On My Bookshelf

“East of Eden” and “The Long Valley”

By John Steinbeck

Krisite Ferketich, 22, ad rep at local Internet company, and Colleen J. Rooney, 22, graduate student at SJSU.

Local residents Colleen J. Rooney and Kristie Ferketich read legendary John Steinbeck to gain insights into their fledgling professional careers. Despite unique choices as to where they are going to spend their working lives, Rooney and Ferketich find a common trait to appreciate in John Steinbeck. “Steinbeck has the gift of observance,” says Rooney, an aspiring elementary school teacher currently finishing up her credential program at San Jose State. “Steinbeck takes what he sees and describes it in divine terms, attaching a deeper meaning to everything that we mortals take for granted,” adds Ferketich who is working hard as an ad rep for a local Internet company. “Personally, I think Steinbeck would have made a great ad man.” Last month Rooney read the Steinbeck classic, “East of Eden,” which has recently returned to the bestseller list, thanks to Oprah Winfrey and her book club, while Ferketich read Steinbeck’s lesser known, “The Long Valley.”

“The Long Valley” is a collection of short stories reflecting on life in the Salinas Valley. In typical form, Steinbeck examines the relationships between town and country, laborers and owners, and human ideology. The stories speak with purpose, never allowing readers to finish without asking why. “My favorite story was ‘The White Quail,’” says Ferketich. “The White Quail” is about a woman more obsessed with tending to her garden than she is with cultivating human relationships. Mary Teller searches for a man that would be accepted by her garden. “Mary was crazy,” says Ferketich. “Steinbeck really showed me how silly somebody can look when they don’t accept reality.”

“East of Eden,” on the other hand, deals with the psychology of an emotionally tortured family, moving from the East Coast, out to California with the hopes of great fortune, love and happiness. Steinbeck uses Biblical symbolism, retelling the story of Cain and Able using new characters, Caleb and Aaron Trask. After Caleb and Aaron’s mother, Cathy, leaves the family without warning, the father, Adam, is left physically and emotionally incapable of rearing two boys. Fathering duties default into the hands of their loyal Chinese servant, Lee. Lee teaches the boys that destiny is within their powers. Throughout the book, Steinbeck masterfully examines the predilection that assumes some individuals are naturally good while other individuals are destined to become evil.

“I love Steinbeck because he is so intentional,” explains Rooney. “Every word in every paragraph has a role in explaining Steinbeck’s point.”

-- By Justin Petersen