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In the bible there are many pages depicting good and evil, right and wrong. East of Eden is a novel that explores the root of said evil in its most primal form, people. I think the book questions one of the biggest mysteries out there, are people born or made? Do people come into this world pre-packaged and destined to be good or evil? Or do the events and people they come into contact with mold a person into becoming good or evil? Nature or Nurture? The character Cathy is a great example of this unanswered question, was she born evil? Or made evil? This book also has many similarities to the bible, religion seems a big part of Steinbeck’s novel, heightening the sense of good versus evil throughout the book. Cathy was an only child all her life and at first she seemed normal enough, though she had strict religious parents who tired to make sure that she was always behaving like a good child of God. Cathy played into it, playing with the other kids, loving and respecting her parents, going to school everyday, and she seemed completely harmless to those around her. Then she got a bit older and started acting “strange”. Doing things that normal children wouldn’t do, such as