| East of Eden Introduction Human beings apprehend and interpret the meaning of life within the framework of prevailing stories. North Americans often interpret meaning within the framework of several competing and complimentary stories, like the American story and the latemodern story.The goals that motivate filmmakers often include both the economic payoff of telling a good story, and the ideal of saying something or challenging the mores and values of the viewers. The filmmakers of East of Eden (1954, Elia Kazan, 105 min.) wanted to tell a good story and earn money to be sure, but the film also offers a challenging vision of the problems of sinfulness and intergenerational and fraternal relations. John Steinbeck’s novel East of Eden spanned several generations and multiple settings. The film East of Eden only works with one part of the novel’s story. In my view the film provides a better venue for interaction in many respects. This activity is only oriented toward the film (those who have read the book may wish to bracket that helpful background, and focus on the narrative context created by the film). All further references to East of Eden are to the film. East of Eden is not a direct re-telling of the biblical account of Adam and Eve or Cain and Abel within a modern setting; still it is quite interrelated with selected themes and structures from Genesis 2—4. The filmmakers tell their story with a high level of symbolism, perhaps reaching its height in the film’s version of the “tree of knowledge of good and evil.” The film is situated in the farmland and small towns of coastal The aims of this activity include uncovering the movie’s view of the human problem and the hope for solution, individually and socially. Moreover, the viewer should critically challenge the film’s vision of the human situation. | |