The Nature Of Evil In John Steinbeck's East Of Eden

The term evil is incredibly subjective, and yet something universally known to exist. The topic has prevailed priority interest in religion, science and morality: where it comes from, how it’s cultivated, how it's destroyed. There is a looming mystery to evilness, an obvious existence, but latent foundation. East of Eden written by John Steinbeck follows the peoples of the Salinas Valley in California and their chaotic web of moral code. The book projects a multitude of biblical references and lessons, a number of characters based off theological ideals, but also a number designed to showcase Mankind in its rawest conditions: the good, the bad, and the ugly. The novel transcends through generations of families and offspring, but is constant in the theme of human nature: whether it is contaminated or transparent is dependent of the character. There is a widespread notion that evil is result of environmental influences. This suggests that nurture overrides nature, and evil tendencies can be learned, influenced, or manipulated into existence. For example, social psychologist Philip Zimbardo, concluded, from a number of experiments, that, “people's aggression can also increase when they feel anonymous” (What Makes Good People Do Bad Things 1). The use of masked identity creates the …show more content…
Whereas Cyrus embodies the change of man at the promise of anonymity, Cathy is the outward, undeniable, unrefined evil: the type that creates disguise rather than waiting for one. Adam, on the other end, is individually immaculate, but victim to corruptness from his birth to death: throughout all his turmoil he remains persistent in his ways, a Man of God’s intent. There are an array of other characters involved, each encompassing a different aspect of morality, but all circulating the novel’s central theme: the power of evil, and its comparison to the power of