Essay on Brothers of the Bible

UNIVERSAL THEME QUESTION: What role does the story of Cain and Abel play in East of Eden? To what extent does it relate to the issues we face today?

Tobias Wolff's short story, "The Rich Brother", is a parallel story to the biblical fable of Able and Cain. The biblical story of Able and Cain is that of the first story that puts man against man. Cain and Able are children of Adam and Eve, where Cain is the eldest and Able the younger of the two. In the biblical story Cain and Able end up giving gifts (sacrifices) to appease to their God. This in turn, creates tension between the two because Able's sacrifice of the lamb is much favored by God than is Cain's offering of his crops. Cain becomes outraged because he believes that Able has purposely tried to embarrass him, ultimately, leading Cain to become so enraged that he ends up murdering his only brother in cold blood. Throughout,

When God proclaims that he favors Abel's gift over Cain's, Cain becomes angry and jealous towards Abel and he eventually kills him. Although God is fully aware of what has transpired, He asks Cain where Abel is, and Cain answers Him untruthfully saying, "Am I my brother's keeper?" (Genesis 4:2-5). After God reveals to Cain that he knows of Abel's murder, God banishes Cain to another part of the land and places a mark on him so that no man will kill him.

" And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother and slew him. And the Lord said unto Cain, ' Where is Abel thy brother?' And he said, ' I know not. Am I my brother's keeper?' And he said, ' What hast thou done? The voice of thy brother's blood crieth unto me from the ground. And now thou art cursed from the earth, which hath opened her mouth to receive thy brother's blood from thy hand. When thou tillest the ground it shall not henceforth yield unto thee her strength; a fugitive and vagabond shalt thou be in the earth.' And Cain said unto the Lord, ' My punishment is greater

Cain and Abel in biblical history was the first instance of murder. The Cain and Abel story foreshadows that Aron would be killed directly or indirectly by Caleb. These connections were made when Adam backed away from his children. This childhood brought emotional turmoil all through Caleb’s life. Even after their childhood when Caleb brought his father money after Adam’s failed lettuce investment he refused to take it, which drove Caleb insane.

Throughout the many stories of Genesis, sibling rivalry is a consistent theme. In both the story of Cain and Abel, as well as the story of Jacob and Esau, we see two brothers who compete against one another, one in each pair utilizing deceitful tactics to get what they desire. Specifically, in the 4th chapter of Genesis, we are faced with an interesting question. Does God designate one be the protector of those whom share our blood, or should we be fending for our own better interest? Furthermore, we may ask what it means to be one’s “brother’s keeper” as when Cain asks God if this is his duty (Genesis 4:10). It seems imperative to decide whether he is asking this in a sarcastic manor, or simply wants to know if this was a designated responsibility

For his sin he was expelled from Eden. From that day on he led the life of an exile, doomed to be "a fugitive and wanderer in the earth" (Gen. 4:12) and denied the rights of a normal man, only to bare the mark of a sinner and warning to others. With this Cain walked into the land of Nod (unknown, evil, dark), only to leave a legacy felt by the generations of his offspring.

In the bible there is a story about two boys named Cain and Abel. “ One day, the two brothers bring sacrifices to God. Cain offers grain from his fields, while Abel offers the fattest portion of his flocks.” God favored Abel's gift over Cain's gift. God showed Abel more appreciation for the gift he gave him, leaving Cain by himself feeling hopeless and jealous about how Abel got way more affection and appreciation by god than he did. Cain got so

Now that Adam and Eve had entered into the world outside the garden they were left to fend for themselves. They had two sons Cain and Abel. Cain became a farmer and Able became a herdsman. They both offered God a sacrifice but Abel’s sacrifice

Jealousy is one of the main reasons for anger and destruction. The rivalry between siblings can cause extreme feelings of jealousy, which can create a catastrophe. The biblical story of Cain and Abel shows this when Cain’s jealousy brings him to slaughter his brother and his loss of control ends with deadly consequences. In his novel, East of Eden, John Steinbeck retells the story of Cain and Abel through the relationships between Charles and Adam, as well as through Cal and Aron. Charles’ obsessive jealousy over his brother ultimately causes him to try to kill him, and Cal’s overwhelming sense of rivalry causes his father to shun him, as God did to Cain.

The story of Cain and Abel is a well know story in the bible and many different texts take examples from it. The story is about two brothers whose parents were Adam and Eve. Their names were Cain and Abel. Abel kept flocks and Cain worked the soil. Cain once took the Lord an offering of fruit and then Abel took an offering of fat from his firstborn flock. The Lord took favor of Abel and not so much Cain. Cain then became angry and jealous that the Lord showed favor over him. The bible said “And Cain talked with Abel his brother: and it came to pass, when they were in the field, that Cain rose up against Abel his brother, and slew him” (Gen. 4.8). The Lord found out and put Cain under a curse, so that his crop would no longer prosper. The Lord

He also bore a mark that nobody who came in contact with him would kill him. This signifies that as people are young they will make mistakes and by just punishment will realize that they were wrong. Cain now had a lifetime to think about his murder.

Cain and Abel are the first two sons of Adam and Eve. Cain is the eldest and Abel is the youngest. Cain is described as the tiller of the ground whereas Abel is the keeper of sheep. Both men know that God requires an offering, but the offering of Cain is quite different from that of Abel. Abel fears God, and because of this he offers the best of his flock to the Lord. He kills the animal and makes a sacrifice of blood. Abel understands that the shedding of innocent blood for the forgiveness of sin is acceptable. He also knows that this action of his is representative of surrendering his heart to God. By contrast, Cain brings what he has grown and gathered from the earth. In a way, a foolish man would think

Sibling rivalry is an occurring event throughout East of Eden. Adam and Charles first portrays the idea of sibling rivalry. Adam and Charles Trask have a huge rivalry going on as they grow up. Adam never has to fight for his father’s love. Charles is jealous over the love that their father, Cyrus, shows for Adam.

When Jacob and Esau were born, they were extremely different despite being twins. Esau was robust and red headed while Jacob was meek and small. “When the time came for her to give birth, there were twin boys in her womb. The first to come out was red, and his whole body was like a hairy garment; so they named him Esau. After this, his brother came out, with his hand grasping Esau’s heel; so he was named Jacob,” (Genesis 25:19-34). Jacob was a trickster. He covered himself with the hide of a lamb to mimic his brothers appearance and take his blessing as the first born. “So Jacob went out and got the young goats for his mother. Rebekah took them and prepared a delicious meal, just the way Isaac liked it. Then she took Esau’s favorite clothes,