East of Eden

Cal and Aron go hunting for rabbits and agree to take mutual credit when they catch one. The brothers are emotionally close but physically quite different. Aron is blonde and innocent, while Cal is darker and tougher. Cal tells Aron that he heard a rumor their mother abandoned them, although their father always told them that she died. Aron doesn’t think that his father would lie, but Cal wants to try to find their mother. When Aron appears hurt by this idea, Cal realizes that he has another tool against Aron if he needs it. The boys run home when a dark storm brings rain. Back at the ranch house, the Bacon family has taken shelter with Adam. Their daughter, Abra, enchants the twins, but Aron is nervous in her presence. When the Bacons realize that Lee has raised the boys, they encourage Adam to bring his sons to the city to give them a proper education.

The children go off to play with one another, and Cal offers Abra their rabbit. He can see that she prefers Aron, but this is nothing new to Cal:

Far from disliking Aron, he loved him because he was usually the cause for Cal’s feelings of triumph.