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Caleb Trask In John Steinbeck's East Of Eden

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Caleb Trask is the embodiment of human sin. Playing the role of Cain, from the biblical story of Cain and Abel, Caleb struggles with jealousy and its repercussions. In John Steinbeck’s literary work, East of Eden, the characters embody traits at biblical proportions. Despite his many and apparent flaws, Caleb Trask is the most admirable character in the novel. Cal is the most admirable character because he choses to overcome his greed, jealousness and mean spirit. To start, Caleb Trask is the most admirable character because he battles with greed. Caleb uses the war for personal profit when he manipulates the market by raising the price of beans. Cal justifies, “They’re paying twelve and a half cents for beans all over the country. ‘Then give it back to the farmers you robbed.’ ‘Robbed?’”(543). Cal is so consumed in business and materialistic wealth that he rationalizes his actions for the sake of profit. Adam explain to his son that even though he can do something it does not make it right. Afterwards, Cal burns his profits.Steinbeck narrates, “Cal doggedly …show more content…

Cal stays up at night, praying to not be mean. He says,“‘ Let me be like Aron. Don’t make me mean… I don’t want to be mean. I don’t want to be lonely”’(379). From a young age Caleb Trask has realized that he is mean. Knowing his weakness is the first step if Caleb wishes to improve himself. But Cal still believes that he is inherently bad and as a child expects for one prar to make him good overnight. Shortly after, Cal goes to meet his mother, and learns that his meanness is not inherited from her. Caleb explains, “‘I just know. It came to me in a whole. If I’m mean it is my own mean’”(466). It was much easier for Cal believe that he is bad because the world made him that way then do accept he was in control of his emotions. His mother teaches him the valuable lesson that a person is who they make themselves out to

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