By Frank Nolan, Staff Writer, Emerson College
A chicken is being frantically chased by a group of young men with guns. They run through the streets, shouting, waving, and shooting. The chicken lands in the middle of the street, and is nearly run over by a car. Two young boys walk by and end up standing right next to the chicken. The gang yells at one of the kids to give them the chicken. Suddenly, the police arrive and the kid finds himself caught between them and the gang of armed criminals, both of
which are pointing their loaded guns at each other. The kid hesitates, examining his surroundings. The narrator says “In the City of God, if you run away, they get you. And if you stay, they get you too.”
The choice between good and bad is the story of humanity. And all the problems of the world—all the corruption, slaughter, and theft—are born out of that choice. John Steinbeck said, in East of Eden, “We have only one story. All novels, all poetry, are built on the never ending contest in ourselves of good and evil.” Two great examples of the human decision between right and wrong are Steinbeck’s classic 1952 novel East of Eden and Fernando Meirelles’ painfully pragmatic 2002 crime film City of God. Both stories involve young people coming of age and struggling with the choices that their environments give them. Some resort to crime, manipulation, and murder, while others try harder to keep their moral compass. But all the people in these epic tales struggle with human decency.
A chicken is being frantically chased by a group of young men with guns. They run through the streets, shouting, waving, and shooting. The chicken lands in the middle of the street, and is nearly run over by a car. Two young boys walk by and end up standing right next to the chicken. The gang yells at one of the kids to give them the chicken. Suddenly, the police arrive and the kid finds himself caught between them and the gang of armed criminals, both of
which are pointing their loaded guns at each other. The kid hesitates, examining his surroundings. The narrator says “In the City of God, if you run away, they get you. And if you stay, they get you too.”
The choice between good and bad is the story of humanity. And all the problems of the world—all the corruption, slaughter, and theft—are born out of that choice. John Steinbeck said, in East of Eden, “We have only one story. All novels, all poetry, are built on the never ending contest in ourselves of good and evil.” Two great examples of the human decision between right and wrong are Steinbeck’s classic 1952 novel East of Eden and Fernando Meirelles’ painfully pragmatic 2002 crime film City of God. Both stories involve young people coming of age and struggling with the choices that their environments give them. Some resort to crime, manipulation, and murder, while others try harder to keep their moral compass. But all the people in these epic tales struggle with human decency.
In City of God, we find a young boy named Rocket stuck in the horribly violent and impoverished slums of Rio de Janeiro in the 1970s. The neighborhood is run entirely by gangs, and the almost comically corrupt police only perpetuate the bloodshed. Rocket says “We came to the City of God hoping to find paradise... There was no electricity, paved streets or transportation. But for the rich and powerful our problems didn't matter. We were too far
removed from the picture postcard image of Rio de Janeiro.” In such a hopeless place, crime is the most logical choice for many, and Rocket struggles to do the right thing.
East of Eden is a much more intricate story. It involves the intertwining of dozens of different lives, throughout multiple generations. Most of the focus, however, is laid upon the life of the Trask family of Salinas, California. Adam Trask is a battered man who lead a difficult childhood. His father, Cyrus, was an austere, forceful man who raised Adam and his brother Charles in the most disciplined manner possible, although he clearly favored Adam. Charles was obsessed with pleasing Cyrus, and took out his anger on Adam whenever their father disapproved of the former. The allusion to the story of Cain and Abel is quite obvious. Adam later marries a girl named Cathy, who, unbeknownst to him, has a dark, sinful past. They have a pair of twin boys, Aron and Cal, but Cathy abandons them immediately. Aron and Cal have a nearly identical upbringing to Adam and Charles. Adam shows preference towards Aron, and Cal treats Aron vengefully. The vicious cycle continues. Cal feels like his destiny has been set for him, and that he was made to be bad. He cannot find a way to change himself and start anew.
To escape one’s surroundings is difficult, and to escape the past is impossible. Rocket and Cal are faced with that problem. Rocket does not want to be a hoodlum. He wants to be a photographer. But his entire life is surrounded by robbing and killing, and he doesn’t know how much longer he can go on without giving in. Cal wants to be a good person, but can’t seem to avoid making bad decisions. He says “Dear Lord... let me be like Aron. Don’t make me mean. I don’t want to be... I don’t want to be mean. I don’t want to be lonely.” But he thinks it’s unavoidable, as if God designed him to be evil. He thinks it’s in his blood, that he got it from his mother. He says “I know why she went away. I know—because I've got her in me.”
In the tale of Adam and Eve, humanity is cast out into the world, forced to deal with its imperfections and sinfulness. And with the Christ the Redeemer statue looking down upon him, Rocket must make a decision. His hood brother Goose, who comes home from a heist and places his gun on the table, says to Rocket “You have to study. I’m a hood because I got no brain. But you’re smart. You should study.” Goose goes on to say “Promise me something... that
you’ll never touch this gun. Promise?” Years later, Rocket breaks his promise, and picks up his gun, desperate to make ends meet. But at the last minute, he decides against it. Li’l Dice, who changes his name to Li'l Zé, is a kid of roughly Rocket’s age who made a different choice. He was always ruthless and angry, and eventually became the biggest gangster in the city. As Rocket becomes a photographer, Li'l Zé murders, rapes, and dominates the crime scene. He chose evil, but not without reason.
removed from the picture postcard image of Rio de Janeiro.” In such a hopeless place, crime is the most logical choice for many, and Rocket struggles to do the right thing.
East of Eden is a much more intricate story. It involves the intertwining of dozens of different lives, throughout multiple generations. Most of the focus, however, is laid upon the life of the Trask family of Salinas, California. Adam Trask is a battered man who lead a difficult childhood. His father, Cyrus, was an austere, forceful man who raised Adam and his brother Charles in the most disciplined manner possible, although he clearly favored Adam. Charles was obsessed with pleasing Cyrus, and took out his anger on Adam whenever their father disapproved of the former. The allusion to the story of Cain and Abel is quite obvious. Adam later marries a girl named Cathy, who, unbeknownst to him, has a dark, sinful past. They have a pair of twin boys, Aron and Cal, but Cathy abandons them immediately. Aron and Cal have a nearly identical upbringing to Adam and Charles. Adam shows preference towards Aron, and Cal treats Aron vengefully. The vicious cycle continues. Cal feels like his destiny has been set for him, and that he was made to be bad. He cannot find a way to change himself and start anew.
To escape one’s surroundings is difficult, and to escape the past is impossible. Rocket and Cal are faced with that problem. Rocket does not want to be a hoodlum. He wants to be a photographer. But his entire life is surrounded by robbing and killing, and he doesn’t know how much longer he can go on without giving in. Cal wants to be a good person, but can’t seem to avoid making bad decisions. He says “Dear Lord... let me be like Aron. Don’t make me mean. I don’t want to be... I don’t want to be mean. I don’t want to be lonely.” But he thinks it’s unavoidable, as if God designed him to be evil. He thinks it’s in his blood, that he got it from his mother. He says “I know why she went away. I know—because I've got her in me.”
In the tale of Adam and Eve, humanity is cast out into the world, forced to deal with its imperfections and sinfulness. And with the Christ the Redeemer statue looking down upon him, Rocket must make a decision. His hood brother Goose, who comes home from a heist and places his gun on the table, says to Rocket “You have to study. I’m a hood because I got no brain. But you’re smart. You should study.” Goose goes on to say “Promise me something... that
you’ll never touch this gun. Promise?” Years later, Rocket breaks his promise, and picks up his gun, desperate to make ends meet. But at the last minute, he decides against it. Li’l Dice, who changes his name to Li'l Zé, is a kid of roughly Rocket’s age who made a different choice. He was always ruthless and angry, and eventually became the biggest gangster in the city. As Rocket becomes a photographer, Li'l Zé murders, rapes, and dominates the crime scene. He chose evil, but not without reason.
In East of Eden, the narrator says: “To a monster the norm must seem monstrous, since everyone is normal to himself. To the inner monster it must be even more obscure, since he has no visible thing to compare with others. To a criminal, honesty is foolish. You must not forget that a monster is only a variation, and that to a monster the norm is monstrous.” Li’l Zé and Cathy are tragic examples of this human condition. Cathy ends up running a bordello, where her customers are politicians and other powerful men. Although manipulative and hateful, Cathy sees herself as being wronged by a cruel, unjust world that is run by scumbags and liars, like the ones who pay her. Li’l Zé is similarly pessimistic, and his friend Benny, who wants out of the crime life, says to him “Everyone’s a mother fucker to you. That’s why I’m leaving.”
We can often be sententious when dealing with each other. We love to look down on others and lambast them for being immoral or evil. It is easy to view people like Cathy and Li’l Zé as evil, automated monsters, but it is vital to view them as human beings. Cathy resorts to manipulation and lying as a defense mechanism. She wants to prove to everyone else that she is an independent person who is above the slimy, immoral world that she lives in. Li’l Zé clearly
has no role models other than criminals, and was beaten and made fun of as a child. And unlike Benny, who is a ladies man, Li’l Zé has trouble romantically, and reacts by killing and robbing. Both Cathy and Li’l Zé are not able to see the good in people. They assume the worst because in their lives, they have been given the worst. Steinbeck says “..it's awful not to be loved. It's the worst thing in the world... It makes you mean, and violent, and cruel.”
Rocket and Cal have also been given tough beginnings, and they find themselves at a crossroads. Rocket is stuck in the middle of the street between the cops and Li’l Zé. Cal tries desperately to be a good person, but always finds himself making bad decisions, just like his mother. Rocket, Cal, Cathy, and Li’l Zé all had the ability to choose their own destinies. Lee, the Trask’s Chinese housekeeper, tells them of the choice that man has with morality. He tells them that one translation of God’s message to Cain in the Bible is “thou mayest.” Thus, he believes, man has the ability to choose between good and evil, no matter what his circumstances. Lee finds Cal in his darkest hour: afraid and guilty for all that he is done towards those whom he loves. He stresses to Cal that he can choose to be good, that just
because his mother did horrible things, he does not have to follow the same path. And just as Cal may choose his own destiny, Rocket may as well. Their environments are the same as Cathy and Li’l Zé, but they were able to make the right decision. As Rocket and Cal chose to be good, so can we. We can be more empathetic and pragmatic. We could refrain from viewing each other in a one-dimensional way.
We must realize that we are all human beings.
The fight between good and evil is not a black and white struggle. They are two sides of the same human coin. The decisions we make and the people we choose to be are decisions which stem from ourselves. As cruel and lonely as the world can be, we will always have the choice to better ourselves. We will always have the choice to do the right thing, because “thou mayest.”
Frank Nolan is a sophomore Political Communication major from Minneapolis, Minnesota. He loves old movies and Italian food. 75% Irish, 100% American.
Images:
We can often be sententious when dealing with each other. We love to look down on others and lambast them for being immoral or evil. It is easy to view people like Cathy and Li’l Zé as evil, automated monsters, but it is vital to view them as human beings. Cathy resorts to manipulation and lying as a defense mechanism. She wants to prove to everyone else that she is an independent person who is above the slimy, immoral world that she lives in. Li’l Zé clearly
has no role models other than criminals, and was beaten and made fun of as a child. And unlike Benny, who is a ladies man, Li’l Zé has trouble romantically, and reacts by killing and robbing. Both Cathy and Li’l Zé are not able to see the good in people. They assume the worst because in their lives, they have been given the worst. Steinbeck says “..it's awful not to be loved. It's the worst thing in the world... It makes you mean, and violent, and cruel.”
Rocket and Cal have also been given tough beginnings, and they find themselves at a crossroads. Rocket is stuck in the middle of the street between the cops and Li’l Zé. Cal tries desperately to be a good person, but always finds himself making bad decisions, just like his mother. Rocket, Cal, Cathy, and Li’l Zé all had the ability to choose their own destinies. Lee, the Trask’s Chinese housekeeper, tells them of the choice that man has with morality. He tells them that one translation of God’s message to Cain in the Bible is “thou mayest.” Thus, he believes, man has the ability to choose between good and evil, no matter what his circumstances. Lee finds Cal in his darkest hour: afraid and guilty for all that he is done towards those whom he loves. He stresses to Cal that he can choose to be good, that just
because his mother did horrible things, he does not have to follow the same path. And just as Cal may choose his own destiny, Rocket may as well. Their environments are the same as Cathy and Li’l Zé, but they were able to make the right decision. As Rocket and Cal chose to be good, so can we. We can be more empathetic and pragmatic. We could refrain from viewing each other in a one-dimensional way.
We must realize that we are all human beings.
The fight between good and evil is not a black and white struggle. They are two sides of the same human coin. The decisions we make and the people we choose to be are decisions which stem from ourselves. As cruel and lonely as the world can be, we will always have the choice to better ourselves. We will always have the choice to do the right thing, because “thou mayest.”
Frank Nolan is a sophomore Political Communication major from Minneapolis, Minnesota. He loves old movies and Italian food. 75% Irish, 100% American.
Images: