East of Eden, Book_Reports, College Term Papers.com


		Data Bases
		• Custom Term Papers • Free Term Papers • Free Research Papers • Free Essays • Free Book Reports • Plagiarism?

		Links
		• Top 100 Term Paper Sites • Top 25 Essay Sites • Top 50 Essay Sites • Search 97,000 Papers @ DirectEssays.com • Search 101,000 Papers @ ExampleEssays.com • Search 90,000 Papers @ MegaEssays.com

		Free Essays
		• Term Paper Sites • Chuck III's Free Essays • Free College Essays • TermPaperSites.com • My Term Papers • Get Free Essays • Essay World • Planet Papers

Search Lots of Essays

Back to Subjects - Book Reports

East of Eden

East of Eden In the novel, East of Eden by John Steinbeck, Catherine Ames is oneof the main characters. She is introduced to the reader as a monsterand as time goes on, she possesses both monster like and animalqualities. As Catherine she gets older and wiser, she gets more eviland displays her monster and animal like characteristics. She knows sheis powerful and indestructible. She has manipulated and tricked manypeople her life causing them to go to the extreme... death. Catherine "Cathy" shows her evilness and her monster like behaviorin many scenes throughout the book. Steinbeck illustrates Cathy asbeing a monster on pages 95 and 96. "I believe there are monsters bornin the world... It is my belief that Cathy Ames was born with thetendencies, or lack of them, which drove and forced her all of herlife," said Steinbeck. Cathy used this to her advantage by makingpeople uneasy, but not so uneasy that they would not run away from her. Cathy was born with an innocent look that fooled many; she had goldenblond hair, hazel eyes, a thin and delicate nose, and a small chin tomake her face look heart shaped. Acoording to the town Cathy lived,Cathy had a scent of sweetness, but that is just what Cathy wanted thetown to see and think when Cathy planned her kill. On page 114-115,"The fire broke out... the Ames house went up like a rocket... Enoughremained of Mr. and Mrs. Ames to make sure there were two bodies." Cathy had set the house on fire and broke into the safe to steal thefamily's money. As the investigators scoped the place, they noticedthat the bolts stuck out and there were no keys left in the locks. Theyknew it was not an accident. Cathy's body was never found, but the townassumed that she died. "If it had not been for Cathy's murder, the fireand robbery might have been a coincidence." Steinbeck, again, portraysthe reader that Cathy is a monster on page 242, "When I said Cathy was amonster it seemed to me that it was so." Steinbeck is reassuring thereader that Cathy is a monster and with the evidence before and afterthis statement. For example, Cathy later changes her name to Kate andruns a whorehouse. While she runs the house, she takes pictures of allthe important male individuals in the town to later send to theirspouses and families. Cathy plans to send the pictures whether theycaused trouble or not. As Cathy's character evolves, Steinbeck changes his descriptionfrom a monster to an animal. "Her head jerked up and her sharp teethfastened on his hand across the back and up into the palm near thelittle finger... her jaw was set and her head twisted and turned,mangling his hand the way a terrier worries a sack." Steinbeck said onpage 253. Cathy's sharp teeth fastened into a man's hand who was onlytrying to help. Cathy's sharp teeth sunk into the man's flesh like adog's canines would have. She tore away at the skin and twisted andturned her head to resemble a dog. "Do you think I want to be human? Look at those pictures! I'd rather be an animal than a human," saidCathy. Cathy admits she would rather be an animal than a human. Thephysical features of Cathy are that of a human but the mental state ofher resembles an animal. Although, Cathy seems to down grade and beparadoxical about herself because humans are much smarter than dogs, butshe says she is smarter than any normal human. She knows how tomanipulate any individual without trying. On page 427, "Uncontrolledhatred shone in Kate's eyes. She screamed, a long and shrill animalscreech." Cathy, for unknown reasons has animal characteristics. Thisone just happens to be the screech of an animal. Steinbeck uses Cathy for suspense in his novel. You never knowwhat she is going to do next or what she is thinking. She has morecharacteristics of a monster and an animal than a human. Cathy'scharacter has no talk about being normal except for her looks. I thinkthe only sensible thing she did in her life time was not killing Adam,her loving spouse, and committing suicide. She has not a care in theworld and her only love is hatred. Bibliography:

Word Count: 696