Film East of Eden as Midrash

In the 1952 film East of Eden, director and darshan Elia Kazan attempts to resolve the moral tension in the Cain and Abel story by depicting Cal as a sympathetic character. The ambiguity of the biblical account is responsible for much of this tension. God does not offer a reason for accepting Abel's gift and rejecting Cain's. Neither of the brothers have a distinct personality, and so the motivation for the murder is left to speculation. Why is Cain's punishment seemingly mitigated and what should the reader draw from the story? Kazan and Steinbeck together sort through such problems, using their imaginations to fill in textual gaps and formulating an interpretation relevant to their day.
Why would God favor Abel and not Cain? This is the biggest problem for Kazan and Steinbeck. Unfortunately, the biblical text does not provide a clear answer, so they must come up with one on their own. Perhaps the sacrifice itself was bad.…