Steinbeck+on+Nature+vs+Nurture

(Note, title should read "An Example of Steinbeck on Nature vs Nurture")

“//Are people born wicked? Or do they have wickedness thrust upon them?//"(Mcguire 27) This has been the topic of debate for over 3000 years. Plato and Aristotle struggled to comprehend human behavior. “P lato theorized that all knowledge is present at birth … He believed the environment did not teach people anything new, but its purpose was to remind people of information they already knew” (Cowie 6). This belief is called “Socratic Recollection”, that it was human //nature// that caused us to do what we do. However, Aristotle believed that every person when born is born with a “Tabula Rasa” or “Blank Slate”. This belief is that we do what we do, because that is how our surroundings //nurtured// us. These conflicting beliefs both tried to prove why Humans acted the way they did. On the Human Nature side, it was stated that Man does bad things because it is natural (Csongradi 1). It’s just the way they were made, genetic or not (Enderson 1). And on the Nurturing Surroundings side, it was believed that the reason //some// do bad things is because of the situation they were brought up in. Arguments started, and thus the debate of Nature vs. Nurture had begun

Bringing us back to more modern times (the 1950’s), John Steinbeck’s book //East of Eden//, is a classic example of how the Nature vs. Nurture debate comes up in common classic literature, as well as how it can influence the clichéd Good vs. Evil debate as well. Taking place in the Salinas Valley, the story quickly heats up when the book introduces Cathy Ames (later Cathy Trask) who can be called the embodiment of evil. When introducing her in chapter 8, the Narrator states “ I believe there are monsters born in the world to human parents. Some you can see, misshapen and horrible, with huge heads or tiny bodies. . . . And just as there are physical monsters, can there not be mental or psychic monsters born? The face and body may be perfect, but if a twisted gene or a malformed egg can produce physical monsters, may not the same process produce a malformed soul?”

Even at a young age, Cathy was manipulating, and conniving, influencing everyone in her life. She stole her father’s money and then killed her family, she got her Latin teacher to commit suicide, and she manipulated the leader of a prostitute ring, all to get what she wanted. She believes that “there is only evil in the world” (Steinbeck 80) and so she surrenders to it, doing anything she can just to meet her own ends. Cathy is a classic example of how evil is human nature.

However, the protagonist of the story, Cal Trask (Cathy’s Son) is shown to not have inherited his mother’s “evil gene”. Although, he, as well as the rest of the characters, still have to deal with evil, Cal is the little tiny prick of light at the end of the hall. On page 143, the narrator says, “And this I believe: that the free, exploring mind of the individual human is the most valuable thing in the world. And this I would fight for: the freedom of the mind to take any direction it wishes, undirected.” This is more of a push for //Tabula Rasa//. "Free will. The freedom to choose between good and evil."(Locke 2) Cal represents the good in people. While is mother was evil, Cal proved that he had the power to “break away” from evil and help for good.

Cal and His mother represent both opposites of the Good and Evil debate, as well as the Nature vs. Nurture debate. Coincidentally they are polar opposites. Cal represents the “Good Nurture” part of humans, while Cathy represents the “Evil Nature” in humans. Now while the debate on which is correct may go on forever, these two characters have helped to change how we view ourselves, each other, and life itself. They have left a lasting impression on us all.

Works Cited Cowie, Fiona. //What's Within?: Nativism Reconsidered//. New York: Oxford UP, 1999. Print.

Csongradi, Carolyn. "Nature versus Nurture." //Access Excellence @ the National Health Museum//. Web. 25 May 2010. .

Enderson, Margaret. "The Dependent Gene: The Fallacy of Nature vs. Nurture. (Sciences)." //Library Journal.// 126. 19 (Nov 15, 2001): 95(1). //Student Resource Center - Junior//. Gale. Boyertown Sr. High School. 26 May 2010 .

Locke, John. //An Essay Concerning Human Understanding//. Ed. Roger Woolhouse. [|New York] : [|Penguin Books] ( [|1997] ),

Maguire, Gregory. //Wicked the Life and times of the Wicked Witch of the West//. New York: Regan, 1995. Print.

Powell, Kimberly. "Nature vs Nurture - How Heredity and Environment Shape Who We Are." //About Genealogy - Learn How to Research Your Family Tree//. 17 Sept. 2009. Web. 03 June 2010. .

Steinbeck, John. //East of Eden.// New York: Viking, 1952. Print.