“But the Hebrew word, the word timshel -‘Thou mayest’ that gives a choice. It might be the most important word in the world,” cried Lee, a character in East of Eden, by John Steinbeck (add citation). Timshel originates from the biblical story of Cain and Abel. The passage in which Lee is speaking, refers to God’s words regarding Cain’s actions. In the Hebrew text, God utilizes the word “timshel” to unveil to Cain that he holds the personal authority to surpass evil, if he chooses to do so. Timshel embodies the essence of free will. But does mankind truly have the burning desire to rule over immorality? Do they contain the capacity to live lives that are not centered on greed and narcissism? Humans have the ability to reign over sin; however,
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God charitably offers mere humans the vast power to surpass evil. It is truly astonishing because it grants frail people autonomy. Indeed, such a controversial theory is the cause of East of Eden’s amassing of acclamation. Temptation pitilessly wrestles with all people, goading them to choose wickedness. The choice is omnipresent across the generations in every character. Each person must make this life-altering decision. East of Eden is the account of Adam and Charles Trask, the contrasting children of Cyrus Trask, and Cal and Aron Trask, the adverse sons of Adam and Cathy. In East of Eden, by John Steinbeck, the conflicting relationships of Charles and Adam, and Cal and Aron symbolically and, at times, bluntly exemplify the allegory of Cain and Abel. The theme is surely present, but, on the contrary, the characters also deviate from their biblical counterparts in specific …show more content…
For example, Charles is envious of his father’s love for Adam; just as Cain is resentful and envious of God’s favor towards Abel. Adam gives his father the gift of a dog for his birthday, and Abel offers up the gift of the meat of a lamb. Charles gives his father a pocket knife, and, consequently, he doesn’t cherish or appreciate the gift in any way close to the way he appreciates Adam’s. This is similar to the way that Cain’s offering to God was not as treasured. This causes Cain to furiously retaliate and express his jealousy and insecurity inappropriately. Cain brutally takes the life of his brother, Abel. In parallel, Charles strikes Adam multiple times throughout life and once seeks to murder him with a club. As a result, Charles destroys the relationship he might have harvested with Adam in the same way that Cain literally kills Abel and injures his relationship with God. Charles also compares to Cain in the ways that they are both marked for their sins. Cain is marked so that no one will kill him because God damns him to being a wanderer for the rest of his days. Charles is branded with a scar on his forehead, and he is damned to never having a family and living alone. Even the small details relate to that of the story of Cain and Abel. For example, Adam knows that his mother has done something shameful and that is the reason why she is not a part of raising him, similar to that of
God charitably offers mere humans the vast power to surpass evil. It is truly astonishing because it grants frail people autonomy. Indeed, such a controversial theory is the cause of East of Eden’s amassing of acclamation. Temptation pitilessly wrestles with all people, goading them to choose wickedness. The choice is omnipresent across the generations in every character. Each person must make this life-altering decision. East of Eden is the account of Adam and Charles Trask, the contrasting children of Cyrus Trask, and Cal and Aron Trask, the adverse sons of Adam and Cathy. In East of Eden, by John Steinbeck, the conflicting relationships of Charles and Adam, and Cal and Aron symbolically and, at times, bluntly exemplify the allegory of Cain and Abel. The theme is surely present, but, on the contrary, the characters also deviate from their biblical counterparts in specific …show more content…
For example, Charles is envious of his father’s love for Adam; just as Cain is resentful and envious of God’s favor towards Abel. Adam gives his father the gift of a dog for his birthday, and Abel offers up the gift of the meat of a lamb. Charles gives his father a pocket knife, and, consequently, he doesn’t cherish or appreciate the gift in any way close to the way he appreciates Adam’s. This is similar to the way that Cain’s offering to God was not as treasured. This causes Cain to furiously retaliate and express his jealousy and insecurity inappropriately. Cain brutally takes the life of his brother, Abel. In parallel, Charles strikes Adam multiple times throughout life and once seeks to murder him with a club. As a result, Charles destroys the relationship he might have harvested with Adam in the same way that Cain literally kills Abel and injures his relationship with God. Charles also compares to Cain in the ways that they are both marked for their sins. Cain is marked so that no one will kill him because God damns him to being a wanderer for the rest of his days. Charles is branded with a scar on his forehead, and he is damned to never having a family and living alone. Even the small details relate to that of the story of Cain and Abel. For example, Adam knows that his mother has done something shameful and that is the reason why she is not a part of raising him, similar to that of