Preview

Cathy Ames In John Steinbeck's East Of Eden

Satisfactory Essays
Open Document
Open Document
262 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
Cathy Ames In John Steinbeck's East Of Eden
In John Steinbeck’s East of Eden, Cathy Ames is manipulative, deceptive, and psychopathic. She is manipulative because she can drive into the thoughts and feelings of other people and make them conform to her way. She uses her deceptiveness to mislead people the wrong decision through scheming and appearance, and her psychopathic tendencies make her actions and decisions violent, warped, and conscienceless.

Cathy utilizes manipulation to drive thoughts into people. Charles warns Adam of this by saying to him, “She’ll destroy you,” (C). An example of her power of mental capabilities is when she burnt her parent’s house down, locking them inside. No one suspected her because she gave people the impression that she was a sweet and innocent
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Better Essays

    How Does Steinbeck Use Biblical Allusions In East Of Eden
    • 1280 Words
    • 6 Pages

    How Does Steinbeck Use Biblical Allusions In East Of Eden

    One way is the opposition between the two. Such a relationship is illustrated through the Cain and Abel allusions in the novel. Another relationship is that the two must coexist. This relation is represented by the arrival of both the church and the brothel in town at the same time. Good comes from evil is the third relationship. Cathy making Adam appear all the more pure shows this relation. The last relationship is that both terms are relative (Fonterose, Joseph. p.3381). Caleb Trask is illustrated as being a man more evil than others are. This innate wickedness varies from the immoral values of other characters such as Charles or Cathy-Kate. The wickedness is attributed to Caleb’s ability to choose between good and evil and his choosing of the latter (Levant, Howard. p.240). In East of Eden, good is associated with individual morals. Examples of such would be abstinence from sexual activity and virtues like generosity and self-respect. Evil is illustrated through acts such as prostitution and murder (Fonterose, Joseph. p. 3381). Sex is treated as a carnal act that cannot be good. It is a sin; where in other Steinbeck novels, it would be easily accepted. The sex in East of Eden is considered extremely bad and thus an evil action (Fonterose, Joseph.…

    • 1280 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Playing Beatie Bow Character Analysis
    • 476 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Playing Beatie Bow Character Analysis

    To further a message Ruth Park displays that the world of human relationships can be quite difficult terrain to traverse, it can be seen that Ruth creates a protagonist, Abigail Kirk, which at the early stages of the novel displays a mean-spirited personality. She does not yet change in the early courses of the novel but infact gives off a self- interested and relatively intolerant personality which seems to be a problem for young people, Park is suggesting. For example, at the early stages of the novel Abigail doesn’t understand the relationship and situation of her mother and father, yet she still reacts in an immature manner. “ ...hit him hard on the nose.” From this example of Abigail’s…

    • 476 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Character Analysis of Elphaba from "Wicked" by Gregory Maguire
    • 543 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Character Analysis of Elphaba from "Wicked" by Gregory Maguire

    Analyze the Main CharacterThe main character named Elphaba, in the novel Wicked, raises the debate to whether evil is inherited genetically or developed by social injustice. Elphaba, having been born with a pale green skin tone and razor sharp teeth was automatically rejected by society at birth. As she grew older she developed a vast knowledge of the world around her which led her desire to be influential towards the greater good. Even though her intentions were genuinely efficacious she was labeled wicked due to the narrow views on eccentricity throughout society. This is the conflict in which Elphaba was to succumb in order to fulfill her desire to better the world.…

    • 543 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Lennie Smalls In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men
    • 624 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Lennie Smalls In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

    In the novel Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, the character Lennie Smalls is a large man who is physically fit but immature emotionally. He poses a danger to the other characters, as he is responsible for the death of various creatures, the accidental injury of Curley’s hand, and the gruesome murder of Curley’s wife. Although the outcome of the situations was unintended, innocent lives were lost as a result of his lack of fast reaction and childish mentality. Through the actions of Lennie and the negative reactions that followed, Steinbeck reveals that Lennie’s powerlessness over his physical strength acts as his Achilles’ heel.…

    • 624 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    East Of Edden Character Analysis
    • 1700 Words
    • 7 Pages

    East Of Edden Character Analysis

    Following her Latin teacher’s suicide, Cathy runs away from home and due to this, is severely whipped. During the spanking, the young girl again manipulates her dad in order to stop the whipping, as we can see, she “screamed, writhed, cried, begged, and the blows instantly became lighter” (83). Steinbeck describes this using an enumeration to emphasize Cathy’s power over people, who in reality does not seem to suffer. Her eyes and her face are indeed constantly describes as “cold” and “calm,” which shows that Cathy not only controls other people, but must also control herself to be convincing. Although the girl seems to have won, she has not. She finally realizes that her parents have power over her, and are the only people she cannot use her sexuality against. Only they can withstand her. Moreover, Cathy believes they are the only ones who do not see her for whom she really is-evil. She is already “past sixteen” but they see her as a “baby,” although Cathy is, at that point, already self-aware of whom she is. She begins to hate them, as they are the exact opposite of her. They are good. She then decides to dispose of them. However, she must first fool them. Indeed, The passage preceding Cathy’s parricide depicts Cathy as a changed person. Catherine is illustrated through the semantic field of success and beauty “thoughtful,” (83) “good student,” (83) “smarter,” (84) “beautiful,” (84) “fresh” (85) and “pretty” (85). Her parents have then absolutely no idea of what will happen next. Steinbeck describes the fire as one that “rose, flared, roared, crashed and crumbled,” personifying the fire as an animal through this enumeration (85). It magnifies the fact that there is no way out for the Ames. Cathy, furthermore, decides to fake her own death: the coroners and helpers “could find no tooth or bone” (86). Through this, Cathy realizes that by…

    • 1700 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Trask Family In Of Mice And Men
    • 877 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Trask Family In Of Mice And Men

    Cathy utilizes her main adeptness, manipulation, throughout her childhood to gain potency. Cathy’s childhood is not kindred to anyone’s childhood. As soon as John Steinbeck introduces Cathy, he utilizes words that could only describe a monster, “ There was a time when a girl like Cathy would have been called possessed by the devil” (73). She was described as a monster that was brought into the world and a human that was possessed by the devil, and continues to be a manipulative monster throughout the whole story. Cathy kills her parents in a devious way, by putting a apron in the oven locking all the doors and running out of the house, preserving herself. Her devilish personality perpetuates on throughout the rest of her life, later discovering that she is fearful of the good. She runs off and moves out east and meets a man named Mr. Edwards who offers her a job at the whore house. Here she discovers her power of manipulation and makes her way to the top. Steinbeck says, “ Cathy learned that by the manipulation and use of this one part of people she could gain and keep power over nearly anyone” (75). Cathy takes advantage of her ability to manipulate people to gain more power. Soon after Mr. Edwards employs Cathy with a job, he falls in love with her blinded by her beauty. Upon realizing her incident with her parents, Mr. Edwards beats Cathy which leads her to the trasks family, where Adam immediately falls in love with…

    • 877 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Good And Evil In John Steinbeck's East Of Eden
    • 1498 Words
    • 6 Pages

    Good And Evil In John Steinbeck's East Of Eden

    East of Eden underscores the search for love and the means of obtaining self-importance by loved ones as the characters through the generations symbolically reenact the story of Cain and Abel. The author John Steinbeck successfully tells the story between the Trasks and the Hamiltons where the reader journeys into the families’ deep background and prepares for the drama and captivating storyline. In particular, the novel parallels to the Bible story in Genesis four where Steinbeck highlights enduring themes of good vs evil, the choice in life, and murderous jealousy through his unique characters to convey the works meanings and morals. First published in 1952, the book received enormous popularity and acceptance with the general public in which…

    • 1498 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Satisfactory Essays

    Abigail Williams in the Crucible
    • 361 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Abigail Williams in the Crucible

    Abigail Williams is the niece of Reverend Samuel Parris in Arthur Miller’s book the Crucible. Some people may think she’s just a normal girl but how can people be sure about that? Abigail Williams, age 17, is indeed a young girl, but she’s also an evil villain. Throughout the book, there are many examples to show how this is true. Abigail makes up lies to get what she wants, to get out of trouble, and to manipulate others. She also attempts a homicide just because she’s jealous. These are the details that will be examined in this essay.…

    • 361 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Satisfactory Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    East of Eden vs the Kite Runner
    • 1261 Words
    • 6 Pages

    East of Eden vs the Kite Runner

    The theme of love is a major underlying cause of many problems within East of Eden for it creates a feeling of rejection by family and lovers. The idea that love is blind becomes the center of revolution for the feelings between Adam Trask and his wife, Cathy. Steinbeck “explores the conflict…between self-imposed blindness and the human need to attain full knowledge” (Owens 4). Adam suffered from the first of the two conflicting traits through the blindness of his love for Cathy. Adam “loved [her] better than anything in the world” whilst “Cathy was a monster” (Steinbeck 323,182). Adam’s love blinded him from seeing the true and fully real Cathy as opposed to the one in the dreams he created. This creates problems when Adam is unable to let go of the woman he thought he loved, and refused to fully embrace life. As consequence to Adam’s actions, his twin son’s, Aron and Caleb, grew up virtually parentless relying on their servant for care and nurturing.…

    • 1261 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Mccarthyism In The Crucible
    • 489 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Mccarthyism In The Crucible

    First, there are characters in the play which represent the actual people involved and affected by the McCarthy era. One such character is Abigail Williams, who represents Joseph McCarthy. She lies, manipulates her friends and the entire town, and accuses innocent people which leads to their deaths. The vindictive trait is present in McCarthy, who distorts evidence to "sacrifice the greater objective for the momentary effect" (184). Second, another character used to symbolize was Rebecca Nurse, who represented Lillian Hellman. Rebecca is a woman with upholding morals, which is evident when she refuses to confess the names of other…

    • 489 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    John Steinbeck East Of Eden Analysis
    • 812 Words
    • 4 Pages

    John Steinbeck East Of Eden Analysis

    When one writes a piece of literature with the ability of choosing what to write, one is unable to prevent putting their own self into it. Depending on how well the person knows he or herself, with experiences that are unique or even relatable will determine how well their piece will impact the world. One does not want to read textbooks that are all factual, unless forced too, they want to read stories within a event. The interest goes deeper than just the surface, we may not realize it, but we crave for information. We tend to want to know more than we need or should, but that curiosity drives us to places we wouldn’t expect to find ourselves. Whether the place is good or bad, we are to deal with it the best we can. John Steinbeck capitalizes…

    • 812 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Crucible: Evil in Society Essay
    • 605 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Crucible: Evil in Society Essay

    When something bad happens, a person’s initial thought is to place blame on another, all the while making the assumption that the motive is evil. Such an assumption is inaccurate. Most people’s motives, no matter the final outcome, are for self-benefit. Just as Maxwell states, “the nature of human evil … cannot be assessed in the measure of the destructiveness of our evil behaviors … That origin is misguided instinct (ignorance) and fear. Even when we lack courage or knowledge, we are still being guided by our simple instinct to benefit ourselves.” Accordingly, self responsibility, in the form of thinking not only about the effect an action may have on oneself but also about the effect an action may have others, may lack when a person, such as Abigail Williams in The Crucible, thinks first for herself. In order to avoid getting into trouble with her uncle and the church, Abigail begins the chain of the children’s confessions, as well as the blaming of innocent citizens. In beginning this chaos, Abigail is considering the immediate threats to herself; if people were to find out that she drank blood, danced, and performed the rituals with Tituba, she would be in a large amount of trouble. By thinking only about herself, masses of people are blamed and many are killed. Rather than confessing, she causes evil – but that is not her intent; she simply fails to take responsibility for her first misjudgment. Although she eventually develops into a knowingly evil character, she was not deliberately malicious.…

    • 605 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Character Analysis Of Lady Macbeth
    • 964 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Character Analysis Of Lady Macbeth

    whole play, the audience know her as a heartless evil woman, but still she manage to be a…

    • 964 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Is Lying Justified In The Crucible Essay
    • 1198 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Is Lying Justified In The Crucible Essay

    In A Break with Charity one of the main antagonists, Ann Putnam, leader of the witch trials, could only think about herself throughout the entire book. She ruined many lives, by convicting the innocent of witchcraft. She believes “The elders are looking for someone to blame. We will give them many someones… the elders will be glad to know the bickering and trouble in this place lies not at their own feet but is the fault of witches living among us” (Ranaldi 26). In this passage, it allows the reader to understand that Ann is confident about her lies and likes to take control of situations she can manipulate because she enjoys watching her victims struggle. In Order to keep that power, she decides to do the worst thing and that is afflicting others of witchcraft, but of course she does not care because it does not affect her, supporting the fact why lying is not justifiable. A similar character to Ann is, Abigail Williams from the Crucible, because she is the leader of all the lies as well. Abigail convinces people to do her dirty work for her, but she only worries about protecting herself, so she does not care if these lies affect any of her so called “friends”. In the following text, Mary Warren, one of Abigail's friends, is struggling to decide whether to disobey Abigail by not following her story or to tell the truth about her evil…

    • 1198 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Pearl By John Steinbeck Character Analysis
    • 659 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Pearl By John Steinbeck Character Analysis

    One day the poor fisherman Kino finds,” the greatest pearl in the world” ( Steinbeck 10 ).…

    • 659 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More

Related Topics