Madeleine’s Reviews > East of Eden > Status Update

This story is plot driven. One main example of this is when Cathy (Kate) gets pregnant with Charles' twins, even though she was married to Adam. If this had not happened, Cathy might never have shot Adam and left him to raise the children by himself. The events that occur after, such as Adam attempting to be a better single father than his own father once was, would not have occurred without Cathy's actions.

In this book, Adam is a dynamic character. In the beginning, when he is in love with Cathy, he believes that she can do no wrong, and is delighted to be the father of her children. Then, Cathy shoots him and leaves, and he is forced to take care of his sons alone. After being exposed to the dynamic situation of being shot by the woman he loved, Adam must grow from a broken-hearted shell of a person, into a father.

This book is a very complex book, and it is realistic fiction. I would say that although the main character, Adam, is an adult man, it is still a coming of age story so far. Through his wife abandoning him, he had to accept that the world is not the place he previously believed. It is also somewhat of a love story, because Adam feels great love for his wife, and eventual love for his children.

I predict that Cathy will leave Adam and her sons without ever regretting it. She has proven, through her manipulation and murder of her parents, that she does not care for anyone except herself. She is a calculating, emotionless woman, and because she continually hurt those who cared for her, I predict that she will never return to her newborn sons, and never go back to her husband, even though Adam loved her.