Often in literature there is a certain motivation to control a woman's sexuality. These desires are used to drive a woman's sense of power over a man to dominate, manipulate, and destroy. Others are eaten alive by the control he takes over them. Some become addicted to sex and don't know how to interact with men without giving in. The novels East of Eden and The Color Purple, the play A Streetcar Named Desire and the short story “Where Are You Going, Where Have You Gone?” all demonstrate characters affected by the incitement. Eden's Cathy and The Color Purple's Shug Avery both display dominant roles through their sexuality. They have the power they crave and can manipulate others with what they do. Blanche DuBois from Streetcar and Connie from "Where are You Going..." are two characters who succumb to their feelings of needing to be accepted. It's easy for them to indulge in sex to get the respect they think they're getting. The truth, however, is that no one can respect someone who doesn't respect themselves enough to not be sexually promiscuous. Women's sexual promiscuity has been looked down upon throughout history, in and out of literature, but in the case of Cathy Ames, it made her superior. In Steinbeck's novel about the battle of good versus evil, as a young girl, her mother finds Cathy in her barn being fondled by some boys older than her. She also seduces her teacher and drives him to suicide, due to the emptiness he feels when she refuses to marry him. At a very young age, she realizes that she can control men easily, and continues to do so for the rest of the novel (Steinbeck). She is a self-centered character who is determined to do what she...... middle of paper ...... the best of them. Works Cited by BookRags Editors, The Color Purple Book Notes Summary. 2009 June 3, 2010. "Blanch DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire." Shmoop Beta. 2010. June 3, 2010. Dylan, Bob. “(It’s over now) Baby Blue.” Bring it all home. Columbia, 1965. Kurkowski, Clifford J.. A Psychological Analysis of Connie. June 3, 2010. SparkNotes Publishers. “SparkNote on the color purple. » SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2003. Internet. June 2, 2010. .SparkNotes Publishers. “SparkNote on East Eden.” SparkNotes.com. SparkNotes LLC. 2003. Internet. June 2, 2010. Wakeling, Salomon. Weblog. 2008. June 3 2010 .