John Steinbeck’s magnum opus East of Eden is no stranger to film and television adaptations. From the original, highly condensed film starring James Dean and directed by the controversial Elia Kazan to the 1981 miniseries starring Jane Seymour. Now, Netflix is taking a spin at the iconic material. But online fan reactions and discussions have been highly polarised. Will the netflix-ification of Steinbeck’s novel miss the point?
The novel East of Eden is a sprawling, multi-generational saga following the lives of two families, the Trasks and the Hamilton’s, and their interconnected stories. While the James Dean film only followed the last third of the book’s plot, the Netflix adaptation seems to promise adapting the entire story.
“Quintessential guys book”
However, when the trailer launched May 13, some fans noticed something was ‘off’. East of Eden is a book that should be essential reading for everyone, but it is one of the ‘quintessential’ guy books, not only for who is most likely to have it high up on their favourites list, but in content and themes too; tough moral choices, brotherly rivalry and father-son dynamics. So, needless to say, many (this writer included) were pretty confused when both the new trailer and poster were exclusively from Florence Pugh as Cathy Ames point-of-view.
In the novel, Cathy Ames is pure evil. From the chapter she is introduced to her very last page, she is rotten to her core, cheating people for her own personal gain and destroying anyone who gets in her way. The story being set from her point-of-view could be promising if she maintains this characteristic, but the description published alongside the advertising hints at something entirely different, poising Ames as the stories “indelible antihero”.
“Timshel”
There’s no doubt that Hollywood and literature enjoys a good ‘antihero’ or villain turned hero, from Wicked to Maleficent to Amy Dunne in Gone Girl. But Cathy Ames isn’t that character. Not only would changing her ruin one of the most expertly written villains in history, but entirely destroy the novel’s theme of Timshel (“Thou Mayest”).
Steinbeck explores this Hebrew concept throughout the novel. It’s the core philosophy at its centre. Cathy acts as the ultimate test of this free will as she entirely surrenders to her darkest urges and proves that the potential for both good and evil is present within everyone and that individual choice and fate isn’t pre-determined. In addition, the novel is an allegory for Genesis in the Bible and Cathy represents the serpent, the corrupting force which forces the male characters to confront the reality of their inherited sin and choose whether to break the cycles that have haunted them throughout generations. Changing her into some misunderstood anti-hero wrecks the entire thematic throughline of the novel as her character acts as an essential anchor for the rest of the novels happenings.
One would love to hope that Netflix is pulling the long game here and that the actual show will be an accurate representation of the novel. We may get further trailers from other characters perspectives. Some improvements from the film seem to have been made; including the addition of fan-favourite character Lee. But there was a conscious choice to focus on Florence Pugh as our first look at the adaptation and stamp her as an indelible antihero. Stories can focus on morally grey and dubious female leads but using an iconic piece of literature with complex themes to do that probably isn’t the right way.
Featured Image Credit: Warner Brothers Entertainment
He/Him
Arts Editor 24/25
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