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The central point that I’ve seen so far in East of Eden is that it dramatizes the continuous conflict between good and evil within individuals and in society as a whole. The most important contrast explored in this first section, however, is that between the large, loving Hamilton family and the small, tension-ridden Trask family. The difference between these two families represents the differing moral environments in which their children later develop. In this essay, I will try to explain how Steinbeck explores the clash between good and evil through a number of contrasts; his introduction, and the main focus who are Adam and Charles. Steinbeck begins the novel with a detailed description of the natural landscape and beauty of the Salinas Valley where he grew up, establishing an important early symbol for the conflict between good and evil: the contrast between the dark, threatening Santa Lucia Mountains to the west and the bright, welcoming Gablian Mountains to the east. The narrator, whose voice is really that of Steinbeck, says that he learned to te