East of Eden Contrasting Regions—East vs. West Quotes

How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Section.Paragraph)

Quote #10

"We all have that heritage, no matter what old land our fathers left. All colors and blends of Americans have somewhat the same tendencies. It's a breed—selected out by accident." (51.2.54)

Lee is getting at one thing: inherently we are all the same. He is talking about Americans specifically and all the good and not-so-good aspects of the culture, but the point is that it has a culture and that culture is shared. Considering how this book is obsessed with East-West distinctions (and especially considering how Lee is arguably the most subject to those distinctions) it's really significant that his character is the one to speak this passage.