Free Will vs. Determination (East of Eden)

Freewill vs. Determinism
Good vs. Evil

What makes a decision evil is when it is made completely with regard to others. What makes a decision good is when the person who made it can look back and feel like what he choose was wholly right. It is completely up to a person whether or not they take others into consideration or even decide to look back long enough to care, just like it is up to that person to choose where they go in life. Whether it’s up the "good path" or down the "evil path" isn’t predetermined by god, your bloodlines, or anything else. Kate chooses her life and decided not to care what others thought or felt and just did what she pleased. Caleb at first was convinced that he did bad thing because of what his mother was, that he would be evil because of her. Sam Hamilton was thought of being bad or evil when he came to Salinas due to the fact that he was Irish and he proved to be one of the kindest characters in the book. Sam would most likely be considered good by anyone who became acquainted with him. Even though he didn't do things they same way as those around him, he did what he looked back on as being right or good in his mind. He made choices and didn’t let his circumstances rule his life. Even though he was poor and lived on infertile land he worked and tried to change things. He tried to make them the best that he could. When at that time most people believed that the Irish were belligerent drunks that were only good at stealing American jobs and wives. Sam Hamilton changed their views, as Louis told Adam when he brought him up to meet Sam, “he’s a fine worker, and a good blacksmith." Not only was he a fine worker when it came to inventing things and blacksmithing but he worked at helping others. As Adam "drew into himself" Sam tried his hardest to help him, "go through the motions," and finally he ended up having to punch him and insult him to get the man out of his stupor. This violence, which was against his character,