Adam Trask

E338042

Adam Trask is a central, morally conflicted protagonist in John Steinbeck’s novel "East of Eden," whose life and family struggles mirror the biblical story of Cain and Abel.

All labels observed (2)

Label Occurrences
Adam Trask canonical 9
Adam Trask in East of Eden 1

How this entity was disambiguated

Statements (46)

Predicate Object
instanceOf fictional character
literary character
alsoKnownAs Adam
appearsIn East of Eden
basedOn biblical figure Adam (the first man)
linked to: Adam and Eve
centralConflict inability to see Cathy Ames’s true nature
struggle to understand and guide his sons
creator John Steinbeck
experiences betrayal by his wife Cathy Ames
stroke late in life
familyName Trask family
finalAct blessing and forgiving his son Cal (timshel scene)
firstAppearance East of Eden (1952 novel)
gender male
hasBrother Charles Trask
hasFather Cyrus Trask
hasSon Aron Trask
Caleb Trask
hasStepMother Alice Trask
hasTwinSons Caleb Trask and Aron Trask
linked to: Caleb Trask
languageOfWork English
literaryPeriod 20th-century American literature
narrativeParallel biblical story of Cain and Abel
nationalityInFiction American
occupation farmer
ranch owner
participatesIn American Civil War (as a soldier in backstory)
personalityTrait gentle
idealistic
morally conflicted
naive
passive
publisherOfWork Viking Press (for East of Eden)
linked to: The Viking Press
residence Connecticut
Salinas Valley, California
linked to: Salinas Valley
roleInWork protagonist of East of Eden
servedIn United States Army
spouse Cathy Ames
symbolicRole embodiment of human goodness and weakness
patriarch of the Trask family in East of Eden
themeAssociation free will
good and evil
inheritance of sin
parental influence
workGenre novel
workSetting Salinas Valley, California
linked to: Salinas Valley

How these facts were elicited

Referenced by (10)

Full triples — surface form annotated when it differs from this entity's canonical label.

East of Eden mainCharacter Adam Trask
Raymond Massey notableRole Adam Trask in East of Eden
linked to: Adam Trask
Cal Trask hasFather Adam Trask
Cal Trask conflictWith Adam Trask
Cal Trask seeksApprovalFrom Adam Trask
Aron Trask childOf Adam Trask
Cathy Ames spouse Adam Trask
Cathy Ames contrastsWith Adam Trask
Cathy Ames hasTwinChildrenWith Adam Trask