Women In East Of Eden By John Steinbeck

Feminist or Misogynistic? John Steinbeck’s Portrayal of a 20th Century Woman

In the early 1900s, women were commonly confined to domesticity, marriage, and motherhood. In the novel East of Eden written by John Steinbeck, he often struggles with portraying femininity in this time period through his various female characters. It is difficult to pinpoint whether this text is exactly feminist or misogynistic, as his characters can be interpreted in different ways. Steinbeck simultaneously restricts his female characters, like Alice Trask, to marriage and motherhood, while he defies female norms with the feminist and defiant actions of both Cathy Ames and Abra Bacon.

Steinbeck often confines his female characters to domesticity and motherhood,

It is difficult to interpret Steinbeck’s true motive with the creation of Cathy Ames, but it is clear that Cathy’s actions make her different from most other women in this time period. She often uses her boldness and self-assurance to manipulate mens’ desires for her own gain; even at a young age she knew that sexuality “… is the most disturbing impulse humans have” (75). While her intentions are evil, her assertiveness is almost refreshing in contrast to most of the other reserved female characters in East of Eden. However, Cathy’s rejection of motherhood and her dominance over men is often portrayed as dishonorable, and Cathy is villainized without “the potential of a conscience” (72). Although Cathy is inherently evil, Steinbeck gives her no room to grow, and she is portrayed as a woman without any guilt or remorse. This gives the audience a one-sided perspective on Cathy, as she is portrayed to lack both empathy and morals. Additionally, Steinbeck’s lack of reason behind the creation of Cathy adds to her one-sided characterization. Throughout her life of manipulation and lies, it is never revealed what her true motive is. Without the reasoning behind her decisions, it is easy for the audience to villainize Cathy. Steinbeck’s depiction of Cathy as a monster who lacks the ability to make good decisions is ultimately harmful for the female image, as she is portrayed as a woman who

For one, I believe that Alice’s purpose is to show how women can be controlled and are meant to serve in the home. On the other hand, Cathy and Abra serve as examples of female dominance and confidence. While Abra shows the compassionate and loving nature of women, Cathy shows how women can be just as cruel as men. However, throughout the novel, Steinbeck constricts Cathy in this state of perpetual evil, and there is never any character development. Actually, most of the other notable female roles have little character development, and outside of Abra do not have a positive influence on other characters. Additionally, Steinbeck continuously objectifies women, especially with his use of prostitution, which is common in the novel to suggest that women are sexual objects. At one point, it is even said that Cathy “...wasn’t no good as a wife but she’s sure as hell a good whore” (446). Steinbeck either confines women to marriage and motherhood, or to prostitution and a timely death. He continuously touches on gender roles and the effect gender has on the limitations of his female characters. While East of Eden can be interpreted as either feminist or misogynistic, I ultimately believe that the portrayal of its female characters is negative towards femininity. There is no leading female character that positively impacts this story, and all the female minor characters fall behind the