In the beginning, God gave man free will. Every human had the chance to choose good or evil, but more importantly than that, each had the choice to define what was good and what was evil. But humans, they had a tendency to polarize the world into what is right, what is wrong, what can, and what cannot be done. Here is man’s problem: Timshel, the idea that humans are not predestined and right and wrong are not stagnant, was replaced by strict mundane social and political constructs which inhibit free will and self-determination. In East of Eden, through a positive representation of non-traditional relationships, demonstrated by Adam and Lee in combination with the negative traditional relationship of Adam and Cathy, John Steinbeck emphasizes
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The beginning of Part 3 is marked by a very important occurrence: Lee’s reveal that “‘thou mayest rule over sin’”(xx) as Samuel puts it. The quote itself is not of importance, but rather the positioning of the quote in the text. It, notably, precedes the development of Adam and Lee’s close personal relationship. Although it would be a fallacy to say that this is definitely the cause of the relationship, based upon the structure of the text, it is highly likely that this is not a simple coincidence. Instead, it is more likely a planned paradigm shift. The relationship between Lee and Adam begins as a servant-master relationship, but grows far closer after the shift to thou mayest, and eventually, both Lee and Adam find themselves living harmoniously together. The sheriff describes their dwelling as having “flowered chintz, lace curtains, white drawn-work table cover, cushions on the couch covered with a bright and impudent print.” and as a “feminine room in a house where only men lived.(560)” Flowered prints, bright colors, and a definite descriptions as a feminine room all lead to the conclusion that Lee and Adam are not simply surviving together as Adam and Cathy were but instead prosper together. They are in an emotionally open relationship as well with Adam giving Lee the freedom to advise him on how to raise his children: “It’s the lie I’m thinking of. It might infect everything. If they ever found out you’d lied to them about this, the true things would suffer. (352)” On the other side, Lee feels open enough with Adam to share the story of his family even though “he doesn’t want to” but he feels “it might persuade [Adam] to make some changes for his own boys (352) Their relationship is beautifully close and incomparable to the distant relationship of Adam and his idealized wife.
The beginning of Part 3 is marked by a very important occurrence: Lee’s reveal that “‘thou mayest rule over sin’”(xx) as Samuel puts it. The quote itself is not of importance, but rather the positioning of the quote in the text. It, notably, precedes the development of Adam and Lee’s close personal relationship. Although it would be a fallacy to say that this is definitely the cause of the relationship, based upon the structure of the text, it is highly likely that this is not a simple coincidence. Instead, it is more likely a planned paradigm shift. The relationship between Lee and Adam begins as a servant-master relationship, but grows far closer after the shift to thou mayest, and eventually, both Lee and Adam find themselves living harmoniously together. The sheriff describes their dwelling as having “flowered chintz, lace curtains, white drawn-work table cover, cushions on the couch covered with a bright and impudent print.” and as a “feminine room in a house where only men lived.(560)” Flowered prints, bright colors, and a definite descriptions as a feminine room all lead to the conclusion that Lee and Adam are not simply surviving together as Adam and Cathy were but instead prosper together. They are in an emotionally open relationship as well with Adam giving Lee the freedom to advise him on how to raise his children: “It’s the lie I’m thinking of. It might infect everything. If they ever found out you’d lied to them about this, the true things would suffer. (352)” On the other side, Lee feels open enough with Adam to share the story of his family even though “he doesn’t want to” but he feels “it might persuade [Adam] to make some changes for his own boys (352) Their relationship is beautifully close and incomparable to the distant relationship of Adam and his idealized wife.