How Does Steinbeck Present Good And Evil In East Of Eden

East of Eden is considered by its author, John Steinbeck, as his masterpiece, a culmination of all his previous writings. The novel details the lives and interactions of the members of two families: the Trasks and the Hamiltons. Throughout the novel, Steinbeck uses characters and setting to convey the theme of good versus evil. In John Steinbeck: An Introduction and Interpretation, Fontenrose argues that the reader of East of Eden is “never clear about the relation of good to evil in this novel” (Fontenrose) because the theme of good and evil is presented inconsistently. Fontenrose is correct in his assertion that good and evil are not portrayed consistently in East of Eden, but Steinbeck’s purpose for this inconsistent presentation is to

This is part of the larger timshel (free will) theme of the story. In the end, the individual has free will to decide what is good and what is evil. Steinbeck demonstrates this by illustrating Cathy’s reaction when Adam presents her with money from Charles’s will: “Kate pushed the eyeshade back on her head. ‘You want me to think you’re just dropping this money on my lap. Well, I'll find out what you’re up to. Don’t think I won't take care of myself. Did you think I’d take such a stupid bait?’” (Steinbeck 384). It is ironic that Cathy would react with hostility towards Adam’s offer of $50,000. Since Cathy cannot sense the good in others, she believes Adam has an ulterior motive, even though Adam is actually trying to do the right thing by giving Cathy her share of the money. In Cathy’s mind, Adam’s actions are evil, despite his good intentions. Cathy’s view of good and evil is different from that of other people, such as Aron. In East of Eden, Cathy’s foil is her son Aron. Similar to how Cathy cannot sense good, Aron cannot see the evil in others. In Aron’s eyes, evil does not exist; there is only good. Another passage that illustrates the subjective nature of good and evil can be found in the final quarter of the story. Steinbeck describes the life and death of a wealthy man who “clawed his way to wealth through the souls and bodies of men,” (Steinbeck 414) but tried to redeem himself by “performing great service to the world,” (Steinbeck 414) which “much more than balanced the evils of his rise” (Steinbeck 414). Ironically, however, his death was received with pleasure, despite his attempt at redemption. People did not care about the wealthy man’s good deeds and continued to view the man as evil. This passage illustrates that humans do not measure good and evil