East of Eden Trivia

1. Which Hamilton son has the knack of making money?

From Quiz "East of Eden" - The Hamiltons

Answer: Will

"As a growing boy, Will was lucky. Just as his father could not make money, Will could not help making it." Will has always felt, in his secret heart, inferior because of this gift: "He thought the Hamiltons despised him for his one ability. He had loved them doggedly, had always been at hand with his money to pull them out of their errors. He thought they were ashamed of him, and he fought bitterly for their recognition."

From Quiz Go Walk "East Of Eden"

Answer: Northern California

Excerpt from the book: "The Salinas Valley is in Northern California. It is a long narrow swale between two ranges of mountains and the Salinas Valley winds and twists up the center until it falls at last into the Monterey Bay."

From Quiz Who's been East of Eden?

Answer: Salinas Valley

John Steinbeck's home

From Quiz "East of Eden" - The Hamiltons

Answer: Tom

Tom, as always, had taken "more on his plate than he can eat." He had asked two girls to the dance, but when he was ready to go, "shy and shining as a Roman emperor", his brothers had already taken the rig, the buggy and the cart. There was nothing left but the hayrake, "and you can't take even one Williams sister on that". Tom has always been inventive though: "...last I saw, Tom went dragging up the hill, reclining at his ease on the sofa to get the Williams girls, and, oh, Lord, it'll be worn thin as a wafer from scraping by the time he gets it back."

From Quiz Go Walk "East Of Eden"

Answer: Adam and Charles

Adam is from Cyrus Trask's first marriage to a woman only known as Mrs. Trask. Charles was born nine months after Cyrus and his second wife, Alice, married.

From Quiz Who's been East of Eden?

Answer: The Hamiltons

John Steinbeck was writing about his maternal family

From Quiz "East of Eden" - The Hamiltons

Answer: She won it as a prize for selling Liberty bonds

"If the Germans had known Olive and had been sensible they would have gone out of their way not to anger her. But they didn't know or they were stupid. When they killed Martin Hopps they lost the war because that made my mother mad and she took out after them. She had liked Martin Hopps. He had never hurt anyone. When they killed him Olive declared war on the German empire." She sold Liberty bonds with such fervour that she won the "fairest prize of all", an airplane ride. The only problem was, Olive did not really believe in airplanes. She was convinced that she was going to her death. When the pilot jokingly asked her "Stunt?" she thought he said "stuck". Determined not to panic, and trying to keep the pilot in good heart, she nodded and smiled. The pilot performed loops and barrel rolls, and every time he looked back and asked "More?" she nodded and smiled again, paralyzed with fear and beyond hearing anything. "Afterward he said over and over, 'She's the goddamest woman I ever saw. I tore up the rule book and she wanted more...what a pilot she would have made!'"

From Quiz "East of Eden" - The Hamiltons

Answer: "Yes, but nice rotten apples."

The conversation between Lee and Samuel, as Lee drives Sam to the Trask place to discuss digging wells, is the first indication we have in the novel that there is more to Lee than meets the eye.

From Quiz Go Walk "East Of Eden"

Answer: Army

Adam becaue a private in the Calvary.

From Quiz Who's been East of Eden?

Answer: Charles

From Quiz "East of Eden" - The Trasks

Answer: King City

Cathy sends him to King City, to buy a "nursey bottle", and tells him to stay for a few days, until Monday. Lee is reluctant to go, suspecting that something is up, but doesn't feel he can outright disobey - "Mebbe I come back late".

From Quiz "East of Eden" - The Hamiltons

Answer: A meteor

"...it would have been a pretty thing if it happened at night. There would come a line of light and then a pencil of white light and then a tree of blinding light drawn in a long arc from heaven. Then there'd be a great water spout and a big mushroom of steam. And your ears would be staggered by the sound because the soaring cry of its coming would be on you at the same time the water exploded. And then it would be black night again, because of the blinding light, and gradually you'd see the killed fish coming up, showing silver in the starlight, and crying birds would come to eat them. It's a lonely, lovely thing to think about, isn't it?" An omen, maybe, this, coming as it does on the day of the twins' birth.

From Quiz Go Walk "East Of Eden"

Answer: Cathy

After Cathy killed her parents, she worked in a whorehouse where she was almost beaten to death in a jealous rage. Badly beaten, Cathy found her way to the farm house of Adam and Charles Trask.

From Quiz Who's been East of Eden?

Answer: Cathy Ames

Scary lady!

From Quiz "East of Eden" - The Trasks

Answer: He was cleaning his gun and it went off

Horace does not believe him, as it would be impossible to receive that wound in that way. He knows that Adam served in the cavalry, and would have been familiar with, and competent with, that pistol. Eventually he drags Adam's story out of him, but finds it hard to believe. He suspects that maybe Adam shot his wife, until he talks to the sheriff in Salinas, and learns about the new girl, at Faye's whorehouse.

From Quiz "East of Eden" - The Hamiltons

Answer: Una's death

Una married a silent man, a photographer, and he took her away north "and it was black and lost where he went - somewhere on the borders of Oregon." Una died there, in what was thought to be an accident - "so many chemicals around" - but Samuel feared that the accident was "pain and despair". He aged then, badly.

From Quiz Go Walk "East Of Eden"

Answer: nine & 9

Excerpt from the book: "Over the years, nine children were born, four boys and five girls. With each birth another quarter section was added to the ranch and that makes eleven quarter sections or seventeen hundred sixty acres."

From Quiz Who's been East of Eden?

Answer: Bit his hand

She nearly poisoned him by it

From Quiz "East of Eden" - The Trasks

Answer: Chinese dress

"...the boys were dressed in the straight trousers and the frogged and braided jackets of the Chinese. One was in turquoise blue, and the other in a faded rose pink, and the frogs and braid were black. On their heads sat round black silken hats, each with a bright red button on its flat top...'A boy should be well dressed on his naming day'".

From Quiz "East of Eden" - The Hamiltons

Answer: Gum under the pillow

"...gum was valuable in those days, just as a nickel was valuable. There were months when he did not come, but every morning as soon as we awakened we put our hands under our pillows to see. And I still do it, and it has been many years since there has been gum there."

From Quiz Who's been East of Eden?

Answer: Doxology

From Quiz "East of Eden" - The Trasks

Answer: To Will's, to buy a car

The scene where the mechanic teaches Adam to start the car is one of high comedy - "Just call me Joe!"

From Quiz Go Walk "East Of Eden"

Answer: Olive

Olive became a teacher before marrying and had three daughters and a son.

From Quiz Who's been East of Eden?

Answer: Shipping frozen lettuce

It failed but he didn't really care

From Quiz "East of Eden" - The Trasks

Answer: His father breaks his leg

Lee's father breaks his leg in an accident, and his mother goes into premature labour. This gives away the secret - there is a woman in the camp - and the other men go mad. Although the book does not spell it out, it is obvious that she is raped, to death. However - "My father always told it at the last. No child ever had such care as I. The whole camp became my mother. It is a beauty, a dreadful kind of beauty. And now, good night. I can't talk any more."

From Quiz "East of Eden" - The Hamiltons

Answer: She dies

Dessie had had some secret abdominal trouble for some time. When she has a bad attack, Tom gives her a dose of salts, which make the problem worse. Tom, of course, feels responsible for her death.

From Quiz Who's been East of Eden?

Answer: Abra

She finally ends up with Cal

From Quiz "East of Eden" - The Trasks

Answer: Dessie's

It's "a nice little house up the street next to Reynaud's Bakery". Dessie, who had been the light of life to her family and her customers, had her heart broken in an unhappy love affair. She decides to leave Salinas and move up to the ranch with Tom, to look after him.

From Quiz "East of Eden" - The Hamiltons

Answer: He has bought a mean horse, and intends to break it

He knows that Lisa disapproves of suicide, but can live no longer with the guilt he feels for Dessie's death. He also writes a letter to Will: "No matter what you yourself may think - please help me now. For Mother's sake - please. I was killed by a horse - thrown and kicked in the head - please!" Then he gets out his gun, and heads for the hills.

From Quiz Go Walk "East Of Eden"

Answer: Caleb and Aron

Excerpt from book: "Cal is sharp and dark and watchful and his brother---well he's a boy you like before he speaks and like more afterward."

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Last Updated Jul 12 2025 5:50 AM

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