East Of Eden And The Bible Analysis

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Wild animals are no different than civilized humans in that we live by one simple rule: eat or be eaten. We find the will to survive by any means. Insects use their camouflage abilities, lions their speed, and men their strength. Women, however, use their cunningness to survive. Whether flaunting accentuated features, beaming a beguiling smile, or toying with emotions, a woman 's survival comes down to her ability to physically or mentally deceive her opponent by any means possible. John Steinbeck’s East of Eden and The Bible illuminate a woman’s innate ability to overcome threats by deceit through Cathy and Esther respectively.

It is important to first set the guidelines for what the word survival implies. Species are surviving when they
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In order to attain wealth, Cathy lures in a wealthy, married man named Mr. Edwards; for months, Cathy pretends to be exactly what Mr. Edwards wants and eventually he falls so in love with her he insists on giving her all the riches in the world. Once he does, Cathy leaves him and breaks his heart. To most, Cathy’s methods make her a “mental or psychic monster” (71); morally, society says that lying to people to get what you want is selfish and cruel. But Cathy is a women with little education or training; the only job she has had was as a prostitute. Thus she is using all she knows, her physicality, in order to attain the wealth that she believes she needs to live. Thus, using her body becomes a tool for …show more content…
In an effort to save her Jewish people, Esther contrives a plan to enrapture the King, marry him, and use her marital power to slay the anti-Semitic villain Haman. In order to make the King fall in love with her, Esther “[does] not reveal her nationality” (13:6:21). She then radically changes her appearance to fit what the King finds appealing. With her wit and sexuality, Esther entices the King to have a banquet where she will reveal Haman’s wickedness. Later that night, after getting the King drunk Esther requests “if the king regards me with favor… grant my full petition and fulfill my request” (13:12:9). Low and behold, the King executes Haman and saves the Jews. Before Esther had laid eyes on the King, she had a plan to manipulate him the way Cathy manipulated Mr. Edwards. She uses her beauty to distract him from her true intentions and duplicity to achieve her plan to save her Jewish people. After having the King fall in love with her, she insists that the only way he can show his love is to do whatever she asks. It is as if Esther traps the King the way a cat traps a mouse; she has him in the palm of her hands. She is able to use the King’s unconditional love to turn him against his long time trustee. Women have the ability to distract men with lust and sex. This is precisely how she blinds the King from her true intention of killing

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