"Thou Mayest" and other profound moments in books

[sriyantra]

Just read the part in East of Eden where Lee describes how he was obsessed with the story of Cain and Abel to the point of bringing it to learned scholars in his family in San Francisco (people that would contemplate one saying of Confucius for years in order to deeply understand it) so that he could get some insights into a discrepancy he found in popular translations. The King James version says that Jehovah told Cain "thou shalt rule over him" in regard to Cain (and the descendants of Cain- mankind) being able to conquer sin. "Thou shalt" meaning that it was a promise that Cain would conquer sin. The American Standard version says "Do thou" rather than "thou shalt", meaning that it is an order that Cain would have to conquer sin. After taking this problem to his scholar family members, they studied the sixteen verses of the story for two years, particularly trying to extract the true meaning of that final phrase. After two years they were satisfied with knowing that the original Hebrew word "timshel" is properly translated to "Thou Mayest", meaning "Thou Mayest" conquer sin. If "thou mayest", "thou mayest" not. Signifying free will.

As the chapter continues, Lee exclaims the profundity of the understanding saying, "millions in their sects and churches who feel the order, 'Do thou', and throw their weight into obedience. And there are millions more who feel predestination in 'Thou Shalt. Nothing they may do can interfere with what will be. But 'Thou Mayest'! Why, that makes a man great, that gives him stature with the gods, for in his weakness and his filth and his murder of his brother he has still the great choice." The passage ends with Lee proclaiming, "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 was quite interesting to read after studying some LOO and reading about the archetypes. Thinking about The Fool and the Magician and of course The Choice. This passage feels basically like an expression of the discovery of the choice and the internal understanding and change that occurs, especially as the novel seems to progress on the basis of that change of perspective.

Anyway, it's nice to find profound moments like that in novels. It seems like the entire book of East of Eden has the gist of it contained in that chapter that I quoted. Do any of you have other novels or moments in them that are particularly profound that you feel inclined to share, whether you feel compelled to share them in real life because they're just too good or whether you just want to share them here, with us lucky folk?

I've read pretty much all of Hermann Hesse's novels, each of which contains brilliantly profound moments on a regular basis. "Ishmael", "Brother of the Third Degree", and "The Kin of Ata are Waiting For You" are some others that have quite the power to awaken one in one way or another.