Cathy Ames
The Female Antagonist
T
By Holly Lovett
he narrative of John Steinbeck’s East of Eden concerns the lives of two families in the farmland of Salinas Valley, California. The generations seem to transition seamlessly into an altered re-enactment of the fall of Adam and Eve and the lethal rivalry of Cain and Able. Cathy Ames is the core female antagonist within East of Eden. She is initially characterised through Steinbeck’s inclusion of her cruel childhood feats and the manipulative steps she takes in her journey into adulthood. When we are introduced to Cathy, the narrator claims that she was born with a lack of goodness in her, and was a natural “monster”. Surrounding her character there is an unwavering tone of wickedness and as a result of her villainous actions, suffering continues to be injected in the forefront of the narrative, even when she is not present. She has a direct influence on the character arcs of many for the protagonists and damages many lives. Cathy is set apart as being atypical from other female characters and this is done through her vicious actions and destructive ambition. Even the narrator comments on her with a tone full of distain. Unlike the determination present in other characters (such as Will Hamilton), Cathy’s ambitions
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