Blog 3

One of the themes is "The freedom to choose between good and evil." Do you think this modifies the Cain and Abel story? Why or Why not?

Since the book East of Eden is somewhat a parallel of the Cain and Abel story, I belive the Cain did have a choice not to kill Abel, he was not predestined to do it. For example, Charles could have easily killed Adam that dark night if he wanted to, but he didn't. I believe it was his choice, there was evil inside of him boiling up and raging against every good thing he knew, and he had to wildly contain himself and his actions in order not kill his brother. He could have been predestined to kill his brother, and he could have fought the predestination off with the love he had for his brother buried deep in his heart, that he was only able to express for him after the jealousy of his father was not there.

Another example is Adam's sons Cal and Aron. Cal had the evil inside of him to kill his brother, it was how well he was able to contain that evil that made him not a bad person. Aron was physically stronger than Cal, Cal even said in the book how he wouldn't dare to hit his brother, becuase he was afraid of his strength. Yet Aron was weaker mentally and had less evil inside of him then Cal, so it was easier for Aron to be good. Cal had enough will power to fight the urge to kill his brother, unlike Cain. Cal wanted to desperately be good and to be loved, this is what drove him to not kill his brother out of jealousy. He had a choice to be good or evil and he chose to be good. Charles also chose to be good, after his many times of trying to kill his brother out of rage he realized once Adam was gone how much he loved him. It was easier to love his brother when there was no jealousy involved.

For these reasons I belive Cain did have a choice. To take the wrong path or take the good path, I believe he did have eveil in him, maybe more eveil then good. Yet he didn't have the will power to make the little good inside of his heart to overcome the evil in his soul. Leading to the death if his brother. He had to have some good in his heart in order for the whole world not to be evil today. So why did the evil overcome the good?

Free will v. Chance

In the books East of Eden by John Steinbeck and Snow Falling on Cedars by David Gutterson there are many different examples of free will and chance.

When the war began, Kabuo Miyamoto had no choice but to pack everything in one suitcase and go to war. He was a kind person and didn't like to fight and kill people, but he had no free will duringt hat time period, same as all the other chinese that had no free will in the United States in the early 1900's.

When Carl Heine gave Kabuo's parents part of the land he owned, that was free will. It was his choice to give the much deserved chinese a piece of land, since they have been working his land for many years. Yet, Etta much disapproved this act of kindness, and as soon as she got her chance when Carl Sr. died and the japanese were off to war she sold their land. Yet it was chance, when Kabuo arrived from the war and wanted to buy his own land back he could not have it. And it was chance, when shortly after trying to persuade Carl Heine Jr. and his wife Susan Marie Carl Heine mysteriously died at sea, being found in his fishing net. It was the sheriff's and everyone in the town's free will to immediately accuse Kabuo Miymaoto. Since he was chinese and they did know how to fight in the war, he obviously had wanted the land bed enough to kill Carl Heine, a childhood friend....right? That's what everyone assumed.

Then in East of Eden, it was not Adam's will to go into the army it was his brother's. Yet his dad made him go into the army and did not let his brother, Charles, for unknown reasons. Also it was not Cathy's choice to go to California, she told Adam many times that she didn't want to go, but he never really listened to her. There are so many examples of free will and choice in these two books, it would take forever to name them all. I believe there are so many examples to show you how Americawas different it the old days, to show you that we haven't always had the freedom we have today.

Maegen's 1st Blog!!!!!!!=]

Do you agree with Steinbeck's premise that there "are monsters born in the world"?

I don't agree with Steinbeck that there are monster's born into this world, because I believe everyone has good in them, even if they don't like to show it. He bluntly states that there are physical monsters born into this world, and believes that if there can be physical monster's why can't there be mental ones. I don't agree with his statement about phyically disabled people being monster's. Just because they're aren't the same as everyone else, does that really make them monster's? I don't think so, it's not always a bad thing to be different.

But, on a different point of view there has been a lot of serial killers in the world, I myself don't believe I have ever met one, but who knows. I don't see how anyone could kill multiple people on purpose and still have a soul or conscience. I believe anyone who can physiclaly kill someone else for no reason thats not on drugs or being hypnotized has no heart or love to give, either that or they are insane. Even if they did have a bad childhood, nothing could make a mind so hateful and evil if they had any good in them before that. Like Cathy, from East of Eden, she just hated her parents and saw the bad in everybody for no reason, she had a good home and a good life, but that had no effect on her actions. I do believe that aprents do play a very important part and role in your life, but if you are born evil nothing else will matter, that's just how your mind thinks. Yet, some people are able to overcome the evil, like Cal Trask, and want and try his best to be good. Some people have to try harder than other's to be nice and do the right thing, to some it comes naturally, and to other's it doesn't.

As you may I have noticed, I changed my mind during the writing and thinking. The first paragraph is what I know and live by with my everyday experiences the second is based on what I've heard on the news and read in the papers. Maybe someday I'll come across a soul who doesn't have a conscience, so I can witness what I've said in the second paragraph. I truly do believe that some people are born nicer then others but monster's....who knows?