East of Eden XXXVIII -- chpt38: CAL TRASK, SOFTER THAN HE SEEMS

1. Why does Cal walk at night?
2. What makes Cal more capable of dealing with the information about his mother than Aron?
3. Discuss Cal's fear compared to his brother's or his father's.
4. Did Cal "indulge" in the activities of Kate's place?
5. Why does Lee answer Cal's questions?  Would Adam have approved?  Is Lee contradicting his employer?
6. Why does Lee get so upset with Cal as he's leaving his room?  Which characteristics of his father's does Cal have, and what of his mother's?  Is there a naturally dominant side?
7. Consider the second line of the chapter, "If he had been an only child or if Aron had been a different kind of boy...," in tandem with the previous question regarding Lee's action.  The idea is that if things had been different early in Cal's life, Cal wouldn't be who he is right now.  Apply this concept to Cathy.  What if she had had a sibling like Aron, or a mentor like Lee, or even a father more like Adam?  Is it possible that, once upon a time, she possessed the necessary traits, and had they been fostered differently, to be a less evil person?