Good And Evil In John Steinbeck's East Of Eden

“The line between good and evil is permeable and almost anyone can be induced to cross it when pressured by situational forces.” This quote was said by Philip Zimbardo during his ‘Psychology of Evil’ TED talk. Zimbardo explains in his presentation what defines humans as good or evil. He goes into depth on the negative impact of the external environment of a person. He follows by saying his ideology of evil came from the novel Lord of The Flies by William Golding.

Cal, the son of Adam Trask, struggles with the idea that he inherited his mother, Cathy’s, evil. Cal displays this evil by taking advantage of the Post-World War One economy, and stealing beans from hardworking farmers so that he can sell them for cheaper prices. “East of Eden” ends with Adam forgiving Cal of his wrongdoings. However, this happy ending is followed by the haunting idea that future generations will make the same mistakes, and follow the same path of good and evil, that Cal and his ancestors have.

Walter Cronkite, a famous American broadcast journalist, once said, “In seeking truth you have to get both sides of a story.” John Steinbeck, a famous American author, further proves this idea in his novel, East of Eden. The novel follows the lives of two very different families, the Hamiltons and the Trasks, in correlation to the history of the United States. Major ideas regarding the free will of an individual and predestined or chosen morals are continuously argued throughout the story. Critics, such as Peter Lisca in his article The Wide World of John Steinbeck, state that these contradictory messages along with a variety of other factors play into the “distracting” and “unintegrated” aspect of the members of the Hamilton family.

In Western horror, the distinction between good and evil is strictly enforced; the “evil” antagonist always haunts and is defeated by the “good” protagonist. In the Oxford English Dictionary, for spirits to haunt is to “visit frequently and habitually with manifestations of their influence and presence, usually of a molesting kind” (“Haunt.”). This definition further puts into perspective the Western view on haunting; spirits are usually depicted as an abusive entity. In Eden Robinson’s Monkey Beach, the Little Man’s motivations remain ambiguous throughout the novel, and he both comforts as well as haunts Lisamarie. The Little Man’s complex character and his multilayered relationship with Lisamarie demonstrate that good and evil are not necessarily

Explore the ways writers present ideas about the good and bad in people. John Steinbeck wrote ‘Of Mice and Men’ using various language and structure techniques to present ideas about the good and bad in people with minimal narration over the entire novel rather than Steinbeck presenting his ideas about each character. Instead, the author written the novel without personal commentary or much narrative insight; he never actually tells us what the character thinks or their mind and how they feel all the time, more precisely, he exposes the characters through their actions and speech. Steinbeck has written this novel originally as a play: this explains the structure of the novel such as his use of a circular pattern of locations, condensed narration, minimal action descriptions, and foreshadowing to connect his plot. Steinbeck uses imagery related to the nature and specifically animals in the novella ‘Of Mice and Men’ to show the good and bad in people.

The Existence of Good and Evil Have you ever wonder how good and evil can be portray in a way that it is inseparable? In the novel, To Kill a Mockingbird ,the story was written by Harper Lee, it it about two white little kids, Jem and Scout Finch, learn to grow up in the 1930s during the Great Depression and the year when racism was more of a sensitive topic than it ever was, good and evil are now mixed together . They have to learn to understand those issues surround them and much more. With their father is a great and fair lawyer named Atticus they learn to cope with those issues at an early age. Good and evil are always going to overlap each other, and people have different ways to portray it.

In Of Mice And Men, George and Lennie were very close due to the fact that George looks after Lennie. They form almost a parent and child bond. Lennie does not know his own strength and continuously kills small animals that he wants to care for and pet. Lennie not knowing his own strength is developed further when Lennie accidentally kills Curley’s Wife. Lennie was stroking Curley’s Wife’s hair to the point that she became alarmed and panicked and when she did so, Lennie broke her neck by shaking her too hard, he wanted her to stop yelling.

It is noteworthy that this story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden is the foundation of the religion with the largest number of followers worldwide. Why does it continue to resonate with so many people even today? The reason is that this utopia contains archetypes that reflect the collective unconscious that is found across all cultures. This is the result of universal themes in this story about humanity’s needs and desires that we still see occurring in our society today. The story of Genesis contains three archetypal characteristics that illustrate these patterns that still demonstrate humanity’s needs.

In the classic novel East of Eden by John Steinbeck, Adam Trask is the main protagonist for the entire first half. Adam was a very innocent child, and he grew up to be a very naïve and innocent man. Adam is majorly dominated by his Superego and ego, while his Id is almost nonexistent. During the entire first half of the novel, not once do we see Adam act in an aggressive manner or seek instant gratification for his actions. In fact, Adam avoids violence and conflict, even as a soldier in the army.

It is difficult to interpret Steinbeck’s true motive with the creation of Cathy Ames, but it is clear that Cathy’s actions make her different from most other women in this time period. She often uses her boldness and self-assurance to manipulate mens’ desires for her own gain; even at a young age she knew that sexuality “… is the most disturbing impulse humans have” (75). While her intentions are evil, her assertiveness is almost refreshing in contrast to most of the other reserved female characters in East of Eden. However, Cathy’s rejection of motherhood and her dominance over men is often portrayed as dishonorable, and Cathy is villainized without “the potential of a conscience” (72).

East of Eden, by John Steinbeck, reflects the complexities in father/son relationships. The connection between a father and his son is vital to their development. The novel explores the impact of these relations is immense. The central allusion of the novel is comparing several characters to Cain and Abel, who were formed through their attempted relationship with their father-like figure, God. They struggled and vied for the attention, love, and respect of God, which subconsciously influenced their actions and thoughts.

Adam and Eve had a perfect Garden of Eden, until Eve ate the apple and contaminated the garden. In being tricked by the snake, Eve betrayed God’s word. Mankind has often betrayed others because of the darkness in their heart. In A Separate Peace, John Knowles uses Phineas as a sacrificial lamb to portray Gene’s savage side and demonstrate that peace can never be achieved at a worldwide level until man accepts the darkness in his own heart.

East of Eden East of Eden by John Steinbeck was an interesting read for the summer. In the beginning it was quite odd as there was a sort of flashback in the beginning. Soon Adam’s childhood story is told and how his brother and he didn’t get along too well nor did they with their demanding and quite bizarre father. In fact, the father was a really interesting part that stayed with me.

Without any grown-ups around, the boys are left to battle for and represent themselves. The young men utilize a conch shell as a talking stick, and Ralph, one of the more established young men, gets to be "chief." And then trouble starts. They 're anxious about a "monster" some place on the island, and afterward they choose to make a sign flame using the glasses of a kid named Piggy as opposed to keeping up the flame. The longer they 're on the island, the more savage they become.

John Steinbeck’s novel “East of Eden” not only depicts the story of Cain and Abel, good versus evil and free choice as well as a narrative of Steinbeck’s own life; it also gives the reader an insightful glimpse into the perils and consequences of unrequited love. This is proven in several characters in the book. Of these, the relationship between Adam and Cathy more prominently displays the perils of unrequited love. John Steinbeck defines love most eloquently in “East of Eden”. Sometimes a kind of glory lights up the mind of a man.