Free Will In John Steinbeck's East Of Eden

East of Eden, written by John Steinbeck, is a profound, complicated retelling of the biblical story of Cain and Abel, focused around the overall struggle between good and evil . John Steinbeck wrote this for his own sons, John and Tom, to show them not only the history of their family in the Hamiltons, but also the concept of sibling rivalry emerging from the competition over paternal love and acceptance (Shillinglaw). This was first evident in Adam and Charles Trask, and then in Adam’s sons, Aron and Cal Trask. The absence of a true mother figure in these two instances of brotherly contention enhances the need for acknowledgment and love from their parental figures. And yet, both mother figures in East of Eden choose to abandon their

Choice can be defined as the act of selecting or making a decision when faced with multiple possibilities. In John Steinbeck’s East of Eden, the motifs of houses, hands, and money reflect how the pattern of good and evil repeat due to the reoccurring theme that one has the right to choose.

As a father, Adam fails to notice the agony and desolation which he has place over Cal, triggering the rage and curiosity in him and discovers the truth about his mother, who is now a madam of a brothel. Though the truth devastates Cal, he made a promise to his father of not revealing the family secret to Aron. All seems to go well for both Cal and Aron until Cal attempts to surprise Adam with a gift, which he earned from selling beans. Unfortunately, Adam rejects the gift and provokes Cal who is determined to get revenge by revealing Cathy’s truth to Aron. Once Cal spilled the beans, Aron refuses to believe that he is the product of Cathy Ames and runs off to join the army.

Recognition of a failure to follow God’s commands brings about new capabilities. In violating God’s commandments, Adam and Eve come to learn that they can choose to live

In Brave New World Aldous Huxley, creates a dystopian society which is scientifically advance in order to make life orderly, easy, and free of trouble. This society is controlled by a World State who is not question. In this world life is manufactured and everyone is created with a purpose, never having the choice of free will. Huxley use of irony and tone bewilders readers by creating a world with puritanical social norms, which lacks love, privacy and were a false sense of happiness is instituted, making life meaningless and controlled.

In the novel, East of Eden by John Steinbeck theorizes that all individuals have the freedom to make choices in order to triumph over evil. Steinbeck demonstrates this by his use of the word timshel, the word, which translates to “thou mayest,” is

A central question raised by John Steinbeck’s East of Eden is whether it is possible to triumph over evil, answered by the discussion of free will and inherited sin. The idea of “timshel” is canvassed through the struggles of Caleb “Cal” Trask. The concept of inherited sin is illustrated through the actions of Cyrus Trask, Charles Trask, and Cathy/Kate Trask.

Oedipus the King by Sophocles is the story of a man who was destined to kill his father and marry his mother. The story continues in the tradition of classic Greek plays, which were based upon the Greeks’ beliefs at the time. The ancient Greeks believed that their gods decided what would ultimately happen to each and every person. Since those gods destined Oedipus to kill his father and marry his mother, Oedipus’ life was definitely fated. However, the gods only decided where Oedipus’ life would eventually lead; they never planned the route he would take to get there. All the decisions that Oedipus made in order to fulfill his destiny, and the decisions he made after the fact, were of his own free will,

People make choices on a daily basis on different things. Whether these choices are on a larger or smaller scale is completely up to that said individual. Two authors being examined today made choices that profess upon their beliefs and that reflected their moral code. These two authors in question are Henry David Thoreau and Thomas Paine. Paine professed his belief of self-reliance and being in tuned with nature itself by living on his own for an extended amount of time in a cabin on the edge of town. Meanwhile Thoreau professes his belief of being spiritually open minded and anti-Christian belief. Both follow these professions with well suited arguments that seem more alike than it seems. Both authors connect the theme of closely examining choice and being diligent with said choices.

The novel East of Eden by John Steinbeck is an allegory to the biblical story of Cain and Abel, and many of its characters become embodiments of both good and evil. As they struggle to overcome what has been decided for them they are taught they hold the power to overcome and rise above their destiny’s. When the Hebrew idea of “timshel” is introduced to the allegory of Cain and Abel, it become apparent that whether life is predestined or not; mankind holds the ultimate ability of deciding what will become of himself. Adam’s choice to move on from Cathy, Cal’s decision to

In East Of Eden, a main theme that is displayed is the freedom to overcome evil in the world. The hebrew word that Lee uses to convince Cal to overcome sin is timshel, which is the freedom of choice. The word timshel translates to “thou mayest” and is used by God in the Cain and Abel story telling Cain that he has the opportunity to overcome sin. Free will does not just come easily, but it will come if you have the will to fight for it.

History, is the story among which all literary works are linked to, and this statement is true more than any other in John Steinbeck’s East of Eden. Whether one believes that all stories in the Bible have actually happened or not, at least some concepts of them did. How would a writer arrive at the ideas of two brothers and jealousy of love, without having seen it or felt it before? Yet again, how would these ideas survive for so long, unless many people felt them as well and connected to them. The story of Cain and Abel has been around a long time, but the feelings of jealousy between siblings longer still. What stories offer, are not only a feeling of understanding to a child, but a lesson to be learned as well. It is a common cliche, that without knowledge of it history is destined to repeat itself, but if stories are born from past experiences and these too are contained in the archives of history than is it possible to say the same for those as well? What John Steinbeck does in his book is show that without the understanding of the possibility in choices, some of history 's greatest and oldest stories are able to continue to new generations to haunt their lives. In the use of metaphors, analogies, and symbolism, John Steinbeck displays the Cain and Abel story in two generations, and the horrors along with the beauties that the possibility of choice creates.

In his novella, Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck uses foreshadowing to show how unrealistic the dream of Lennie and George is and to further illustrate the inevitability of fate.

Is it better to be a man choosing wrong than a man who is forced to choose right?

“World War I saw precedented levels of carnage and destruction”. Between civilians and soldiers there were 16 million fatalities. That is three times the population of Wisconsin. World War I began in 1914 after Archduke Franz Ferdinand was assassinated. Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, and the Ottoman Empire were fighting against Great Britain, France, Russia, Italy, Romania, Japan, and the United States. These alliance were called central power and allied power. The archduke and his wife were assassinated by Serbian Nationalist Giauvial Princip. Austria-Hungary gave Serbia the option to admit their wrongs or go to war. Austria-Hungary began searching for allies before declaring war. Serbia thought they were plotting so they declared war first. In East of Eden written by John Steinbeck wars are a key part to the story. The main war is World War I. World War I had a negative affect on the East of Eden characters. The things that happen to the characters during World War I prove that there was a negative affect. Aron joins the army, Cal gains money, and Adam gets a new job.