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Jessica Bright

Ms. Akers

Honors English 9

October 20, 2017

The character Cain from the biblical story The First Murder was the son of Adam and

Eve, brother to Abel. His story tells of how he was mistreated and shamed by his family for

offering fruits and vegetables as a tribute to God, while his brother offered meat. Cain grew

jealous of his family and Gods favoring towards his brother, leading him to murder Abel. His

struggles teach a lesson, much like the struggles of other biblical characters and stories. Cains

envy and ignorance led him to commit a crime, teaching the reader to avoid jealousy as it can

cause suffering.

God punished Cain for killing his brother Abel out of jealousy: When you till the ground, it will

no longer yield you its produce. You shall be a wanderer, a fugitive on the earth (38). Cain was

known as a gardener, valuing vegetables and plants. Because of his crime, God removed Cains

ability to do what he loved, showing that God had the power to take away everything you love.

God punishes Cain in another way as well as preventing him from growing crops: The Lord put

a mark on Cain, so that anyone happening to meet him should not kill him (39). This

punishment is debatably the worst of the two. Cain was forced to live the rest of his natural life

as a beggar, unable to die until he did so by natural causes. His family would shun and leave him

to fend for himself, which is devastating for any child.

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Cains struggle was presented on an emotional level in a play: CAIN. I dont

understand. What have I done that was wrong, or to you that was right? (42). Cains ignorance

is perfectly portrayed in this quote. In the play, the author focuses more on Cains

incomprehension for why his family and God prefer his brother, Abel, to him. Abel is shown as

more condescending to Cain in this play than presented by in the simple, short story told in the

Bible As/In Literature. Abel talks as if it is obvious that the lord would not take vegetables as an

acceptable tribute, even saying that Cain would be the first one to die as a punishment for his

sins.

Cains own father, Adam, shames him for his disregard for the correct tributes: ADAM.

It is obvious, Cain, that you do not understand the first principle of sacrifice (43). After saying

this, Adam goes on to denying Cain dinner. Before God could punish him, Cains own family

turns against him. But throughout the corrections Cains family offers him, he continues to

present God with vegetables. This could be seen as disrespecting his father as Cain blatantly

ignores Adams protests against using his plants as a gift to God, and dishonoring your father is

seen as a sin in the Ten Commandments: Honor your father and mother (134). This may have

been one of the reasons why God punished Cain and caused him suffering, though the Ten

Commandments had not been written or said at this point.

Cains suffering is a clear message to the reader to avoid making the same mistakes he

did, not in killing his brother, but as expressing ignorance and envy. The story may not have

been written to teach that it was wrong to kill, but to teach obedience and respect. This is just one

way to interpret the importance of Cains suffering.