Thou Mayest or Thou Shalt: Discerning the Dramatic Role of Timshel in John Steinbeck’s East of Eden

Abstract

The present contribution aims at an interpretation of the Hebrew word timshel in the novel East of Eden (John Steibeck). It will be shown how the English translation of the Hebrew notion of timshel can be either “thou mayest” or “thou shallt”, and that by doing so, respectable latitude is assigned to the modal verbs’ radius of action. Besides underscoring other biblical references and partial intertexts, very present in East of Eden, such as the story of Adam and Eve, the contribution mainly focusses on unveiling the biblical intertextuality of the two story lines, spread over two generation in the novel, with the story of Cain and Abel in the book Genesis. By emphasizing “thou mayest” (Standard American Bible) over “thou shallt “(King James Bible) Steinbeck, through the words of Lee ( a Chinese immigrant), gives mankind the choice and thus elevates him due to his free will to the status of (the) god(s). Whereas to two generations of brothers, whose names symbolically and significantly start with an A (Adam/ Aron) and a C (Charles/ Call), redemption comes from the exertion of free will and from the capacity to forgive. By the same token, due consideration will also be given to the character Cathy Ames whose name also starts with a C. and who like Charles is also marked on the forehead. It will be demonstrated that she is an incarnation of “thou shallt” in the negative way, as she embodies the complete lack of yetzer tov (an innate inclination