Another Response

"But I have a new love for that glittering instrument, the human soul. It is a lovely and unique thing in the universe. It is always attacked and never destroyed - because 'Thou mayest."

This is a quote from the same chapter, spoken by Lee. I think it is a crucial element in Steinbeck's point about "thou mayest."

BYU and the Church might have placed "do thou" systems of organization within their institutions, but to say that these systems somehow distort the eternal power of agency I think is to miss the mark, according to not only the Church but Steinbeck himself.

Agency is a wonderful gift which empowers every human soul. The human soul is "always attacked," meaning circumstances often turn sour, bad things happen, and our use of agency is certainly influenced by these attacks. We all have a million influences all essentially telling us to use our agency a certain way. These voices often conflict, obviously.

I think Steinbeck's point is that regardless of circumstance, regardless of rules, regardless of culture, regardless of anything, the human soul can never be destroyed because "thou mayest." Regardless of what outside influences there are, the human soul cannot just be snuffed out, cannot lose its choosing power, unless that soul decides to put out the flame his or her self. There always remains with the individual that choice to act and become essentially whatever person they want to be.

The ending of East of Eden shows this better than anything to me, which answers David's plea for a continuance of the "thou mayest" theme within the book. I don't want to ruin the ending for anyone, but the final actions of the two brothers are to show the meaning of "thou mayest." Cal's actions contributed to something horrible, but Lee and Adam in the end persuade him that those choices have not sealed his destiny. Aron sealed his own destiny, using his agency to react a certain way to the actions of those around him.

Anyway, it is hard to be clear without ruining the book, but I think Steinbeck powerfully teaches that our environments do not determine our future and our natures.

Maybe our church leaders recognize this. Maybe they understand agency well enough to know that whatever rules are put in place do not determine the final outcome of an individual. Admittedly, not all of the honor code sits well with me, but the god-forming power of agency, as Steinbeck would say, is not hindered within me because of it. Regardless of what influences are heaped upon me, I still use agency, choices, to change myself and progress.

Do the rules hinder true personal progression? The human soul is always attacked but never destroyed. Some people may feel attacked by certain stereotypical thought or a set of rules, but the power these influences have are determined by the individual, not by the source of the influences.