Florence Pugh can do no wrong… right? Perhaps not, but the character of Cathy Ames in East of Eden certainly can. Since watching the show, I’ve been locked in an internal battle, debating with myself whether the show’s portrayal of Cathy undermines the original text’s themes or adds to them.
In John Steinbeck’s East of Eden, Cathy is portrayed as manipulative and a downright “monster,” and is given virtually no redeeming qualities. Her character is, in a way, a representation of pure evil.
Netflix’s recent adaptation of the novel, written and created by Zoe Kazan, tells a different story. While Cathy still commits heinous acts, Kazan attempts to give the character more depth with a tragic backstory, making her a victim of abuse.
This change, however, undermines the inherent maliciousness that lies in Cathy – while, in the original text, her actions are a representation of her cruelty, they are now framed as a reaction to her traumatic experiences.
I’ve seen several videos online of viewers expressing sympathy for Cathy and feeling proud of her accomplishments by the end of the show — particularly when she gains control of her brothel by rather villainous means. While her backstory in the show is certainly traumatic and deserving of sympathy, viewers seem to disregard everything Cathy does afterwards, including several murders. Reducing this complex character to a ‘Girl Boss’ because she ends up in charge of her own business seems like a step in the wrong direction.
The more I think about this, however, the more I’m inclined to believe the root of this mischaracterisation does not lie with Kazan’s writing or direction, but with viewers. Kazan gives us the entire story, tragic past and all. Though adding more traumatic events certainly makes the character easier to pity, there’s no denying Cathy exhibits cruelty throughout the show. If viewers choose to ignore this, they ignore a key part of her characterisation — the fact that Cathy chose to react to kindness with manipulation, and, when free from her abusers, still acted maliciously.
There’s no denying Pugh gives a brilliant performance and grants Cathy a lot of depth in the Netflix adaptation, but I can’t help but wonder, why can’t we have characters that are truly evil anymore? Must everyone be given an ‘excuse’ for the way they act?
“east of eden / the wayward bus” by cdrummbks is licensed under CC BY 2.0.
