Struggle Between Good And Evil John Steinbeck English Literature Essay

East of Eden is John Steinbecks 12th novel which he wrote to his two young sons, Thom and John Steinbeck. It is an epic story set in the narrow Salinas Valley, North California and tells the tale of the entwined destinies of two families, the Trasks and the Hamiltons. The author of the novel, John Steinbeck believed East of Eden to be his magnum opus, and claimed that all his other works had just been a practice for writing this one (Bloom 66). One of the major themes, of the novel is mankind’s consistent struggle between the paths of good and evil. Steinbeck has depicted the inevitable fight between good and evil, which takes place within the society, but also concentrates on the struggle that takes place deep within every person. The purpose of this essay is to analyse how the struggle between good and evil is depicted in John Steinbeck’s novel East of Eden.

1. The importance of the struggle between good and evil.

Steinbeck regards the struggle between good and evil to be the most significant in the world. The final part of the novel unfolds itself with explaining the notion in more detail.

‘I believe that there is one story in the world, and only one. . . . Humans are caught’in their lives, in their thoughts, in their hungers and ambitions, in their avarice and cruelty, and in their kindness and generosity too’in a net of good and evil. . . . There is no other story. A man, after he has brushed off the dust and chips of his life, will have left only the hard, clean questions: Was it good or was it evil? Have I done well’or ill?'(Steinbeck, East of Eden 503)

For Steinbeck the situation was of the utmost gravity, since it is interminable. Every human being, regardless of if others before him have succeeded or not, must deal with the struggle. Humans will remain humans, and this means that they are inclined to feel tempted by sinful hungers and desires. Temptations are innate in every one of us. This is something we have inherited from our first ancestors, Adam and Eve. Though Adam and Eve were virtuous people, they performed the original sin, when they eat from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. Their disobedience to God’s orders, is the reason why their descendants, the humankind, were born with the guilt of sin. This is why there is no way to completely root out the immoral side of the humankind and why every individual has to deal with it on one’s own.

2. The setting of the novel.

Steinbeck has already in the opening of the novel, emphasised the perpetual and simultaneous presence of both good and evil by using stark contrasting to describe Steinbeck’s home village, Salinas Valley. The Valley is situated between two entirely contrasting ranges of mountains.

I remember the Gabilan mountains to the east of the valley were light gay mountains full of sun and loveliness and a kind of invitation, so that you wanted to climb into their warm foothills almost as you want to climb into the lap of a beloved mother

( Steinbeck, East of Eden 7)

‘The Santa Lucias stood up against the sky to the west and kept the valley from the open sea, and they were dark and brooding ‘ unfriendly and dangerous.’ (Steinbeck, East of Eden 7)

The Gabilan mountains are described to be somewhat Edenic;

The setting establishes the premise of the most significant theme in the novel. The landscape and the environment described symbolise the world as a whole, which does comprise of both the good and the bad. The good and the bad exist close by, like the light and the dark mountains, which are separated only by the small Salinas valley. And the fact that the characters of East of Eden live exactly in between the two complete opposites, demonstrates how people in the real world constantly find themselves facing the choice between good and evil. It also proves that all the characters in East of Eden have the opportunity to choose either way.

“I always found in myself a dread of west and a love of east”. East, the place where the sun rises, is a place of hope and possibility, the origin of the sun/light. West is a place of death/darkness.

3. The characters of East of Eden

All the characters of the novel fall into the dichotomy of good and evil superbly. But two characters represent the absolute margins of the scale. When the development of other characters is somewhat depicted in the novel, then they are portrayed to be good or evil right from their introduction.

The epitome of evilness and the main antagonist of the novel is Cathy Ames, the mother of the Trask twins, and the wife of Adam Trask. She puts her skill of manipulation and deceit into use numerable times, and cold-bloodedly makes her way through life never caring about anyone beside herself. Even going as far as to kill her parents, when they are unfortunate enough to get into her way.

‘It is my belief that Cathy Ames was born with the tendencies, or lack of them, which drove and forced all of her life. ‘(Steinbeck 89)

Samuel Hamilton is the head of the household neighbouring the Trasks. His character embodiment of all good. The patriarch of the Hamilton family is also wise, and never turn down an opportunity to help a fellow.

“It was the sweetness of his tongue and the tenderness of his soul. And there was just a cleanness about his body, so there was a cleanness in his thinking’ (Steinbeck, 11).

The juxtaposition of these two characters, illustrates the world of Adam Trask, which is heavily influenced by both of them. Adam’s struggle between good and evil is represented with him being pulled to one side or the other, due to the characters of Samuel and Cathy. With her attractive appearance and masterful manipulation, Cathy has made Adam fall in love with her. Love is what blinds him, and makes it unable for him to see the true character of Cathy. Samuel is also an important figure in Adam’s life, as he is someone Adam looks up to, and trusts in every situation.

Depressed and despairing after the departure of Cathy, Adam remains infected by the evil. He shows little interest in his sons, even forgetting to name them for a while. Samuel helps him during his bad days, and is the force that pushes Adam to continue the life of a good man. On his deathbed, Samuel reveals to Adam that since Cathy ran away from him, she has been working at a brothel. The revelation opens Adam’s eyes to the true nature of Cathy, and he finds in himself the power to confront her. This event marks the beginning of a new life for Adam and his family. Now that he is free from Cathy’s spell, he emerges with a burst of enthusiasm and vitality, buying a car, writing to Charles, and committing himself to becoming a better father in an attempt to avoid the mistakes of his own father, Cyrus.

4. The struggle depicted through Biblical allusions

Two subsequent generations of Trask brothers unbeknownst to themselves replay the tragic story of Cain and Abel from the Bible. Adam and Charles are the brothers of the first generation of the Trask family. Adam is the probable father of the second generation of brothers: Aron and Caleb. Adam and Aron are the Abel figures of the novel, and Charles and Caleb are taking the place of Cain. Even though the infamous story of the two brothers in the Genesis is only 16 verses long, it has left an impression so powerful upon John Steinbeck that he has considered it to be ‘one of the most profound in the world’ (Steinbeck, Journal of a Novel 108).

The first generation proves their roles are quite suiting, as Adam truly is good-natured and Charles is unable to stop his evil ways. Describing the second generation, Steinbeck has gone far to stress Caleb’s initial similarity to his uncle Charles and his Biblical counterpart Cain. The author has used quite a straightforward approach to allude to the story of Cain and Abel. When the twins, Aron and Caleb are born, the Trask house maid, Lee proposes them to be named after Cain and Abel, but Adam decides against it since the names have such a huge meaning for him. The boys contrasted with each other ever since their birth.

Caleb is said to have a dark complexion and be the manipulative and wary twin, while Aron is light-skinned and is described as being kind and good-hearted.

Caleb’s life, like Charles’ also shares many parallels with the story of Cain and Abel. When in the Biblical story the two brothers bring sacrifices to God one day, he without no apparent reason, rejects Cain’s gift of grain, and accepts Abel’s gift of a sheep. This pattern is evident in both consecutive generations in ‘East of Eden’. In the first generation, Cyrus, the father of the boys, comes to cherish Adam’s gift of a dog over Charles’s gift of a German pocket knife. This is repeated with the next generation of the Trasks when Adam Trask rejects Caleb’s gift of money, because he sees it immoral to profit from scamming innocent people. Adam tells Caleb to return the money to the people, and suggests him to rather lead a good life like his brother Aron.

Like Cain in the Genesis, Caleb also hurts his brother after being rejected by a loved one. Cain kills his brother Abel in a jealous frenzy after being stung by rejection from God, who he loves and admires the most. Though, Caleb does not violently attack his twin brother, he still manages to hurt him emotionally. The relationship between Cal and Aron imitates the story of Cain and Abel in a different way. It is plausible to claim that Caleb indirectly causes Aron’s death. After his father’s disapproval of the unexpected gift Caleb had worked so hard on, he becomes blinded by jealousy and yearns to hurt his brother, since he is obviously the son his father prefers. He achieves his aims by showing Aron that their long lost mother is actually alive and earns a living with prostitution. The usually composed Aron gets so agitated that he enlists himself in the army and goes to fight in World War I and ultimately dies in a battle. By hurting his brother, Caleb has temporarily let the evil inside him win.

The conversation between Adam and Caleb held right after Aron’s departion directly parallels the story in the Genesis, by almost quoting a passage from the Bible word for word. When Adam asks Caleb about his brother, the boy answers:

‘How do I know? Am I supposed to look after him?’ When God discovers that Abel is nowhere to be found, he asks about him from his brother Cain: ‘I know not; am I my brother’s keeper?’ (Gen. 4.9)

Caleb seems reluctant to take any responsibility for other people, making him appear to be completely selfish. The irate Caleb is almost like trying to make him and his father believe that he is evil, by not showing concern about his brother’s whereabouts.

The apparent obtrusion of Caleb’s actions and characteristics is used by Steinbeck to further the image that Caleb is going to end up as an evil person, much like his uncle Charles before him. And also emphasises the fact that people are what they are born to be.

But all that changes, when the boys reach adulthood.

The townspeople adore the amiable Aron and are somewhat intimidated by the timid Caleb. When Caleb finds out who his mother is, he believes that he has received her evilness. But the housemaid, Lee, vigorously disputes him, by saying that he is the only one who can control and decide over his life. Lee believes that it would be too easy to excuse yourself for being evil just because of your ancestry. (Steinbeck, East of Eden 544) Lee’s wise words make Caleb strive even more towards a virtuous life, but unfortunately like the rest of people, he finds it hard to deny temptations.

Indeed, Aron seems to be out of touch with reality, and as he sinks deeper and deeper into religious fanaticism, his innate selfishness reveals itself. He scorns his father and continues to feel great shame over the family’s financial losses even after he reaches an age when he should be able to understand the realities of the business world. Although he is angry with his father, he nevertheless runs away to school and allows Adam to support him. He idealizes Abra, but never takes the time to get to know her as a human being. He puts her on an impossibly high pedestal, yet fails to consider her desires when he announces his plans to live a life of celibacy.

5. The struggle within Caleb Trask.

When in the first generation much of the story is told through the eyes of the so to say good brother, Adam, then in the subsequent generation the protagonist is the Cain prototype Caleb. Like already mentioned in the previous section, Caleb bears many similarities to the Biblical character Cain. And he as well constantly compares himself to his brother like many others.

Caleb is the character whose struggle between good and evil is the most explicit in the novel. Caleb is certainly good at heart, since there are a number of times when he is helping his close ones. When his father’s new business goes downhill, Caleb is the son who tries to help him through the problem. Compared to Aron, who feels ashamed of his father, and tries to not be associated with him, Caleb puts a lot of effort into earning his father enough money to get him out of the predicament. Although Caleb had good intentions, he has chosen the wrong way to carry them out, and thus fails to help his father. And in order to save his brother from finding out the truth about their mother, he insists Aron to go to study in Stanford. On the other hand, he also shows his immoral side. He admits to sleeping with prostitutes and agrees to take part in a scheme to make money.

The two sides of him are incessantly in a ‘tug of war’, there are occasions when the good side in him is prevalent, and there instances where evilness gains the upper hand.

The story of Cain and Abel is symbolic of the story of all people. I believe everyone has encountered rejection, and due to that felt unloved and insignificant. Though in the Biblical story this led to the quite extreme act of murder, the feeling of rejection compels humans to carry out horrible deeds.

BUT “I don’t very much believe in blood,” said Samuel. “I think that when a man finds good or bad in his children he is seeing only what he planted in them after they cleared the womb.”

Unlike his predecessors, Caleb manages to fight his evil tendencies and find the path to goodness.

The character Lee, who is the maid of the Trask household, can be considered the most educated of the characters. After the twins are born, Lee takes up the discussion of the biblical story of Cain and Abel, which is hard to be understood by most of the men at that time. But after years of studying and examining the text of Genesis word for word with the help of Chinese scholars, Lee discovers the true meaning of God’s homily to Cain. The Hebrew word Timshel, which was used by God, has been mistranslated in the English translations of the Bible, and has caused it to lose its true meaning and value. It has even misled people into thinking that they are not the masters of their life and future. This one word has led humans to think that they truly don’t have the power to change the route of their life and that it all depends on something greater. The American Standard translation of ‘Do thou’ orders men to triumph over sin(p.369). The King James translation makes a promise in ‘Thou shalt’ meaning that men will surely triumph over sin. But the original word Timshel actually means ‘Thou mayest’, which gives the choice to men themselves. In reality it is not God’s or anyone else’s demand, or promise which determines the path of a human being. Timshel offers humans free hands to decide about their destiny and leaves all doors open. Nothing in this world is predestined. Every person is in charge of his/her own life, and responsible for the way they turn out to be. The discovery is of great importance to the human kind.

Caleb is the character in the novel who completely embraces the concept of Timshel. His desire to be good is so huge, that he even prays that he could be more like his brother, who is portrayed as the embodiment of all that is good( Steinbeck, East of Eden 462) The difference between Caleb and other counterparts of Cain in the novel, is that he realizes there is always chance of redemption. Caleb becomes aware that it is him who determines his future, not anyone else. With the help of Lee, Caleb realises that it is perfectly normal for human beings to be flawed, and making mistakes does not make them evil monsters. It is quite inevitable to not give into temptation and follow the impulse towards evil rather than good. But what really matters is how the person decides to lead his life from that point forward.

Caleb’s brother Aron also has to deal with the difficulties of life, but goes about it in a wrong way. Afraid of submitting to temptation, Aron completely withdraws himself from the world. He believes that to be the only way to actually save himself. The cowardly behaviour is condemned by many other characters, especially his ex-girlfriend, Abra, who now confesses to Caleb that he loves him not his brother. And that partly because Caleb was strong and willful enough to handle his moral struggles. People have to face their problems, and the deal with them. Avoiding temptations does not make a person good. Rather facing temptations and handling them is what makes a good person. Since Caleb is strong enough to deal with the struggle inside him, he completely embraces the idea of timshel. Much like his Biblical counterpart, Caleb is given the chance to redeem himself.

When God fins out that Cain had killed his brother Abel, he punishes him by placing a mark on his forehead to warn others that the act of murder will be severely punished. Though Cain was banished from the Garden of Eden and had to live in the East of Eden, he still was granted the permission to continue to cultivate the land. The mark seems to be a sign of mercy from God, and gives Cain a chance to redeem himself. In the novel, Adam’s final blessing of Cal symbolizes the redemption of Cal, who is finally shed of his guilt.

“We all have the potential for good and evil, but being evil is a choice,” states Lee, a servant who acts like the philosopher in the novel and who, perhaps expresses Steinbecks views on the subject.

After all, salvation, in this book, is tied to a concept that’s central to the human experience: Choice.

CONCLUSION

John Steinbeck also says:’ I began to realize that without this story- or rather a sense of it- psychiatrists would have nothing to do. In other words this one story is the basis of all human neurosis- and if you take the fall along with it, you have the total of the psychic troubles that can happen to a human’ (Steinbeck, Journal of a Novel 104

Iga’he enda teha, always chance of redemption

In the midst of their studying, Lee says something that has stayed with me through more novels than I can count:

If a story is not about the hearer he will not listen. And I here make a rule ‘ a great and lasting story is about everyone or it will not last. The strange and foreign is not interesting ‘ only the deeply personal and familiar.

The same ancient problem, dating back to Adam and Eve, will always confront future generations.