Cathy In John Steinbeck's East Of Eden

East of Eden, often quoted, discussed, and written about, serves as a cultural icon, and a landmark for American literature. The world Steinbeck builds is most often the center of discussion, with it’s realistic, depthful, characters that tell stories applicable to people from all walks of life from any generation. Often, however, Steinbeck’s underlying narrative seems to go unnoticed. What, at first glance, seems to be a novel full of characters that represent expectations of people in those time periods, becomes something else entirely upon closer inspection. With even the lightest reading expectations melt away quickly, and leave behind a character that seems to simultaneously meet and challenge all stereotypes placed upon them. Steinbeck …show more content…
However, never in her life did she submit to someone, or even let someone have something on her. When it came to Mr. Edwards, he sincerely believed they were lovers, when in reality “she had him” (Steinbeck, 94) in her grasp, and actively manipulated him and stole from him. This refusal to submit extended beyond just intrapersonal relationships. Cathy simply wanted to win, and she did. She ran a whorehouse simply known as “Kate’s” (Steinbeck, 314) after murdering the previous owner, who considered Cathy a daughter. Cathy was the prime example of what one thought to be an ideal housewife, and yet Cathy refused to submit in every possible way, and actively worked her way up to a position of power. This contradiction between what people thought she should be and what she really was challenged the idea women were all submissive to their husband, and showed that women could be just a dominating and controlling as men tended to …show more content…
However, her actions did not reflect her appearance. People called her “so sweet, so dainty” (Steinbeck, 321) but they “never knew” (Steinbeck, 321) what she was truly like. At a young age, she burned her house down, killing her parents, to leave her home, and later on shooting her husband, Adam, simply so she could get away. For someone who was depicted as looking like an angel, her “hatred look[ed] out her of her eyes” (Steinbeck, 193). There was a complete disconnect between Cathy’s behavior and her physical characterization which served to challenge the infantilizing of women that men tended to do. While she was given an innocent, young sort of beauty, she behaved in the most textbook sociopathic ways possible. This paradox of what Cathy was expected to be versus who she really was challenged conceptions of purity and innocence in women and instead showed that, shockingly, they are people