In East of Eden, John Steinbeck's narrator explores good and evil in three generations of Americans. Each time a character overcomes their extremely pure or horribly corrupt fate, he disproves destiny. Throughout the novel, Steinbeck's use of metaphor, point of view, and allusion brings the reader to a main theme: humans can learn to use the power of free will to avoid their fate and become fulfilled.

The narrator's point of view develops this theme. At first, the narrator describes Cathy from a neutral point of view, before the reader discovers how evil she truly is. He introduces Cathy by apologizing for her nature, "I believe there are monsters born...they are accidents and no one's fault" (Steinbeck 71). He tries to excuse Cathy's choice to live an evil life by claiming it her destiny. He says, "Some balance wheel was misweighed, some gear out of ratio," as if...