« one more time.. | Main | follow me.. »
September 27, 2002
timshel..
last nite i finally finished east of eden--only took me like three months (not that its a terribly thick book or borin; im just an undiligent reader). i think its a fantastic book. every time i picked it up i couldnt put it down till i fell asleep, although i wouldnt classify it as a 'page-turner'; rather, it is a very engagin and absorbin story..
essentially, the story follows two (maybe, two-and-a-half) generations of a family as their lives unfold in the salinas valley of california. as can be inferred from the title, steinbeck used the story of cain and abel as the formative basis of his narrative. and its pretty good..
the main theme (i think) steinbeck is tryin to get across is the idea that everyone has a choice. carefully placin predestination and fate aside, he emphasizes that despite who we think we are, how we live out our lives based on wut circumstances confront us and wut we eventually become is our choice. we decide who we really are. theres a fascinatin interpretation of the cain and abel story i wont ruin here, but its the core of this whole notion. timshel is hebrew for 'thou mayest'..
man, i feel like im writin a book report--why AM I writin a book report?? anyways, its a great book--ive actually been thinkin of joinin an online book club, an idea i was introduced to readin a strangers blog. hmm, if i can muster up the discipline..
by the way, i found this picture an interestin choice for the books cover..
Posted by cpaik at September 27, 2002 11:47 PM
Comments
i just finished superfudge - i highly recommend it.
Posted by: aumphy at September 30, 2002 02:09 AM
hey..when's the entry with the concert track listings gonna be written?
Posted by: joe at September 30, 2002 02:12 PM
julia's teaching 'of mice and men' in her 7th grade class. great author.
hope all's well
Posted by: mungmungdog at October 1, 2002 09:55 AM