History Literature / EastOfEden

Not to be confused with ''Anime/EdenOfTheEast'' nor ''[[VideoGame/TengaiMakyou Far East of Eden aka Tengai Makyou]]''.

* ParentalFavoritism: Cyrus prefers Adam, and Adam [[spoiler:prefers Aron]].

* TheSociopath: Cathy.

* DirectLineToTheAuthor[=/=]AutobiographicalRole: John Steinbeck himself as a young boy shows up in the novel, or at least a young boy named John Steinbeck who is the grandson of Samuel Hamilton, son of Ernest and Olive (nee Hamilton) Steinbeck (names of author's actual grandfather and parents), does. The Hamiltons are indeed loosely based on author Steinbeck's own relatives but their lives are supposedly rather heavily fictionaluzed.

* DirectLineToTheAuthor/AutobiographicalRole: John Steinbeck himself as a young boy shows up in the novel, or at least a young boy named John Steinbeck who is the grandson of Samuel Hamilton, son of Ernest and Olive (nee Hamilton) Steinbeck (names of author's actual grandfather and parents), does. The Hamiltons are indeed loosely based on author Steinbeck's own relatives but their lives are supposedly rather heavily fictionaluzed.
* EnforcedMethodActing: For the scene when a drunken Cal visits Abra at night, director Kazan actually had James Dean (having a low alcohol tolerance) buzzed on some chianti.

* ThrowItIn: Cal was supposed to deck Adam after he rejects his present. When shooting, James Dean had the impulse to instead hug Raymond Massey. This became a moment of EnforcedMethodActing for Massey who, unpracticed in improvisation, came across exactly as stiff and uncomfortable as Adam ought to be under the circumstances.
** Dean also improvised the dance through the bean field.

* DirectLineToTheAuthor/AutobiographicalRole: John Steinbeck himself as a young boy shows up in the novel, or at least a young boy named John Steinbeck who is the grandson of Samuel Hamilton does. The Hamiltons are indeed loosely based on author Steinbeck's own relatives but their lives are supposedly rather heavily fictionaluzed.

* DirectLineToTheAuthor: John Steinbeck himself as a young boy shows up in the novel, or at least a young boy named John Steinbeck who is the grandson of Samuel Hamilton does. The Hamiltons are indeed loosely based on author Steinbeck's own relatives but their lives are supposedly rather heavily fictionaluzed.

* DirectLineToTheAuthor: John Steinbeck himself as a young boy shows up in the novel, or at least a young boy named John Steinbeck who is the grandson of Samuel Hamilton dies. The Hamiltons are indeed loosely based on author Steinbeck's own relatives but their lives are supposedly rather heavily fictionaluzed.

Not to be confused with ''EdenOfTheEast'' nor ''[[VideoGame/TengaiMakyou Far East of Eden aka Tengai Makyou]]''.

* GoMadFromTheRevelation: Adam. In the movie, [[spoiler:he smashes his head through the window of the train, laughing maniacally at Adam as it pulls away.]]

* GoMadFromTheRevelation: Adam. In the movie, [[spoiler:he smashes his head through the window of the train, laughing maniacally at Adam as it pulls away from the platform.]]

* WhatDoYouMeanItsNotSymbolic: The epic religious symbolism is the entire point of the book.

Not to be confused with EdenOfTheEast.

A 1952 novel by Creator/JohnSteinbeck, ''East of Eden'' was brought to the screen in 1955 by director Elia Kazan with a cast headed by JamesDean.

* ForTheEvulz: Apparently why Charles sleeps with Cathy on her and Adam's wedding night (even though he had been suspicious about her and Adam). When she tells Charles she gave Adam her painkiller-spiked tea accidentally-on-purpose, he merely laughs and says "That poor bastard."

* ForTheEvulz: Apparently why Charles sleeps with Cathy on her and Adam's wedding night (even though he was suspicious about her and had warned Adam). When she tells Charles she gave Adam her painkiller-spiked tea accidentally-on-purpose, he merely laughs and says "That poor bastard."

* AliceAllusion: ''Literature/AliceInWonderland'' was Cathy's favorite book as a child. [[spoiler: She kills herself by taking poison, imagining the "Drink Me" bottle shrinking her into oblivion]].

* CallingTheOldManOut: Abra does this to Adam [[spoiler: after he had a stroke.]] for his treatment of Cal.
* ChildhoodMarriagePromise: [[spoiler:Aron and Abra]] make one. [[spoiler: It doesn't work out]].

* AmbiguouslyGay: In the book, Abra seems to suspect that Aron is gay, and he his disinterest in Abra does develop along with his intense admiration of the pastor, Mr. Rolf.

A 1952 novel by Creator/JohnSteinbeck, EastOfEden was brought to the screen in 1955 by director Elia Kazan with a cast headed by JamesDean.