112: Thou Mayest: East of Eden by John Steinbeck

“I believe that there is one story in the world, and only one. . . . Humans are caught—in their lives, in their thoughts, in their hungers and ambitions, in their avarice and cruelty, and in their kindness and generosity too—in a net of good and evil. . . . There is no other story. A man, after he has brushed off the dust and chips of his life, will have left only the hard, clean questions: Was it good or was it evil? Have I done well—or ill?”

Welcome back to another episode of Made You Think! In this episode, Nat, Neil and Adil dive into John Steinbeck's masterpiece, East of Eden. Following the lives of two families, the Trasks and the Hamiltons, this novel ultimately reflects on the timeless struggle between darkness and light within the human soul.

We cover a wide range of topics including:

• The timeless battle between good and evil
• Why having a fixed worldview can lead to hurt
• Parallels between East of Eden and the story of Cain and Abel
• A glimpse into what life was like at the start of the Great War
• How parents' actions impact their children's lives

And much more. Please enjoy, and make sure to follow Nat, Neil, and Adil on Twitter and share your thoughts on the episode.

Links from the Episode:

Mentioned in the Show:

• East of Eden movie (1:02:47)
• East of Eden Netflix series (1:03:21)
• Three-Body Problem series (1:03:46)
• Shantaram (TV series) (1:07:21)
• Harry Potter 20th Anniversary: Return to Hogwarts (1:10:41)

Books Mentioned:

• East of Eden (Nat's Book Notes)
• Flowers for Algernon (0:02) (Book Episode)
• Grapes of Wrath (0:59)
• Infinite Jest (4:23) (Book Episode 1) (Book Episode 2) (Nat’s Book Notes)
• The Three-Body Problem (6:32) (Book Episode) (Nat’s Book Notes)
• Atlas Shrugged (7:52) (Book Episode) (Nat’s Book Notes)
• Shantaram (1:06:46)
• Einstein’s Dreams (1:32:12)