Cathy Ames In John Steinbeck's East Of Eden

Throughout the novel East of Eden, John Steinbeck explores the roots of evil through a character named Cathy Ames. Being a very ruthless and intelligent woman, Cathy used other people to serve her own needs. When reflecting upon East of Eden, an argument frequently surfaces whether Cathy was born evil or that her personality evolved over time. At some points throughout the book, Cathy demonstrates actions that prove that she was indeed born evil. Cathy was not an ordinary child. She was quite different than other children her age. This became very obvious to Cathy’s parents and the people around town. Cathy learned very quickly to use certain facts and pieces of information to her advantage against people. Her vast cleverness set her apart

Unfeeling, uncaring, and brings pain to everyone. As a prostitute, Cathy practices very odd things by using knives and whips to degrade the human body. From birth she was described as a monster. Although, she has blonde hair and possesses a face like an angel, Cathy has physical characteristic in line with the biblical Satan. "Her feet were fat and round and stubby with fat insteps almost like little hoofs (East of Eden 73). The Devil is pictured to have these same characteristics. Also, a trait the Devil and Cathy have in common is tempter, Satan works in conjunction with the world and the sinful nature of man to constantly bring temptation into people’s lives. Cathy does the same to everyone that she comes in contact with. Also, another characteristic that corresponds between the Devil and Cathy is being a Murderer. Jesus refers to the devil as a murderer, by saying “He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him” (John 8:33). Just like how the Devil is described, Cathy is a murderer by killing her parents in a house fire. Throughout this entire book, Cathy resembles Satan so greatly that it supports the claim that she was in fact born

Like Eve, Cathy is associated with sin, but whereas Eve is tricked into committing sin, Cathy embraces it wholeheartedly and commits evil simply for her own benefits. Cathy has a vast pessimistic view of humankind: she believes that there is only evil in the world and therefore surrenders herself to it fully. It seems as if, evil is not completely instinctive to Cathy because they’re times she relapses into a more human person of thought. She seems to interchange between a human and evil mode. However, it is very difficult to entirely believe that Cathy choose to take evil to that extreme. Another way of her madness was achieved through devious operations that trapped many men in compromising positions, and by clever scheming that allowed her to take over one of the most successful brothels in Salinas. Cathy was a very sneaky and secretive person who went to great lengths to cover her feelings; this prevents a clear identification of the source of her evil when it comes out in certain situations. In later scenes, the book appears to have Cathy in a completely different light. In the scene where she is approached by Adam, who merely wants to tell her that his brother accumulated a hefty sum of money for her, she reacts very strangely, showing fear and trepidation. She’s trying to wrap her head