HS #100 2023.11.9
East of Eden – As Good as it Gets
“East of Eden” is the most powerful and insightful novel I have ever read. The characters live large, perhaps because they were real characters in John Steinbeck’s life.
Whence the title? According to the Genesis account, when Adam and Eve sinned by eating from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, they were removed from Eden. Then when sin continued in Cain who murdered his brother, he was further exiled to a place east of Eden.
Exiled from one’s ideal home – from where, in your soul, you know you belong. Can you relate?
In one way or another, many, likely most of us, find ourselves living east of Eden - removed yet in sight of our ideal homes. Perhaps a lost job or career opportunity for which you were perfectly suited. Perhaps a beloved spouse who files for divorce. Perhaps a lost child – either by death or rebellion. Perhaps the abandonment of a close friend or friends who reject or forsake. Perhaps an illness or accident which limits one’s enjoyment of life. Perhaps the loss of a dream – of a reality hoped and prayed for, but never actualized. Indeed, as I write these, I can think of examples of each among those close to me. Likely you can as well.
There are two kinds of poverty. If your belly hurts from lack of food, that’s absolute poverty. But if you feel poor compared to your neighbors or your past self, that’s relative poverty. Living east of Eden is poverty compared to one’s past or one’s potential.
How does one live east of Eden? How do we continue our lives removed from our real home?
Cain’s appeal to God, “How am I to live in exile?” got little consolation: “If anyone kills you, I’ll avenge you.” Big deal. So Cain leaves the picture. He blew it and must bear the consequences – he is written out of history, and lives whatever remains of his life in oblivion, east of Eden.
But the key to “East of Eden” is the advice God gave Cain prior to his sin. God says, “Sin desires to have you, but you must rule over it.” That is the NIV translation. However, in Robert Alter’s Hebrew Bible, the translation is “but you WILL rule over it.”
Which is it? Is God giving Cain a command (must) or a promise (will)? Neither. The Hebrew word is “timshel” and that word is the foundation to Steinbeck’s novel. As Steinbeck explains, “timshel” is neither a command nor a promise. Instead it is a statement of fact. “Timshel” means, “Thou mayest”. “Thou mayest rule over sin.” God is telling Cain he has the power within himself to make the right choice. He is not a slave to his upbringing, nor to his genes, nor to his whims, nor to the expectations of others. Instead, he has the awful power and responsibility to create his own destiny – to determine his own future. He has the power to choose.
There is nothing gentle or “nice” about this. It’s tough and brutal. It’s a shake and a slap. This sort of message flies in the face of modern sensibilities. We live in an age where dentists apologize for the prick of a needle, where parents and teachers are instructed against using negative words. Some employers have difficulty keeping young workers because they will leave if criticized. Criticism is a new experience for them. We are living in an age where we presume the right not to feel badly.
Indeed, it’s human nature to avoid responsibility for our mistakes. Watch any pickleball player whose overhead swing misses the ball. S/he looks at the paddle with disgust. Stupid paddle! This behavior goes right back to Adam who said to God, “The woman you gave me made me eat of the Tree.” Yep – it’s God’s fault.
But even though Cain lost Eden, according to the Biblical record he still found relationship – perhaps the greatest human need. And this too relies on timshel. Indeed, the focal point of Steinbeck’s novel is when despondent Adam Trask is told the awful truth of his unfaithful wife. Tough medicine, but it shocks Adam out of his lethargy and into relationship with his sons. Through timshel we have hope and consolation that although we may not live in our Eden, our life may still be, as per the theme of the Jack Nicholson Academy winner, “As Good as it Gets.”
