East of Eden
In the novel East of Eden by John Steinbeck, one of the main characters, Caleb Trask, continuously struggles with the evil within him. At one point in his life, Caleb is certain that the struggle is a lost cause. This realization was brought about when he found out that his mother was a whore and generally an evil person. Caleb feels that his struggle with evil will be inevitably lost because it has been passed down to him through heredity. Lee, Caleb's servant and friend, tries to help him realize the struggle of Nature versus Nurture. The genes passed down from parents do not necessarily set an individual's temperament and personality as the person has his own morality, free choice and conscience which he acquires and can practice throughout his life.Morality is the set of rules that one sets for himself, dealing with what is good and what is bad. This set of rules can vary from individual to individual and is not passed down through genes. A child has to be taught what is morally right and what is wrong and this learning process continues throughout life as the individual begins to contemplate more difficult situations. Parents are often a significant contributing factor in their child's morality as they are the ones who
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Some common words found in the essay are:
Abra Hamilton, Lee Caleb's, Caleb Trask, free choice, Heredity Caleb's, John Steinbeck, throughout life, evil person, set rules, , parents significant, morally wrong, evil lee, allows person, individual set, determining factor,
Approximate Word count = 1108
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)
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