Netflix's East Of Eden Adaptation: Getting Cathy Ames Right Is Crucial

Netflix is coming out with a limited TV adaptation of John Steinbeck's famous 1952 novel East of Eden, and the series is going to need to get one thing right if it wants to make sure their changes don't sink the story. East of Eden is getting a Netflix adaptation sometime in 2026, and expectations will be high.

John Steinbeck is one of the great writers of American literature, and East of Eden is arguably his masterpiece. The series showrunner is Zoe Kazan, who happens to be the granddaughter of Elia Kazan, the director of 1955's East of Eden. If she wants her new take on the book to work, she'd be wise to do one thing.

Netflix's East Of Eden Will Focus More On Cathy Ames

There still hasn't been much announced about the upcoming East of Eden, save for some of the actors, including Christopher Abbot, Mike Faist, Ciaran Hinds, and Florence Pugh as Cathy Ames, the antagonist of the novel. However, this version will focus on Cathy's perspective rather than that of the Trask family.

Cathy is an incredibly well-realized and written character, one whose effect on East of Eden is as important as any, so a show from her perspective is not a terrible idea, particularly when you have someone like Florence Pugh set to perform as the character.

Cathy Ames Needs To Be Shown As The Villain By The End Of The Series

For this new take on East of Eden to be successful, it is going to need to be made clear, at least by the end of the miniseries, that Cathy Ames is a villainous character, if not outright evil. Anyone who has read East of Eden can tell you that the character is one of the most exquisitely evil characters in modern literature.

There is plenty of backstory to the character, and she has motivations and reasons for her often cruel and violent actions, but she is no antihero. One of the most important themes of East of Eden is that people can choose to be good or evil, and they can always change their minds. Cathy always chooses evil.

Making Cathy A Victim Of Circumstance Would Take Away Her Character's Agency

One fear fans of the book may have with telling the story through Cathy's eyes is that the show may attempt to humanize Cathy too much. We've seen it happen plenty of times when a show tries to make us see another side of a villain. What often ends up happening is the villain loses their agency.

A great part of Cathy's characterization is that she constantly chooses the evil path. The opportunity to be good is laid out in front of her frequently, but she ignores it. There are events in her past that have certainly informed her decision-making, but they're her choices all the same. Hopefully, Netflix's East of Eden will remember that.