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| Blake, Body of Abel Found by Adam and Eve Image via tate.org.uk |
Timshel
“Thou mayest rule over sin, Lee. That's it. I do not believe all men are destroyed. I can name you a dozen who were not, and they are the ones the world lives by. It is true of the spirit as it is true of battles — only the winners are remembered. Surely most men are destroyed, but there are others who like pillars of fire guide frightened men through the darkness. 'Thou mayest, Thou mayest!' What glory! It is true that we are weak and sick and quarrelsome, but if that is all we ever were, we would, millenniums ago, have disappeared from the face of the earth. […] But the choice, Lee, the choice of winning! I had never understood it or accepted it before. Do you see now why I told Adam tonight? I exercised the choice. Maybe I was wrong, but by telling him I also forced him to live or get off the pot. What is that word, Lee?”
“Timshel”, said Lee.
— John Steinbeck, East of Eden
I had read Steinbeck's great novel more than once before, in my youth as well as in my middle years. Each reading seemed to give me insights that helped me get on with my life.
Based as it is on the the principal themes of the "Cain and Abel" story in the Book of Genesis, as well as on biographical portions of Steinbeck's own maternal grandfather, Samuel Hamilton (who's character is quoted in the above excerpt), I decided that it was time for another re-reading. It is a wonderful read for anyone who needs refreshment from the frenetic and frequently mindless lifestyles of today's world.
Arguably Steinbeck's greatest opus, though The Grapes of Wrath is more famous, it has stood the test of time, when so many others have been forgotten during its own more than half-century in "print". The reason, I think, is that its themes are universal and timeless; its writing is Nobel-worthy; its story is fascinating; and, its philosophical insights, revealed by the supporting protagonists Samuel Hamilton and Adam Trask's Chinese manservant, Lee, are delicacies for the soul.
Post 1,655 Delicacies for the Soul
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