big one," in 1952. A symbolic recreation of the biblical story of Cain and Abel set in California's Salinas Valley, Steinbeck wrote the novel late in his life, in hopes of reclaiming his status as a major novelist. Described as Steinbeck's most ambitious novel, East of Eden centers on two families, the Trasks and the Hamiltons, both early inhabitants of California's Salinas Valley.
The author addressed the book to his sons, six-year-old Thom and four-year-old John, and positions himself as a minor character in the novel. Steinbeck wanted to record for his children the detailed,...
