East of Eden by John Steinbeck
Week 4
Well, so continues the book of
wonder called East of Eden. We left off somewhere around the point of when Adam
was beaten close to death and he had dragged half stumbled back to his house
where his step brother who gave the beating was rightly punished, with what, we
don’t know exactly. Our friend Adam actually was holed up in his room, bed
ridden, for 4 days. 4 days. I was extremely shocked as to the reasoning behind
his beating. It all came boiling down to the fact that Cyrus (Adam’s dad) loved
Adam more than Adam’s half brother. And how he came to this knowledge is that
Cyrus, on his birthday, received a puppy from Adam and Cyrus loved it instantly
and started playing with it and teaching it tricks and how to hunt and other
such things. While his second son gives him an expensive ivory handled
knife/razor and Cyrus doesn’t hardly touch it. He doesn’t even take it out and
sharpen it. I just thought that was a weird way to think of how your dad doesn’t
love you but whatever.
While Adam was in bed his dad gets
him enrolled in the Army, like I hope I have said before Adam’s dad is a
military freak. Plain freak, I have no idea why he is so obsessed with the
military but I am pretty sure that he is just trying to live through his son
and at the same time try and do what is best for his weak, spineless son.
So, Adam eventually goes off to the
Army and his brother stays behind for the sole factor that Cyrus was one of the
few that actually had some sort of inkling that his second son was a crazy
nutcase. Adam actually hates the Army all together, he just wants out of there
and during battles he purposely misses the enemy because of the fact that he
hates the idea of killing someone. I actually really like the fact that Adam
kinda has the guts to stand up, though quietly against the army for what he
believes in. I honestly believe that Adam should not have gone to the military,
yeah it built maybe some character into him and possibly a backbone, but it all
in all did absolutely nothing to help him out in the long run. His term lasted
for a grand total of 5 years, and though he didn’t lose and limbs like his
father, Adam didn’t have the heart to return home. For all that was waiting for
him was his bother. Adam’s step mother died because of a “weakness” in her
blood and his father surprisingly got a job in Washington being a big wig about
telling people about what the army should do, and eventually the army listens
to this big bad of hot air. I mean really? You’re listening to someone who has
almost no idea to what he is spewing to you guys and you follow is wacked out
advice? Messed up… just… ugh….
haha I love the energy and honesty in your blog. My favorite line is easily, " Cyrus was one of the few that actually had some sort of inkling that his second son was a crazy nutcase." It was hilarious and obviously true.
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