...determinism and good versus evil. East of Eden concludes with possibly the most important word in the entire book: timshel. Despite the copious amount of pages that were devoted to debate of the true meaning of timshel, the word still possesses a rather ambiguous definition as it can be translated as thou shalt, thou must, or thou mayest. While, at first glance, these definitions seem similar enough to be used interchangeably, the definition the reader chooses to accept will greatly influence their interpretation...
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...“But the Hebrew word timshel—'Thou mayest'—that gives a choice. For if 'Thou mayest'—it is also true that 'Thou mayest not.' That makes a man great and that gives him stature with the gods, for in his weakness and his filth and his murder of his brother he has still the great choice. He can choose his course and fight it through and win.” -Lee (chapter 24) Lee has a huge role in the novel East of Eden, as he plays the maternal role for the boys, the loyal philosophic friend for Adam, and a major character for the novel. In the Trask house Lee is portrayed as nothing more than a low class servant, but as we look further into the novel we see the impact Lee had on everyone. For example, he was responsible for keeping the Trask family together. His interpretation of timshel, thou mayest, is an evident theme throughout the novel. He believes that one has the right of choosing between the two paths of right and wrong. Throughout, we watch as some characters fall into the path of evil while others take the other route of good. The Trasks grow closer to Lee and it becomes without him the family would crumble apart as he took over the role of father figure. Lee is the most important character of the novel because he serves to embody and epitomize the concept of timshel, bringing it out from each of the other characters. Lee was portrayed as stereotypical Chinese servant, he wore a que, traditional clothing, and spoke with a heavy Chinese accent. He lived in Salinas in about the...
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...thinks that Cal got it in a dishonorable way and tells him to give it back to the people he stole it from. Cal ends up burning the money. With the rejection he felt from his father and the jealousy he feels towards his brother, he goes into a rage and tells Aron the truth about their mother. Cal takes Aron to the brothel to prove it, but the site of his mother like that is too much for Aron to handle and he runs away screaming. The next day a distraught Aron joins the military and goes off to fight in World War 1. Cathy didn’t take the reuniting with her sons very well either. She was shocked at her son’s reaction and kills herself leaving all of her money for Aron. Cal feels guilty about what he has done, and talks to Lee who reminds him of timshel. The conversation with Lee and his new relationship with Abra, who is no longer in love with Aron, make him feel...
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...Daniel Barton October 27, 2014 Religious Literature Transient and Permanent Qualities in East of Eden: The Relationship Between Good and Evil Torben Grodal talked of art film as possessing two basic elements, transient and permanent, but they are also seen in the novel East of Eden. Steinbeck creates scenes that at first have a transient quality, and then purposefully connects to a permanent nature. These permanent qualities, grappled with by the Trask’s and Lee, examine the never ending battle between good and evil. In the novel East of Eden, John Steinbeck constructs scenes that have an initial transient quality, but then persistently associates these with a permanent nature that examines the conflict between good and evil. Steinbeck portrays Cathy as a very evil character, someone who is just inexplicably evil and makes several allusions to her being a monster and devil. When first introducing the reader to Cathy, Steinbeck writes about the creation of monsters, an obvious parallel. He goes on to say that, “monsters are variations from the accepted normal to a greater or a less degree. As a child may be born without an arm, so one may be born without kindness or the potential of conscience” (72). He wastes no time in comparing a monster to Cathy. He believes that Cathy is not an ordinary evil either, but that she is a very abstract form of evil, the exact idea of evil and that she has no good in her body. Steinbeck does not only believe that Cathy is a monster, but...
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...Shaun C. O’Malley Sociology 310 M&F Novel Analysis East of Eden I must admit that I was not happy when I saw that I had to do a book report. When given the list of books to read, I thought to myself just clothes your eyes, point, and which ever one your finger is on you will read. that finger of mine landed on East of Eden, and wow did I luck out! This saga of two families the Trask family in Connecticut and the Hamilton family in California. This saga of two brothers, Charles and Adam Trask, then Cal and Aron Trask in the next generation. This saga of families and friends, Samuel Hamilton, his wife, his children Will, Olive, Tom and Dessie Hamilton, as well as Lee the Chinese American friend and caretaker of Adam Trask and his sons, did not disappoint. The oldest stories are retold in East of Eden, good versus evil and brother versus brother. There is racism, violence, blindness, betrayal, and deceit. There is love, father to son, brother to brother, man and woman, and friend to friend. The characters are complex no one is totally good or absolutely evil, even Cathy has a human layer. East of Eden is the biblical Cain and Abel story replayed. The conflict of brothers is powerful in both generations. The book begins by describing Samuel and his family living in Salinas Valley. After describing Samuel and his family, we are introduced to the Trask family namely the father of the family Cyrus Trask, who was an army veteran. His wife died after his first child named...
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...remain good, like Samuel Hamilton. Caleb is not like these characters whatsoever. Using Caleb’s ambiguous personality, Steinbeck employs the device of contrast to emphasize the specific trait that Caleb possesses that the others do not: the ability to choose between good and evil. This serves to provide evidence to support the main theme of the work: the application of choice. Choice is what gives Steinbeck’s novel its flavor and impressiveness. Without the character of Caleb Trask, and the details of Caleb’s moral struggles and frequent decisions, the concept of choice would be much less emphasized throughout the novel. Therefore, Caleb’s moral ambiguity is extremely significant to the work as a whole, because it supports the novel’s theme: timshel, or the ability of all people to choose their life’s...
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...struggle with and have to come to a conclusion about. All people will be faced with the final questions; was their life good or bad? Will people remember them as a good person or a bad person? Will their legacy live on or die with them? This struggle is fought by every generation who has to face the same ancient questions time and time again. Steinbeck believes that humans never have and never will learn from the past and overcome this but will continue to fight this battle for all eternity. The theme of good v evil is not of them as polar opposites but as the struggle between them. Every character in this novel struggles with this but some of them give up and decide to go completely one way or another. “But the Hebrew word, the word timshel— ‘Thou mayest’— that gives a choice. It might be the most important word in the world. That says the way is open. That throws it right back on man. For if ‘Thou mayest’— it is also true that ‘Thou mayest not’” (Steinbeck 303). All the characters in this novel that believe in thou mayest struggle the most with good and evil because they know there is a choice and they can choose to go one way or the other. They do not just have to go one way because they think it is in their genes or because they are being pushed in that direction. Steinbeck’s tone is very optimistic because he believes that there is a choice and the bad can choose to be good even if they are meant to be bad. Cornell West says that we are who we are because of our families...
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...Power is strived from many, but not many know how to obtain it. In the novel East of Eden, John Steinbeck wants to propose that self awareness affects the amount of power one exhibits. Steinbeck displays this by describing the relationship between brothers and the perspective of Cathy. He uses allusion,analogy, and diction to present the idea that power is in a one’s own self control which can lead to either good or bad power. In the book the female character Cathy is aware of her own evil strength. She uses her own body to manipulate many men and gain power over them. However, Cathy is a "symbol of the human evil that will always be present in the world," and her loss of power over Adam and Cal strengthens East of Eden's message that individuals...
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...The second half of the East of Eden is focused on the choice between a life of wickedness and righteousness. All people have the ability to choose between good and evil and this is John Steinbeck’s principle thematic point. This never ending battle is personified by Caleb Trask “who inherits both good and evil and in whom a genuine moral struggle takes place.” (Lisca). The choice between good and evil originated with the word Timshel, which means “thou mayest.” The Trask’s servant, Lee, talks of the importance of Timshel after the naming of the boys. “‘But thou mayest! Why that is what makes a man great, that gives him stature with the gods, for in his weakness and his filth and his murder of his brother he has still the great choice.’” (303). It is ultimately Caleb Trask who must choose between good and evil after his actions cause the death of his brother. Indeed, Caleb Trask represents the struggle all human beings face in their lives. Each person will face a time in their lives where they must choose for themselves which path they must take....
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...Winter winds mumford this song is played on a mandolin but still sounds nice on guitar, i also like to play it cappo 7th so you play C instead of G, G-D, Em-Am, C-F i hope you enjoy playing it and and im open to corrections. chords used G D Em C 3 2 0 0 3 3 0 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 2 2 2 x 2 3 3 x 0 x G D Em C As the winter winds litter London with lonely hearts G D Em C Oh the warmth in your eyes swept me into your arms G D Em C Was it love or fear of the cold that led us through the night? G D Em C For every kiss your beauty trumped my doubt C G And my head told my heart C G D "Let love grow" C G ...
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