Soutenance mémoire
TECHNOLOGY: UNVEILING & ENFRAMING
East of Eden takes place in a time of extensive technological reform. From the end of the 19th century to the start of the 20th century, the people of the Salinas Valley rely more and more on machinery to maintain their way of life. This time of revolution, according to Adam Trask, is not only happening on a local level: ‘ »The whole country’s changing,’ Adam said. ‘People aren’t going to live the way they used to.' » (Steinbeck, [1952], 2000, pg. 434) His prediction is certainly correct. At the time, the American soldiers have secured most of the American territory and people are beginning to settle down, no longer pursuing new frontiers. Its time of growth drawn to a close, the United States is becoming one of the world’s leading industrial countries.
In the very first lines of Part //, the narrator gives a vivid account of some of the changes he observes taking place at the dawn of the 20th century in the United States of America. »You can see how this book reached a great boundary that was called 1900. Another hundred years were ground up and churned, and what had happened was all muddied by the way folks wanted it to be—more rich and meaningful the farther back it was. In the books of some memories it was the best time that ever sloshed over the world—the old time, the gay time, sweet and simple, as though time were young and fearless. Old men who didn’t know whether they were going to stagger over the boundary of the century looked forward to it with distaste. For the world was changing, and sweetness was gone, and virtue too. Worry had crept on a corroding world, and what was lost—good manners, ease and beauty? Ladies were not ladies any more, and you couldn’t trust a gentleman’s word. (Steinbeck, [1952], 2000, pg. 131) ».
The narrator anticipates that the 20th century will be very different from the preceding hundred years. He observes that values and concerns are gradually shifting, as are many traditions which were absolutely fundamental only years prior. One of the main causes responsible for the changes which take place at the turn of the century is the explosion of new technologies. Diverse types of machines start to sprout up all over the country. The goal in creating these machines is, in essence, to save both time and money. Although this objective is met, the impact is much further reaching than the inventors could have predicted. It is during this time of the modern technological revolution that the relationship between humans, nature and technology becomes forever altered. It is a time of enframing which inhibits the shining forth of nature. Hence, the danger of enframing is that it steals the essence of the environment. The link between enframing and modern technology is, once again according to Heidegger, a dangerous one. « The revealing that rules in modern technology is a challenging […], which puts to nature the unreasonable demand that it supply energy that can be extracted and stored as such. » (Heidegger, 1977, pg. 14) Within the pages of East of Eden, there are many examples of this challenging of things generated by the modern forms of technology, as we will see in due course.
Urbanization & Mass Method
In the Salinas Valley in the early 20th century, much like everywhere else on the American mainland, people make use of the traditional farming techniques to settle the land. The means they use are similar to those which have been used for centuries before their time. Gradually, as small, remote communities bloom into larger towns and then more populous cities, people’s way of life is shifted, both out of practicality and out of necessity. In modern-day metropolitan areas, it is not possible to live off of the land as one would do in the country. It is very inconvenient to raise livestock in a city, and people no longer own enough land to grow food and feasibly support their families.
In the early 1900s, small towns begin to emerge in California. People from all over the country make their way towards the West Coast. A major proponent of this western shift is the ongoing struggle between the leading railway companies of the time. The companies are constantly building new railroad tracks. In order to attract more clientele, the companies adopt extravagant measures, taking out advertisements in the newspapers, printing stacks of broadsides and issuing countless booklets to all passers-by. » The Southern Pacific Railroad […] had begun to dominate the Pacific Coast not only in transportation but in politics. Its rails extended down the valleys. New towns sprang up, new sections were opened and populated, for the company had to create customers and to get custom. (Steinbeck, [1952], 2000, pg. 135-136) » .
The railroad companies’ advertising techniques prove to be very effective. They succeed in attracting scores of people to California, rich and poor alike. Adam Trask, who is looking for a new place to establish himself with his pregnant wife, Cathy, is one of the many men to be taken in by the publicities: » The long Salinas Valley was part of the exploitation. Adam had seen and studied a fine color broadside which set forth the valley as that region which heaven unsuccessfully imitated. After reading the literature, anyone who did not want to settle in the Salinas Valley was crazy. (Steinbeck, [1952], 2000, pg. 136) » .
Wanting to have his own place in Eden, Adam sets his sights on the Salinas Valley. In fact, he has been considering moving to the West Coast for some years, even before meeting Cathy. Often, Adam tries to convince his brother, Charles, to leave their family farm in Connecticut for the more prosperous state of California. No tale is too extravagant in his pursuit to sway his brother’s opinion. In one attempt, Adam says: « Look, Charles, things grow so fast in California they say you have to plant and step back quick or you’ll get knocked down. » (Steinbeck, [1952], 2000, pg. 105) This embellished account proves ineffective in igniting Charles’ desire to migrate.
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Table des matières
INTRODUCTION
LIVING OUTSIDE EDEN
1.1 The Salinas Valley: From Drought to Deluge
1.2 Dwelling & Building
1.3 The Trasks’Dwelling
1.4TheHamiltons’ Dwelling
1.5 Dwelling on the Outskirts of Eden
TECHNOLOGY: UNVEILING & ENFRAMING
2.1 Urbanization & Mass Method
2.2 Dehumanizing Effect of Systems
2.3 Apparatuses of War
2.4 Technology’s Reforms
2.5 Technology’s Own Claim
BREAKING THROUGH
3.1 Adam’s First Glory
3.2 A Fallow Man
3.3 Unconventional Perspectives
3.4 Adam’s Struggle
3.5 Adam’s Return to the Land
CONCLUSION
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