East of Eden

Like his father, Aron—son to Adam Trask and Cathy Ames—is big-hearted and sensitive. "Adam drew love from every side. He seemed shy and delicate. His pink-and-white skin, golden hair, and wide-set blue eyes caught attention. In the schoolyard his very prettiness caused some difficulty until it was discovered by his testers that Aron was a dogged, steady, and completely fearless fighter, particularly when he was crying. ... He was unchanging once a course was set. He had few facets and very little versatility. His body was as insensitive to pain as was his mind to subtleties." Aron is the Abel figure in the latter part of the book. When he falls in love with Abra, he fails to commit himself and retreats into religion; when he learns of the identity of the mother who has abandoned him and his brother, he leaves off studying at Stanford, joins the army and dies in battle during World War I.