Why Does Cal Hope To Overcome His Sins

Earlier in the novel, Cal proves he is seeking redemption as an escape from his torment as he prays for the Lord’s help: "… let me be like Aron. Don't make me mean. I don't want to be. If you will let everybody like me, why, I'll give you anything in the world, and if I haven't got it, why, I'll go for to get it. I don't want to be mean. I don't want to be lonely," (377). Cal’s prayer pleading for forgiveness reveals his use of free will to overcome his sins which is another departure from the traditional Cain and Abel story. Cal prays because he feels tormented by his negative feelings toward his seemingly perfect brother and shame from his father. His father’s constant reminders of his failings as a human do not help him find a different

Her evil seems to be inherent and all-consuming, as she displays murderous and sexually perverse tendencies from an early age. A masculine figure of demonic destruction, Cathy embraces evil wholeheartedly and sins freely. “Cathy frames two boys for rape, manipulates an admirer into committing suicide, incinerates her parents, beds down with her brother-in-law, shoots her husband, and abandons her children,” (Mcleod). Cathy’s life bears a resemblance to Satan in that she makes a conscious decision to continue her evil ways. She is a symbol of the Devil that will always be present in the world, and her loss of power over Adam and Cal strengthens the novel’s message that individuals have the choice to reject evil in favor of good, or in Cathy’s case reject good in favor of sin and crime. The power to choose right from wrong also includes the power to choose evil. Some people “… have such a power, since they … choose what they know to be evil without being in any way weak-willed,” (Morriston, p. 444). In the end, Cathy decides to hold to her evil behaviors, which include the choice to not be redeemed, when she commits suicide by taking a lethal injection of heroin without first seeking

The steps to redemption include realizing the sin and forsaking it; this is where Cal and Cathy differ. Both Cal and Cathy exercise their free will, however they do so with opposite intentions. Cal realizes he is sinning and is willing to forsake his sins to obtain Adam’s forgiveness. On the other hand, Cathy knows she is sinning and is not willing to abandon her sins. She makes a clear choice to remain a sinner. Cal desires redemption and gathers the courage required to change his path. Redemption “… therefore consists of regaining the right vision, correctly identifying goals, and developing the virtue of courage that allows one to remain steadfast in pursuit of God-given goals,” (García, p. 188). Redemption is conditional; there is work to do before a soul is redeemed and work to do after, as well. Free will opens the door for