Tuesday, October 28, 2008

Eve grew up

In class today, we discussed Eve’s surprising attitude in Book 10, where she admits that it was her fault that she and Adam fell. In book 9, after eating the apple, Eve thinks about using the knowledge she now has over Adam so she will no longer be seen as his weaker. Instead, she offers him the apple, of which he eats, not wanting to live without her. He eats the apple because he loves her and doesn’t want to be without her. Later, Eve seems to have a change in character here, because she isn’t acting childish and blaming someone else, unlike Adam. Instead, Eve is willing to admit that it’s her fault. She doesn’t want Adam or her children to suffer because she committed a sin; so instead, she begins to think about suicide. When Adam talks her out of it, Eve offers to go to God and tell him that it was her fault, and only her. Adam talks her out of this as well. I think that Adam is not only whiny but selfish. He wants to keep Eve from doing the right thing because he doesn’t want to live without her. Eve loves Adam as well, but it seems that she would rather know that he’s safe from the wrath of God than make him suffer.

Throughout Paradise Lost, when Adam and Eve are shown, I think Eve is often portrayed as the “weaker,” being unequal to Adam. God assigns Adam to “rule” his wife, despite their obviously equal intellect. However, here Eve is showing her superiority when it comes to selflessness. She is more empathetic and does not want her husband nor their children to suffer for what she has done. Here, she seems to be the better person instead of Adam’s lesser. She is willing to sacrifice herself for someone else; she’s thinking about someone other than herself, and in a way, being heroic. Adam, on the other hand, seems to be flaky, childish and whiny, not wanting to live life without Eve. Instead, he blames God and Eve for why he ate the apple. Eve simply said that she was deceived by the snake, and she ate the apple. Adam doesn’t want to take responsibility for his actions, but Eve is more than willing to sacrifice herself for him. This, to me, makes Eve the better person.

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