East of Eden

In the novel, East of Eden by John Steinbeck, Catherine Ames is oneof the main characters.   She is introduced to the reader as a monsterand as time goes on, she possesses both monster like and animalqualities.   As Catherine she gets older and wiser, she gets more eviland displays her monster and animal like characteristics.   She knows sheis powerful and indestructible.   She has manipulated and tricked manypeople her life causing them to go to the extreme... death.       Catherine "Cathy" shows her evilness and her monster like behaviorin many scenes throughout the book.   Steinbeck illustrates Cathy asbeing a monster on pages 95 and 96.   "I believe there are monsters bornin the world... It is my belief that Cathy Ames was born with thetendencies, or lack of them, which drove and forced her all of herlife," said Steinbeck.   Cathy used this to her advantage by makingpeople uneasy, but not so uneasy that they would not run away from her. Cathy was born with an innocent look that fooled many; she had goldenblond hair, hazel eyes, a thin and delicate nose, and a small chin tomake her face look heart shaped.   Acoording to the town Cathy lived,Cathy had a scent of sweetness, but that is just what Cathy wanted thetown to see and think when Cathy planned her kill.   On page 114-115,"The fire broke out... the Ames house went up like a rocket... Enoughremained of Mr. and Mrs. Ames to make sure there were two bodies." Cathy had set the house on fire and broke into the safe to steal thefamily's money.   As the investigators scoped the place, they noticedthat the bolts stuck out and there were no keys left in the locks.   Theyknew it was not an accident.   Cathy's body was never found, but the townassumed that she died.   "If it had not been for Cathy's murder, the fireand robbery might have been a coincidence." Steinbeck, again, portraysthe reader that Cathy is a monster on page 242, "When I said Cathy was amonster it seemed to me that it was so."   Steinbeck is reassuring thereader...