Of Humans and Fate In reality, the world is not split up into heroes and villains, it is made up of humans and their choices. However, in East of Eden, Steinbeck blurs the line between fate and free will. We see numerous characters blindly walk a path they are not aware they are following. While there are times where Steinbeck shows us characters rebelling against fate, the novel ultimately comes back to its biblical plotline, and it is there we see the lack of the real beauty of humans -their ability to choose their own path. By putting Charles, Adam, and Cathy into the courses of Cain, Abel, and the Serpent, he has taken away the characters’ very humanity.
Steinbeck’s use of mythological plotlines condemns Charles and Adam into an unfortunate trap of fate. We see their actions fall in accordance with their imposed storylines of Cain and Abel and how it removes their ability to choose. Adam does nothing to appeal or gain approval from his father, Cyrus. He does not want nor ask for it. It is solely his role as Abel and Cyrus’ role as God that causes this favoritism. Cyrus proves Adam’s lack of choice by stating that, despite his inept personality and actions, he will still be the more favored, “ ‘You're not clever. You don't …show more content…
But in representing it, Charles, Adam, and Cathy lost their individual humanity. The three characters were able to express the effect the concepts of jealousy, hatred, and evilness can allow. However, in its precise following of the Cain and Abel and Temptation story, it was not able to capture the full concept of free will. Throughout the novel, the characters are consistently pushed and restricted to stay in the relative path of the biblical tales. It is not until the end of the story, where we see the message fully situate, when we see a breakaway from the fates of the biblical myths through the simple word of
Steinbeck’s use of mythological plotlines condemns Charles and Adam into an unfortunate trap of fate. We see their actions fall in accordance with their imposed storylines of Cain and Abel and how it removes their ability to choose. Adam does nothing to appeal or gain approval from his father, Cyrus. He does not want nor ask for it. It is solely his role as Abel and Cyrus’ role as God that causes this favoritism. Cyrus proves Adam’s lack of choice by stating that, despite his inept personality and actions, he will still be the more favored, “ ‘You're not clever. You don't …show more content…
But in representing it, Charles, Adam, and Cathy lost their individual humanity. The three characters were able to express the effect the concepts of jealousy, hatred, and evilness can allow. However, in its precise following of the Cain and Abel and Temptation story, it was not able to capture the full concept of free will. Throughout the novel, the characters are consistently pushed and restricted to stay in the relative path of the biblical tales. It is not until the end of the story, where we see the message fully situate, when we see a breakaway from the fates of the biblical myths through the simple word of