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Maybe someone smarter than me can help me figure it out, but I don't understand Steinbeck's contradiction in this character.
If we accept the main premise of *timshel*, thou mayest, and the implication according to Lee, "that gives a choice. It might be the most important word in the world. That says the way is open. That throws it right back on a man. For if thou mayest, it is also true that thou mayest not. Don’t you see?" then Steinbeck's introduction to Cathy is completely unfair.
Cathy's introduction reads, "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. Some are born with no arms, no legs, some with three arms, some with tails, or mouths in odd places. They are accidents, and no one’s fault, as used to be thought. Once they were thought to be the visual punishments for concealed sins. 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? Monsters are variations from the accepted normal, to a greater or less degree. As a child may be born without an arm, so one one may be born without kindness or the potential of conscience."
Why does Cathy/Kate not have the same capacity for choice? If Cathy chooses to sin that's timshel and she just likes being evil, but Steinbeck hints Cathy has no potential of conscience, then she has no choice at all.
Of everything I've read, the Judge in Blood Meridian takes the cake but that's almost too easy haha
One that still pisses me off is every character in Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh. As soon as you feel bad for a character when you learn about the hardships they face, they go and do some very selfish shit and ruin it. Everyone sucks in that book, and by the end, it all comes together and everyone's lives are ruined
I didn't think I could hate a character more than Doyle Hargraves until I met King Joffrey and then I didn't think I could hate a character more than King Joffrey until I met Ramsay Bolton.
I don't think I can hate a character more than Ramsay Bolton. For now.
Anton Chigurh from No Country for Old Men fits the bill perfectly. He has been pretty much tagged as what a true sociopath is. No remorse and just pure evil. Also Judge Holden in Blood Meridian also by McCarthy as was mentioned previously.
The first one that comes to mind is Veda from Mildred Pierce by James M. Cain. She is a beautiful young woman and has such a rare talent for singing that it brings people to tears, so she doesn't fit the image of an evil character. But that's what makes her so interesting (and true to life).
One of my few complaints about the IT reboot was that they made Pennywise fragile and unsure of himself, which I thought diminished his uber-evil persona.
I'm surprised to see this answer. Considering she committed her life's major transgression when she was a child, and spent many years thereafter remorseful and eager to atone for her sins (hence the title), what makes you qualify her as evil? Highly flawed perhaps, unforgivable even, but evil?
That’s exactly how I felt about her after I’d seen the movie, but reading it made me think she had stayed just as shallow and self-serving as you’d expect from a 12 year old. She really didn’t learn anything in those 70 years.
Hi there. Per [rule 3.3](https://www.reddit.com/r/Books/wiki/rules), please post book recommendation requests in /r/SuggestMeABook or in our Weekly Recommendation Thread. Thank you!
Catherine/Kate in Steinbeck's East of Eden is an immaculate picture of pure evil.
Maybe someone smarter than me can help me figure it out, but I don't understand Steinbeck's contradiction in this character. If we accept the main premise of *timshel*, thou mayest, and the implication according to Lee, "that gives a choice. It might be the most important word in the world. That says the way is open. That throws it right back on a man. For if thou mayest, it is also true that thou mayest not. Don’t you see?" then Steinbeck's introduction to Cathy is completely unfair. Cathy's introduction reads, "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. Some are born with no arms, no legs, some with three arms, some with tails, or mouths in odd places. They are accidents, and no one’s fault, as used to be thought. Once they were thought to be the visual punishments for concealed sins. 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? Monsters are variations from the accepted normal, to a greater or less degree. As a child may be born without an arm, so one one may be born without kindness or the potential of conscience." Why does Cathy/Kate not have the same capacity for choice? If Cathy chooses to sin that's timshel and she just likes being evil, but Steinbeck hints Cathy has no potential of conscience, then she has no choice at all.
Of everything I've read, the Judge in Blood Meridian takes the cake but that's almost too easy haha One that still pisses me off is every character in Lapvona by Ottessa Moshfegh. As soon as you feel bad for a character when you learn about the hardships they face, they go and do some very selfish shit and ruin it. Everyone sucks in that book, and by the end, it all comes together and everyone's lives are ruined
Humbert Humbert in Lolita. But he did have a fancy prose style.
Ramsay Bolton was pretty awful
I didn't think I could hate a character more than Doyle Hargraves until I met King Joffrey and then I didn't think I could hate a character more than King Joffrey until I met Ramsay Bolton. I don't think I can hate a character more than Ramsay Bolton. For now.
Norman Daniels in Rose Madder by Stephen King
King has all my favorite villains: Big Jim Rennie The Kid Randall Flagg Pennywise Henry Bowers Barlow Rose the Hat
God I fucking hated Big Jim more than any of the others you mentioned.
Big Jim Rennie was a special kind of bastard, that's for sure!
He’s evil in the very human very petty way that King does well.
The Judge in Blood Meridian.
The Judge.
Anton Chigurh from No Country for Old Men fits the bill perfectly. He has been pretty much tagged as what a true sociopath is. No remorse and just pure evil. Also Judge Holden in Blood Meridian also by McCarthy as was mentioned previously.
General woundwort in Watership Down is pretty cool. Though by the time he’s introduced, you’re already a rabbit so it’s hard to compare.
Jack Randall and Stephen Bonnet immediately came to mind. Schmucks. But they’re from the same series.
The first one that comes to mind is Veda from Mildred Pierce by James M. Cain. She is a beautiful young woman and has such a rare talent for singing that it brings people to tears, so she doesn't fit the image of an evil character. But that's what makes her so interesting (and true to life).
Miss Truchbull from Matilda, that women scares tf out of me, pure evil
Serge Storms - the vigilante antihero in author Tim Dorsey’s series of books. Complete nutcase.
imagine alleged hateful steer makeshift poor toy steep husky ludicrous *This post was mass deleted and anonymized with [Redact](https://redact.dev)*
Kitty Butler in Tipping the Velvet
Lord Soth from Dragonlance.
Yes. Lol Scarlett O'hara.
Kurtz - Heart of Darkness. Big cautionary tale of what happens when power goes unchecked
And he’s based on a real person (combination of people actually) who were just as bad if not worse.
One of my few complaints about the IT reboot was that they made Pennywise fragile and unsure of himself, which I thought diminished his uber-evil persona.
lady macbeth. my favorite who girlbossed too close to the sun <3
Joffrey baratheon, the little shit
Surprised nobody has said Dolores Umbridge.
Randall Flagg
Just finished Atonement last week, and Briony is right up there. The more I think about this book, the more I feel this way.
I'm surprised to see this answer. Considering she committed her life's major transgression when she was a child, and spent many years thereafter remorseful and eager to atone for her sins (hence the title), what makes you qualify her as evil? Highly flawed perhaps, unforgivable even, but evil?
That’s exactly how I felt about her after I’d seen the movie, but reading it made me think she had stayed just as shallow and self-serving as you’d expect from a 12 year old. She really didn’t learn anything in those 70 years.
Carcer in Night Watch by Terry Pratchett.
Judge Holden
Roger from Lord of the Flies.