The Role Of Inner Conflict In John Steinbeck's 'East Of Eden'

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Inner conflict is a problem that one’s self can only solve. In John Steinbeck’s novel, East of Eden, one of the many protagonists, Caleb (Cal) Trask, has to fight his own inner demons. Caleb believes that he is evil, has grown up without a mother, and believes that his brother’s death is his fault. Adam Trask is a wealthy man from East who moved to the West in search of a new life, and in that new life his wife Cathy Trask (Kate), gives birth to two beautiful twin boys, Caleb and Aron. Aron is a boy who lives in his own imagination, then gets shot by his reality. Caleb is a young man who is constantly fighting himself because he believes he is evil, “In his mind he cried, ‘Don’t let me be mean.’” (377). Caleb is always praying and hoping he won’t be mean, or that he isn’t evil, but he thinks he…show more content…
Lee never believes it, but Caleb does. When Caleb finds out his mother is, in fact, alive, he finds her and speaks with her. He learns that he has her genes, not her evil. “Cal spoke happily. ‘I’m going.’ He said. ‘I’m going now. It’s all right. What Lee said was true.’ ‘What did Lee say?’ Cal said, ‘I was afraid I had you in me.’ ‘You have,’ said Kate. ‘No I haven’t. I’m my own. I don’t have to be you.’” (462). He has strength to over-come his inner conflict. Like Cain and Abel, Cal and Aron offer their presents to their father. Adam only accepts Aron’s gift of his education over Caleb’s gift of money. This upsets Caleb deeply. Aron believes his mother is dead, and buried in the East, peacefully lying in the ground. Caleb’s anger gets the best of him and he brings Aron to see their mother Kate, the owner of the whorehouse. Aron is so hurt by this he runs off to the army as a suicide attempt. Caleb blames himself. He only forgives himself when his father, on his deathbed, says to him the word Timshel, the “two-word translation,”…”Thou mayest.”

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