East of Eden

The novel follows two sets of brothers, the second pair of which parallels the first pair. The half-brothers Adam and Charles are close in age, and their conflicts center around Charles’s violent temperament, for which the trigger is his jealousy and resentment that their father loves Adam more, even though Adam does nothing to deserve that love. Likewise, the twin brothers Aron and Cal duel between good and bad. Cal must work hard to prove himself loveable to other people, while Aron receives love even though he’s narcissistic and immature. Brotherhood juxtaposes these plots. The brothers love yet fear one another; they appreciate yet resent each other. Tales of toxic brotherhood abound in the Bible because social constructs teach men to compete with one another for God’ love, a father’s love, and women. The novel thus explores brotherhood as a tie that both binds and separates. Both sets of brothers must depart from one another to live happy lives, yet they miss one another’s shadows when their dichotomous other is out of the picture.