Netflix recently announced a new miniseries that will adapt John Steinbeck’s novel East of Eden. The new adaptation, releasing this year, will star Florence Pugh. With the news of this new series, and the Summer arriving, there has never been a more perfect time to get back into Steinbeck’s works.
What is East of Eden?
East of Eden is a 1952 novel written by Steinbeck that follows the stories of two families in California’s Salinas Valley at the beginning of the 20th century. These two families play very different roles, with one documenting a family history of immigration to America and the other reenacting the biblical Book of Genesis in a modern retelling.
The first family, the Hamiltons, are a fictionalized version of Steinbeck’s own family, with Steinbeck himself serving as the stories narrator. Samuel Hamilton, Steinbeck’s grandfather, plays a major role in the story, serving as a pillar of wisdom to the other characters. The other family, the fictional Trask family, takes on the roles of a modern Adam and Eve, and later Cain and Abel. As these two families come together, Steinbeck touches on the power of forgiveness and free will, as well as the changing state of America in the 1900s.
Steinbeck was an American author from Salinas, California. He rose to fame after the publication of his novella Of Mice and Men in 1937 and his novel The Grapes of Wrath in 1939, arguably his two most famous works. Steinbeck wrote extensively, with his last novel releasing in 1961. The following year, he won the Nobel Prize in Literature, a decision that many critics views as controversial.
Series Announcement
Netflix announced the miniseries in May, and teased Pugh as Cathy Ames. Cathy is the wife of Adam Trask and takes on the role of Eve in the story. Cathy is one of Steinbeck’s most complex and interesting characters, meaning it is likely we will see a stellar performance from Pugh. Alongside Pugh the series will also star Cristopher Abbott as Adam Trask, and Ciarán Hinds as Samuel Hamilton. There is no set release date for the series, but it will release later this year in the Fall.
Why Read Steinbeck?
With this new series on the way, it is the perfect time to get into the classic works of Steinbeck, since many’s only exposure to his works was likely through required high school reading. Steinbeck’s works are still relevant today and have aged much better than many other classic novels. His ideas about race and class in America were ahead of their time, with East of Eden comparing the experiences of an Irish immigrant and an American-born Chinese man, and showing how, despite being an immigrant, the Irish character was more likely to be accepted as American because of his whiteness. Steinbeck’s other works, such as The Grapes of Wrath, also explored poverty and class in America, addressing these issues, particularly during the Dust Bowl era.
Steinbeck was born and raised in the Salinas Valley; it became a part of him, and this can be seen in the way he describes the rivers and flowers in the book’s opening lines. With the story taking place in Steinbeck’s home, which he likens to the Garden of Eden in the novel, nature plays an important role in the story. With summer arriving, this makes it the perfect book to read outside in the shade.
This new series has the opportunity to bring Steinbeck’s works to a new generation, and could help these works become something more than just a book you have to read in school for many. East of Eden is truly a timeless work of art that touches on many different regions of the vast human experience. This novel is something that everyone should experience, so explore Steinbeck’s many works before the series releases this Fall.
