East of Eden

Chapters 19-22 demonstrate plot developments that foreshadow conflicts later in the novel. Cathy becomes a sex worker again, dangerously close to the Trask ranch. Although she changes her name, Cathy is noticeable because of the prominence of her dark scar. Looking out for the twins’ future, the sheriff decides not to press charges when he finds her. Although this is hardly a fair legal recourse, the sheriff’s decision demonstrates the outlaw quality of the western states in the early 20th century. In the Salinas Valley, honor and reputation count more than justice. Another example of this ethos is evident in Samuel Hamilton’s allowing people to build credit on his work and never pay him, thus leaving him and his family of nine poor his entire life. Even though this isn’t just, Samuel cares more about community and reputation than he does about the fairness of getting paid the money he deserves.

Cathy lives in a time when options for female employment are few. As a teen, she dreamed of becoming a teacher, and now—facing insecurity—she becomes a sex worker (for the second time). Because Cathy is smart, one might wonder why she prefers this life to a loving family. However, Cathy has little faith in love or goodness and is therefore uncomfortable around those who do. The way she touches Faye when she’s passed out suggests that Cathy enjoys emotionless sex and implies that emotionless sex is a part of her monstrous character. It makes her a good sex worker but hardly detracts from her evil persona. In fact, the use of her body parallels the way Cathy thinks about human beings. She uses humans for what she can gain from them, and she’s willing to be used to get what she wants. This emphasizes Cathy’s lack of empathy for human beings, even for herself. It suggests that Cathy is driven only by survival and carnal desires. Although the narrator advocates for individual independence at the beginning of Part 2, Cathy may exemplify the dangers of too much selfish drive. Curiously, although Cathy is an expert manipulator and an ego-driven planner, something about her reliance on a pimp or madame unsettles her. With both Mr. Edwards and Faye, Cathy tests her luck by getting drunk with them and saying out loud to their faces all the horrible things she really thinks about them. Given the beating she received from Mr. Edwards that nearly killed her, one might think that she wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. However, with Faye she inadvertently tests the boundaries of her ability to take advantage of people who fall in love with her. Her being out of control twice in the same situation seems out of character, as if hinting that Cathy is fallible and therefore assailable.

Although Cathy is adamantly out of her children’s lives, she’s not far away geographically. This dramatic irony foreshadows conflict for her sons. Some metaphorical foreshadowing may also be at play, as the narrative has described the Salinas Valley as half dark and half beautiful. Cathy’s curse is still near, hanging in the air. Of course, the biggest conflict this plotline foreshadows is that the boys will eventually learn the truth about their mother. Adam expresses anxiety that the boys might have something of Cathy in them. This raises the question of whether Cathy’s evil is unique or might be passed down genetically. In addition, if the boys learn about her, they may feel confused about their own goodness.

During this time, a woman who found a good husband rarely left that stable life and abandoned her children; women were drivers of the home and the family (like Liza Hamilton). Although Cathy is indisputably bad and has a sociopathic lack of compassion for humankind, she’s even easier to villainize because she’s a woman. Like the biblical Eve, Cathy has her own ideas about what she wants her life to be. Neither Cathy nor Eve fits into their prescribed societal norms and moral codes, making them easy women to hate for not following the rules.

An important moment at the end of Part 2 is the discussion in Chapter 22 about naming the twin boys. Here, Steinbeck raises questions of identity, such as whether names can be powerful enough to damn a person. The issue of arbitrary judgment is central to the novel. Characters practice the idea of free will, but much in their lives is out of their control. One character who voices the importance of word associations is Lee. His analysis of the Cain and Abel story captures the real-world conflict between Adam and his brother, Charles, while also revealing a truth about human nature. Lee argues that the stories that influence civilizations for centuries do so because of their relevance to all humanity, not just the individual (and here, again, the narrative refers to the battle between the individual and the collective). Lee proposes that the Cain and Abel story remains fascinating even to non-Christians because it shows how desperately humans want to be loved and loved well. When the three men finally settle on names for the children, they chose the names almost at random, selecting simple biblical names that don’t convey an ideology or morality. Adam hopes that this might free the twins of society-formed identities in their future.