What was the purpose of Chapter 14 and it’s apparent out of place and random inclusion of Olive Hamilton? In Chapter 14, Steinbeck dedicates an entire chapter to describe his mother, Olive Hamilton. Steinbeck describes how Olive Hamilton sold the most Liberty Bonds and was rewarded in return with a ride in an airplane. She prepares for the ride as if she is going to die by setting up everything for her family in case she does not make it. She makes it back alive with her family waiting and cheering for her as she lands. However, this chapter seems a bit out of place, as it interrupts Adam and Cathy’s move and integration to California. I believe that Steinbeck not only included this chapter for his mother, but also to show a juxtaposition between …show more content…
From the very beginning, Charles Trask is is suspicious of Cathy when she shows up to the Trask’s farm. Charles even states, “You know what I think? I don’t think I’m half as mean as you are under that nice skin. I think you’re a devil” (116). Also, on the way home, Samuel Hamilton remembers the eyes of a criminal who was being executed. He realizes that Cathy’s eyes were similar to the criminals and that she also had evil traits. Lee recognizes Cathy’s evil when working for her as a servant. However, Adam is not able to recognize this because he only sees Cathy as what he wants her to be and not for what she actually is. For example, when Adam and Cathy move to the Salinas Valley, Adam thinks that Cathy wants to go and is a good wife, but Cathy does not actually want to go. Also, Cathy tries to kill her baby because she doesn’t want children, but Adam is happy and overjoyed when he finds out that Cathy is pregnant. In addition, the only people who Cathy fears are the people who are able to see her true self, like Samuel Hamilton, Charles Trask, and Lee, but takes advantage of people who are unable to see this quality of her, like Adam Trask and Mr.
In East of Eden, Cathy Ames is constructed to represent the incarnation of evil. In East of Eden, Cathy is portrayed as a corrupt adaptation of the biblical Eve, who is perceived by the Christian tradition as the mother of mankind. Although Eve is not described as evil, she is the one who invited evil in the world by accepting a suspicious apple from a dishonest snake. As a result, Eve is often associated with sin, but whereas Eve is deceived into committing sin, Cathy embraces it and commits evil simply as a means to inflict pain. The character is overly enticed with evil: she believes that there is only evil in the world and therefore fully commits herself to it.
She does not drink nor smoke. She is very honest and definitely nicer. Bryon even said “because I loved her”(pg-93) and he even thought that he would marry her! Also she went to a private school, and payed for it with her own money. She came back because she ran out of money to pay the school. This shows that Cathy actually wants to learn and do very well in life.”She paid for it all with her own bread.”(pg-15) Cathy does not like boys for looks. She likes to be able to get to know them and learn about their life. Where Angela judges boys by their looks. When Cathy was dating Bryon she did not just date him because of his looks, she thought he was a good man, so she chose to date him. Cathy has a younger brother M&M. He is not like Angela's brother where they are violent nor protective. He is more calm and is not too crazy about it. Sure he will say something if someone is being annoying or harassing Cathy, but he is more of a relaxed
Why do many immigrants make the long and usually costly move to America? Is it the largely idolized notion that Americans are wealthier with better opportunities? Moreover, is the price some pay worth the risk? In Willa Cather’s My Ántonia, Ántonia faces struggles as a young child, including language barriers, poverty, harsh living conditions, and her beloved father’s death. However, as Ántonia grows into a woman, she must face struggles of a social nature, such as the division of social and economic classes, as well as social opprobrium. While immigration to America may open many doors for immigrants, it is equally fraught with obstacles. Likewise, Ántonia must face many adversities after her emigration from Bohemia to Nebraska, which
Another way the idea of good versus evil is expressed is by the internal conflicts of the characters. Cathy is good example of a character that has an inner conflict of good versus evil. Cathy, the most evil of all in this novel, kills her parents, manipulates Adam and Charles, attempts to abort her children, shoots Adam, abandons her twin sons once they are born, and murders Faye, her friend and boss. However, the good in Cathy overcomes the bad. By the end of the novel she becomes religious and she leaves all of her fortune to her son. Charles is also a good example of a character struggling with inner conflict. Whenever Adam beats him in a game, Charles becomes very abusive towards him; once he almost kills Adam. However, Charles also protects Adam from others and he does, in fact, love him. He "fought any boy who ... slurred Adam and ... protected Adam from his father's harshness" (Steinbeck 491). Adam is forced to join the service and is sent to war, Charles tries to keep in touch with him by writing letters. In
In the “East Of Eden,” Cathy is considered a monster, a psychopath, a creature who is pure evil, and all these statements can be true because she doesn’t care about other people, she only cares about herself. When Cathy was in school she made her Latin teacher commit suicide and she didn’t feel guilty doing
Cathy, the twin’s mother, insists that there is only evil in the world, and immersed herself into taking advantage of other people’s flaws and weaknesses. Cathy also had that freedom of choice, but she always made the wrong decision and remained the totally evil character throughout the novel.
At the party in which Frank gets drunk and begins to make comments she laughs it off as if it is all just a joke. She pretends that because he is drunk she doesn’t care, but she knows that there is truth in his drunken speech. Perhaps because she pretends to not care, it makes her feel less badly about it, as the book suggests in the experiment done by Ekman. This also occurs it seems whenever anyone brings up Cathy’s kind nature toward black people in general. Whether it be the magazine article in the beginning of the movie or when Eleanor confronts her at the end, Cathy always say’s verbally and facially that the allegations are ludicrous. By the end of the movie, it is obvious that the allegations are far from ludicrous and Cathy has realized this as well. Through her staunch denials, she probably convinced herself even for some time that she had no feelings for Mr. Deegan.
Steinbeck wrote a majority of his novel East of Eden to mirror biblical tales like Adam and Eve or Cain and Abel. Within these tales there is a destructive force that drives the characters to do evil things. In the novel, Cathy is fully aware of this evil in the world that persuades people. But instead of trying to counteract it, she embraces it and becomes the evil force herself. Her only motivation is be in control, and her need for power is so strong that she lacks any humanity, which sharply contrasts the consistently positive character Samuel. Even in her final moments, where we expect Cathy to show any sign of her goodwill, she commits her last evil act.
Therefore showing, Cathy had no liking of Samuel or her children and could not stand to be cared for. She had a way of destroying the life of anyone who crossed paths with her, and by biting Samuel’s hand, caused his livelihood to decline. Comparatively, later on in life Cathy ends up with the “fingers of both hands [constantly] bandaged”, due to severe arthritis (192). Cathy lived her life always harming others, with no guilt or regret and this was her punishment.
Cal thinks because of his mother Cathy he is also being a evil person. His mother Cathy was a evil monster in this book. When Aron and Cal was growing up. Cal used to think everyone loves Aron. Then the jealous inside of him came out. He naturally started to hate his twin brother Aaron. And Cal’s thought to this behaviour was his mother Cathy. When it says "I hate her because I know why she went away. I know—because I've got her in me." (38.3.49) it means believed that the jealous, hate and the evil behaviour all that just naturally came from Cathy. His relationship to his dad was a sort of forgiveness, the forgiveness for loving Aron more than him. Just the same way Adam and Charles father Cyrus loved Adam more than Charles. The relationship of Cal to his brother was all about jealousy and hate for his brother on how better he is than Cal. His relationship to Cathy was also a forgiveness for giving an evil monster. Mothers are the one who always play a big role in raising the children. Their behaviour will put a big impact on how the kids are going to grow up. And in this book, Cathy has crossed all her limits of being a worst person. Because of her behaviour Cal had to put himself in a dark place thinking he would also grow up evil has his mother
The culture of set societal rules and conventions urges Catherine to be with Edgar, compelling her to be ‘the greatest woman of the neighbourhood’ due to them being relatively firm in their gentry’s status. This suggests the importance of her social status against the nature of her love for Heathcliff stating, ‘we would be beggars’, through employing the word ‘beggars’ the reader crafts the idea of her belief that she won’t survive without her status. Catherine admits ‘It would degrade me to marry Heathcliff now; so he shall never know how I love him’ Thus implying a swelling sense of her vanity and pride; enough to enjoy the position she gains from being married to Edgar despite her admiration for Heathcliff, being ‘more than (herself) than (she is)’and
Cathy-Kate combines many biblical figures as well. She is not only Eve, but she is Cain’s wife and the serpent of Eden as well (Fonterose, Joseph. p.3380). Thus she is the representation of evil too. Cathy is evil to the point where she is not human. Her presence in the novel is meant to represent evil and all of its cruel intentions. All of her deeds are intended to show how far from the real world Cathy actually is (Howard, Levant. p. 245). Steinbeck compares Cathy to other prostitutes in Salinas Valley, the setting of East of Eden. She is described as the only whore who is incapable of being a good person. She is an inhuman being whose life revolves around cruelty and wrongdoing. She is solely satanic and destroys the innocence of man (Marks, Jay Lester. p. 126-127).
Cathy could see no good in the world or in any of the other characters. She believed that there was only evil in the world and therefore surrenders herself to it fully. Cathy is portrayed as a wicked fiend who's aggression comes from practically nowhere but her own empty heart, but other times Cathy appears weak and afraid of people who weren’t the least bit intimidating. These are moments when we have to stop and think if she really is truly evil, or just an impatient and self-centered person. Cathy’s upbringing had no real play as to why she manipulated and deceived so many people. Her parents always showed her love and tried the best they could to educate and entertain her. There was nothing horrible in her childhood that would have given her an excuse as to why she was the way she was. Cathy was just not the typical child. She was very different from other children; it could be argued that she was born evil and was just a result of nature.
Adam’s goodness may be the preferred trait one would prefer to inherit, however it ends up being the downfall of him because it prevents him from seeing a person for who they really are. His kind nature ultimately is the reason he is able to be tricked by Cathy’s manipulative ways. However, after believing he is left with nothing and letting himself wallow in self pity, the honorable and wise Samuel Hamilton reminds him of an important story. Mr. Hamilton reminds Adam that King James of the bible once said, “thou salt prevail over sin”, however it is up to the man to rise above his pain and mistakes. Adam, still feeling sorry for himself, is hesitant to believe Samuel’s advice. However, after making a visit to his wife Cathy in her new life as a whore, he finally realizes he can be okay with out her. He realizes that his children deserve a father better than one who is in love with a whore. He sees through Cathy’s manipulation and decides that he can live happily with what he has. Adam confirms his choice to overcome Cathy saying, “I seemed to come out of a sleep, in some strange way my eyes have been cleared. A weight is off me”(Steinbeck 328). Adam rises above the Cathy he once idolized and allows himself to see who she really is. In result not only does he realize the improved Eden he can build with his sons, he proves that the power to overcome his destiny lays within one self. Adam, however is not the only Trask who proves this possible, Cal
Steinbeck creates Cathy to be “possessed by the devil” (73). In the movie, Cathy loans Cal the five thousand dollars; by doing this, Cathy is seen have feelings, which contrasts with her cold-hearted characteristic in the novel. By making Cathy more emotional, the view on what is pure evil and good is obscure. Cathy’s development in the movie and in the book somewhat head towards the same trajectory; yet, her fall as explained in the novel, is not portrayed in the movie. Instead of Cathy being a more round, and descriptive character throughout the whole plot, she is seen as a sub character to