Monday, March 26, 2012

Ten of the best fraternal hatreds in literature

At the Guardian, John Mullan named ten of the best fraternal hatreds in literature.

One entry on the list:
Adam and Charles Trask

In Steinbeck's East of Eden, we read of Adam Trask's tumultuous childhood on a Connecticut farm and the brutal treatment he endured from his younger but stronger half-brother, Charles. This poisonous brotherhood is replicated in the next generation, as Adam's sons Aron and Caleb become antagonists. Caleb, jealous of his father's love for Aron, goads him to enlist in the army, and he is killed in the first world war.
Read about another entry on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue