Good afternoon, everyone. I have just finished East of Eden and I somewhat struggle with words. It has been intense, delicate and violent. Which is something really rare to find. But that is not what I’d like to write few lines about here. I was just reflecting on how East of Eden and American Pastoral are two very distant and simultaneuosly incredibly close books.
I find the comparison between the two of them very interesting. I would disagree that American Pastoral is *the other* great american novel after East of Eden, somewhat implying the narrative is centred on the same ideas and characters: a self-made protagonist, a not-so-caring (let’s go with this euphemism) beautiful wife, and devastated children. Whilst I can see why this a strong line of argument, I however focus more on what the books are about. And here I find fascinating to the utmost extent the fact that they hinge on two incredibly distant, yet close subjects: **guilt and determinism** v **fallibility and inevitability** of life. I do think there is a hidden (almost sacral) beauty in the approach to the books: if they are, indeed, two perfect books in and by themselves individually considered, they however actually eat into each other missing points, somewhat elevating East of Eden and American Pastoral even higher, considered together. Isn’t this wonderful?
Eventually I just can’t feel nothing but the solitude and intimate pain of the ‘Swede’ in each of the nights Cal wanders around the streets of the Valley, finding comfort in the brutal and carnal situations of everyman’s life. Or Merry’s desires and urgencies as a human being in Aron’s warm and soft presence in the world. With the war(s) hovering in the background as the ultimate story of life and death.
It’s just… *that* powerful: isn’t it?
by Inevibatility