6/27/2023 0 Comments Steinbeck east of eden![]() ![]() ![]() In the 1980s and 1990s there were hardly any Asian-American characters on American TV shows, in movies or books. Lee was special to me on a personal level. At one point, Samuel, an Irish immigrant, confronts Lee about his pidgin: Lee speaks in pidgin to hide his true self, but drops his mask with Samuel Hamilton, another central character. He actually speaks perfect English, attended the University of California, taught himself Hebrew, and secretly dreams of opening a book store. At first, Lee speaks broken English around the family and acts cartoonishly subservient. ![]() He is like a parent to Adam's two sons, whose mother has abandoned them. In the early 20th century, Lee works as a servant for Adam, the wealthy owner of a California farm. He also happens to embody cultural and linguistic code switching. In Steinbeck's epic 600-page novel, he's a prominent character and the book's moral and intellectual linchpin. in the 1800s, but Lee was one of the only Chinese-American characters I ever encountered in classic American literature. I remember reading the book as a teenager growing up in Boston and being pleasantly surprised to find that it featured a Chinese-American character named Lee.Ĭhinese people began migrating to the U.S. Stephen Park in Steppenwolf Theatre's production of East of Eden.Įast of Eden, John Steinbeck's 1952 novel, is on stage at Chicago's legendary Steppenwolf Theater through November 15. ![]()
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