East of Eden: Steinbeck vs. Christ
In the novel, East of Eden, John Steinbeck proposes the idea that man has much more control over his own destiny than many chose to believe-a conclusion reached from Steinbeck's own interpretation of the story of Cain and Able wherein God neither instructs Cain to master the sin which is crouching at his door, nor predicts that Cain will master it, but rather gives Cain the ability to choose. Taking the text out of context, Steinbeck uses it to convey the message that a man's destiny is up to himself and that the ability to choose to do what is right and wrong is as much a curse as it is a blessing. Steinbeck's interpretation is incorrect. By taking the clause thou mayest out of its context, Steinbeck twists the truth of free will and uses it to convey his own message: that a man, through his own free will, can shape and define his destiny. By reading the text in context-both the story of Cain and Able and the story of Christ, which is the accepted Christian message of the Bible as a whole-the message that thou mayest conveys is quite different in both meaning and gravity.
The very context of the phrase tells its immediate meaning: "If you do what is right, will you not be accepted? But if you do not do what is right, sin is crouching at your door; it desires to have you, but [thou mayest] master it." In context, the phrase thou mayest is more than the blank check that Steinbeck makes it out to be; rather, it is a warning and an instruction. God gives Cain the warning that if he chooses not to do rightly, sin will conquer him; and at the same time, He offers hope and tells Cain he can and, in context, should choose to master that sin.
The Biblical context of the story goes further, applying itself to life in general. As the whole of the Bible unfolds, the concept of free will is realized on a far greater magnitude than Steinbeck applies it. All humanity is subject to the harassment of a sinful nature and a fallen world. "There is no one righteous, not even one; there is no one who understands, no one who seeks God." Therefore, instead of the uninfluenced freedom to choose his
Steinbeck is quick to point out the flaw of an unreliable and defenseless people. he points out “we spend our time searching for security” and “we are an intemperate people” he's quick to judge his own society but not without knowledge and experience to back it up. He notes are inability to take care of ourselves as much as we lead on. he makes a point that we are self centered with our unreasonable ability to make others feel obligated to us and our needs.
The idea of good versus evil is illustrated in several ways in John Steinbeck's East of Eden. This is seen through the external conflicts in the novel, the internal conflicts of the characters, and a universal understanding of the battle between good and evil.
“But you must admit, Pastor, that not every decree in the Bible makes sense in this day and age.” “Only because you [Moretti] are taking the verses out of historical context-“ “Mr. Lincoln,” Angela Moretti says flatly. “You did first.” (Sing You Home p.388)
An important point that Steinbeck tries to deliver is the significance of memory. “The bitterness we sold to the junk man—he got it all right, but we have it still.” Despite having rid themselves of the physical presence of reminders of past woes, the mental image and pain still remain. Just because there isn’t anything around to provide evidence of something happening doesn’t mean that it will go away. “You and me—why, we’re all that’s been,” he wrote—people are defined by their experiences as memories, not by what is around them. One’s character is shaped from within, by his mind and his thoughts, not what he surrounds himself with in the external world.
Throughout the novel, East of Eden, John Steinbeck puts forth many literary techniques in the book to make it utterly vivid. His defined techniques of writing allow the reader to unveil the author’s intentions. Steinbeck’s usage of allegories and alliteration through metaphoric language effectively creates a style that is certain to captivate an audience.
The struggle of sibling rivalry over ability and temperament has taken East of Eden in a whole new perspective. Steinbeck’s portrait on sibling rivalry shows the good vs. evil of each character in the story. The nature of good vs. evil as natural selection is also seen in siblings, as a compete for something physical, mental, or something emotional. The sibling rivalry from the biblical characters embraced Steinbeck’s characters throughout every concept in the novel, the good vs. evil confines the characters personality in every idea of Steinbeck’s novel. From the biblical story of Cain and Abel to Adam and Charles to Cal and Aaron the story continues through out every generation.
importantly, he wanted to suggest a philosophy to the reader, and insure that this suffering would never occur again (Critical 1). Steinbeck shows. in The Grapes of Wrath that there is no one man, but one common soul. which we all belong to. & nbsp; The subject of Steinbeck's fiction is not the most imaginative, and constructive aspects of humanity, but rather the process. of life itself (Wilson 785). Steinbeck has been compared to a twentieth. century Charles Dickens of California; a social critic with more sentiment.
Even though there is tragedy there-what Steinbeck seems to be saying is that the human spirit can and will endure despite immense privations. The will to live and endure will always overcome defeated hopes.
Another style that Steinbeck used was symbolism. Practically everything was a symbol for something. There was a chapter that had a turtle trying to cross the road. The turtle then got hit by a truck, the driver of which tried to hit the turtle. Some people say that the turtle symbolizes the "little people", and the driver symbolizes the capitalists who owned the land. Another symbol in the book was Jim Casy being Jesus Christ. Sheesh, I just don't see it. Yes, both of them have the initials "J.C.", and yes, they both sacrificed themselves for the nobler good. I still don't think that there is enough there to really say that Casy was based on Jesus. Some people will think anything... oh, wait. You were the one who told us that... Hmm, never mind me talking bad about it. Symbolism is wonderful!
The idea that one’s destiny is already determined is both comforting yet brings dismay because it leaves a feeling of powerlessness which is fine for the lazy but painful for the proactive. This idea is surely a failure among principles but even so the role of fate is not completely limited to these terms and ideas. Fate in the book was seen more as a mission that Aeneas had in life, and it would only happen on his obedience to his tasks. This type of belief that “actions determine fate” is actually quite healthy for a society to follow. During Aeneas’ journey there were several times that he faced difficult temptations that tested his obedience
Cathy Ames makes choices based on how much it benefits her, and if it ensures that she will prosper from the choice, even if that means destroying everyone else in the process. It appears “that Cathy… was born with tendencies, or lack of them, which drove her and forced her all of her life” (Steinbeck 72). Most humans have natural instincts that allow them to function in a civil society together. Cathy is different, however, and distinct since birth. She plans and decides things unlike how the rest of society does. A chance encounter between the gray James Grew and Cathy leads to one of Cathy’s first evil actions. Nothing happens until Cathy meets him and “[f]or a time it was noticed that a flame leaped in James Grew… and then the flame went out” (Steinbeck 79).
Thurber also feels he is wasting his time in the military classes. His school requires him to spend two years in these even though he never plans on joining the military, In this class they drill using Civil War techniques which are very outdated compared to the new World War II technology that is being used outside of the school at the time. These outdated methods make this time pointless. If he were drafted into the war he would be ill equipped to fight, as would the other soldiers from his school. This could have serious effects on the battlefield, including death. Thurber uses this example to show how outdated methods are still used by teachers and encouraged by the universities.
On his journey, Steinbeck is met with two coyotes. During this encounter he spares both of their lives. Shortly after this decision he is reminded of an unwritten “law” in China. This “law” states that if you save someone’s life then you are responsible for their life until the end of time. Steinbeck takes this “law” to heart and decides to go against everything he has been told to do. Steinbeck does this because he believes that everything
Another example of a contradiction Steinbeck uses in his essay that I have personally witnessed is, "We spend our lives in motor cars, yet most of us - a great many of us at least - do not know enough about a car to look in the gas tank when the motor fails." I observed this when my grandma's car "broke down" once. She had her car towed to the mechanic, and after about a week of it being examined, the mechanic called my grandma and told her that the only problem with the car was that it was out of gas. If we were living the American dream, would my grandma be so lazy as to have her car stop running and never look at the gas gauge? Would she have spent hundreds of dollars getting her car "fixed" when five dollars would have been suitable for gas? The answer to both questions is no.
The Awakening by Kate Chopin contradicts the popular nineteenth century image of the ideal southern woman as the main character, Edna Pontellier, gradually realizes her dissatisfaction with her life and discovers she was meant to live for something more. This kind of thinking was unheard of during this time period, and the novel soon raised significant controversy and was “banned from the [libraries’] shelves in response to negative and damning reviews” (Dyer 19). The novel redefines femininity by showing that women do not have to be limited by domesticity or submission.