The Atlantic
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Saturday 19 September 2026 22:00:00 GMT
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K :
It’s like y’all didn’t read the book? Cathy Ames is a very complicated character. She’s just not simply “bad” she chooses to be bad which comes from somewhere. Steinbeck made sure to show her vulnerability through the finals chapters of her life with the mention of Alice in Wonderland. Cathy is not inherently evil. She chooses to be evil and I’m excited to see what they do with her.
2026-09-20 16:24:55
378
Kay F :
Timshel. Cathy had the choice to be good but she never chose goodness. Steinbeck’s timshel limit was Cathy. We are supposed to feel uncomfortable about that. Cathy is so important because she’s the character that decided to remain evil and horrible. Idk how I could ever feel sympathetic towards her.
2026-09-20 15:45:11
223
dearcitygirl :
NO. I am officially worried
2026-09-20 02:54:23
134
k 🦇 :
its so crazy to me how the entire novel east of eden is about the complexities and nuances of the human condition and looking deeper into “good vs evil” and how more complex it is and yet the fans of that same book fail to understand that exact perspective then being applied to an adaptation of it
2026-09-20 17:03:23
52
cmrzzy :
Oh brother. I knew they’d do this. Hollywood can’t help it. Ugh.
2026-09-20 14:42:50
158
LYRBooks :
Why can’t we tell the story that was written.
2026-09-20 14:57:14
87
Chase Shelton :
Mind you this is how Steinbeck introduced Cathy in the book… “I believe there are monsters born in the world to human parents. Some you can see, misshapen and horrible, with huge heads or tiny bodies. . . . And just as there are physical monsters, can there not be mental or psychic monsters born? The face and body may be perfect, but if a twisted gene or a malformed egg can produce physical monsters, may not the same process produce a malformed soul?”
2026-09-21 00:50:04
33
slkpllw :
I’m so confused did fans want her to just be evil? That would break the book’s entire message
2026-09-20 18:45:21
14
MichelleMayhem :
We aren’t meant to understand her! We understand parts of her through Cal but she’s literally supposed to be just a monster because that’s what fuels Cal to separate himself and choose differently!
2026-09-20 18:46:19
15
Blehhhhh :
I think many of you missed the “JUST a monster” part. She’s still a monster. Even the book adds aspects of humanity and understanding to her character. She also is charming to those around her at points. So yes she’s supposed to have people like her.
2026-09-20 12:35:42
69
Julian :
This also makes me feel that Samuel Hamilton will not be a big factor in the show, it’s gonna be like the old movies that focus all on the trasks
2026-09-20 18:45:46
14
tnuttymcbuckets :
Oh no did they actually butcher this?
2026-09-20 17:46:21
9
A 💋 :
i think cathy IS complex but i hope they don’t try to justify her or romanticize her situation. she chose “evil” and decided to hurt other people over and over. she is an interesting and important character but embellishing too much would take away from it
2026-09-21 03:17:41
25
Ian111 :
Read Chapter 13 of East of Eden. Netflix has done exactly what Steinbeck warned them not to do. They can’t come up with an original story of their own so they have to hijack and subvert it as usual. 🤮🤮🤮🤮
2026-09-23 23:11:49
3
kylie :
NOOOOOOOOOO
2026-09-20 14:03:03
13
kb :
oh brother just kill me
2026-09-20 16:24:47
9
Cade Archer :
Please God no don’t do this 😭😭
2026-09-20 14:34:27
8
𝙻𝚘𝚛𝚎𝚝𝚝𝚊𝚂𝚢𝚗𝚗® :
Cathy Ames is one of the most evil characters in all of literature, who lacked care for anyone. That was the entire point of her character in the novel. Ironic to give care to a character who never even understood the word.
2026-09-20 20:33:04
7
Peep :
Great now I definitely don’t need to watch
2026-09-20 18:49:07
5
emma :
oh please
2026-09-20 15:29:46
5
Kate :
NOOOOOOOO NO NO NO Jesus Christ this is gonna bum me out if Kathy isn’t allowed to be the absolute sociopath that she is
2026-09-21 21:42:24
4
The Book Club :
I CALLED IT!!! I called it. And if you knew more about this book AND WHY HE WROTE IT, you’d love it. If you aren’t into this you performative read it or didn’t read it at all. Her character is a sore thumb, it doesn’t ever really make sense why she’s so fucking irredeemable. HE had a reason for that and it’s not what you think
2026-09-20 18:17:56
3
Apple :
I can’t wait to watch Florence as Cathy. Such a complicated character.
2026-09-21 18:01:50
3
22girly22 :
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
2026-09-21 04:20:10
1
Mandy P :
don't try to fix what isn't broken
2026-09-21 15:48:17
3
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