East of Eden

1. In what eastern state is the original Trask farm located?

2. What does the young Adam give his father as a birthday gift?

3. To what U.S. government post is Cyrus appointed?

4. In the Bible, Cain and Abel are the sons of whom?

5. In which region of California does most of East of Eden take place?

6. How does Cathy kill her parents?

7. How does Charles react when he learns that Adam and Cathy have married?

8. What does Cathy do when Samuel tries to help her deliver her babies?

9. What puzzles Lee about the story of Cain and Abel in the Bible?

10. What type of business does Faye run?

11. According to Lee, what does the Hebrew word timshel mean?

12. Who is Cotton Eye?

13. According to the original biblical story, what motivates Cain to kill Abel?

14. Which of the Hamilton brothers commits suicide over guilt about Dessie’s death?

15. What, according to the narrator, is the one recurring story in human history?

16. In what kind of business does Adam lose his fortune?

17. Which daughter’s death crushes Samuel?

18. Where does Aron go to college?

19. What type of store does Lee wish to open in San Francisco?

20. What does Cal ultimately do with the $15,000 that was meant to be a gift to his father?

21. Toward the end of the novel, what does Cathy wear around her neck?

22. To whom does Cathy leave all her wealth when she dies?

23. Why does Aron join the Army?

24. In what war is Aron killed?

25. Which character was Steinbeck’s mother in real life?