East of Eden question?

Question

1. Steinbeck has a character refer to Americans as a "breed", and near the end of the book Lee says to a conflicted Cal that "We are all descended from the restless, the nervous, the criminals, the arguers and brawlers, but also the brave and independent and generous. If our ancestores had not been that, they would have stayed in their home plots in the other world and starved over the squeezed-out soil." What makes this a quintessentially American book? Can you identify archetypically American qualities - perhaps some of those listed above - in the characters? Explain thoroughly.

Answer 1

I'm hoping these resources help in some way, if not then feel free to contact me and I will gladly remove them, not a problem and no questions asked.

East of Eden - John Steinbeck

Study Guides Feature: Chapter-By-Chapter Summary and Commentary, Plot Summary, Character Descriptions, Literary Analysis – Themes and more….

http://www.novelguide.com/EastofEden/

http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/eastofeden...

http://summarycentral.tripod.com/eastofe...

http://www.gradesaver.com/classicnotes/t...

http://www.pinkmonkey.com/booknotes/monk...