In 1950s America, women were trapped in stifling gender roles. This is a retroactive decade in feminist history, comparing the power women had in the workforce in the 1940s to the progression to come in the 1960s. Home Related and subjected to high beauty standards, women found themselves stuck, bored and desperate. Since the public does not appreciate the female voice, women need a powerful male member of society to speak on their behalf. John Steinbeck did not meet this challenge. With his influence and popularity, he could have done women a great service by advocating for them using his incredibly famous novels as support. Instead, in East of Eden, Steinbeck avoids the idea of ​​revolution and only succeeds in creating underdeveloped, unlikable, and weak female characters. Liza Hamilton is the most prominent example of such a character. Without scrutiny, she may appear to be a strong and powerful woman. Liza runs a strict household; she expects respect from her husband and children, literally believes in the Bible and does not tolerate any alcohol consumption. Yet as the novel progresses, each of her expectations, which are really just Steinbeck's weak attempt at character traits, are not met, thus making her a weak character. Through Liza's characterization, it is clear that East of Eden is not a feminist text. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay At the beginning of the novel, Samuel shows a lack of respect towards his wife. When he returns late from dinner at Adam Trask's ranch, Liza is clearly upset the next morning. She moves “like a leopard in a cage” (Steinbeck 177) while preparing breakfast. Even though he knows he has done wrong, Sam enters the kitchen announcing only: "I'm late, Mother" (178). He doesn't apologize. Additionally, he kisses Liza and asks her blessing. His actions demonstrate a refusal to accept his responsibilities and a blatant belittling of his wife's feelings. A man who truly respected how his wife felt would apologize or at least give her space, knowing that she probably wouldn't be in the mood to serve him breakfast. Then, surprisingly, not only does she comply, but she does so “automatically” (178). If her obedience to Samuel is already an act of submission, it is made even weaker by the fact that she does it without thinking. This portrays Liza as a flat, weak woman, helpless against her husband and lacking in cognitive abilities. As if the first example wasn't proof enough of the inequality in Sam and Liza's marriage, Sam once again proves how little respect he has for his wife. a conversation with Adam about Cathy: “What does Eve say about that?” She has a say, you remember. And Eves feasts on apples. » “Not this one. » Adam's eyes shone. “You don’t know this Eve. She will celebrate my choice. I don't think anyone can know his goodness. » “You have a rarity. Right now, I can't remember a greater gift. (167) At first, readers may be led to believe that Samuel values ​​women and their opinions, or more specifically Liza and his, when he states, "She has a say" (167). Yet as the conversation continues, he immediately contradicts himself. When Sam says that Adam has a rarity and a gift, he means that he is lucky to have a wife who lacks opinions, who does not contradict her husband, who remains submissiveand subordinate. Through Samuel's lack of respect for his wife's free will, Steinbeck paints an unflattering and weak image of Liza, thus reinforcing the non-feminist theme of East of Eden. Liza praises her favorite and youngest son, Joe, and wishes him nothing but the best. She even allowed him, and only him among his nine children, to go to college, a rare and valuable opportunity at the time. Therefore, one could logically infer that Joe would want to do whatever he could to please his mother in return. Yet, due to Liza's weak character, she is manipulated and disrespected by her sons, just as she is by her husband. When Samuel asks if he can take Joe with him to help him work on Adam's farm, Liza immediately and vehemently disagrees. Instead of respecting his wife's wishes, Sam and his sons Joe and Tom find a way to manipulate Liza. Sam pretends to be against Joe coming with him, saying, "I'm sure you would if you could come." But I am against it. And when you tell your mother about it, I'll thank you for letting it slip that I'm against it. You might even add that I refused you” (181). Here, Samuel indicates that if Joe lies to his mother and tells her that his father is against him coming, she will change her mind. At this, “Joe smiled and Tom laughed out loud” (181). Her sons' cheerfulness in lying to their mother shows their lack of respect for her. Of course, Sam's plot works and Joe is able to help his father on the Trask farm. The manipulation of the light nature of Liza, her husband and her sons, shows the lack of respect that Sam and the children have for Liza, thus once again emphasizing her weak nature. The lack of respect Liza's children have for her continues throughout the rest of the novel. As Sam and Liza grow up, their children decide it's time for their parents to travel the country and visit their home before they die. This creates a lot of tension in the family because Hamilton's children know their parents' attachment to the ranch. Yet in 4 pages of discussion, there is only a brief mention of Liza when Will says, "It's time for Father and Mother to see something of the world" (284). The simple fact that the only time their mother is raised is in conjunction with their father discredits almost any mention of her. The children say that "he could have a happy life" and that a trip would "refresh him" (284), but none of them talk about Liza's desires. It's never clear whether Liza would be content to stay at the ranch for the rest of her life or eagerly travel to visit her children. Because Liza is a woman, her opinions, even about her own future, are considered unimportant. Her own children do not respect her wishes or care to consider them. Or, even worse, because Liza is a woman, Hamilton's children simply assume that she will be submissive and obediently follow her husband wherever he decides to go, regardless of her own desires. Regardless, the blatant ignorance of Liza's wishes for her future reinforces Steinbeck's unfeminist and weak development. One of the first traits we learn about Liza is her devotion to the Bible. A devout nun, Liza believes the Bible word for word and ignores all contradictions. Unlike most who study the Bible regularly, Liza does not enjoy finding its meaning, she “just reads it” (42). In fact, she doesn't read anything else. “In this one book she had her history and her poetry, her knowledge of people and things, her ethics, her morals and her salvation” (42). Intellectually, her husband couldn't be more opposed. Samuel is an extremely intelligent and thoughtful man. He has a “knowledge of things.