Kathleen Mahoney
October 10, 2005
The
story of Adam and Eve is a simple tale of disobedience and punishment, seeking
to explain why humans no longer dwell in
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“But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate.”
I
When Adam approached, he was just as tempted as Eve. Stifling the pangs of his conscience, he plucked a luscious piece of fruit from the tree. Adam and Eve ate quickly and silently, all the while hiding in the tree’s ample shade. After having taken several bites, they could barely look at one another. Ashamed of their nudity, they kept their heads turned away and assembled makeshift loincloths from the surrounding brush.
Suddenly,
God appeared with a flash of light and crack of thunder. The couple clung to
one another and cowered in fright as God cursed them and condemned the future
of humanity to an existence of hard work and pain. Adam and Eve looked
sorrowfully at one another, silently acknowledging that they had blatantly
disobeyed God’s rule. As they left the gates of
II
When Adam approached Eve, she told him of the powers of the fruit, and he, like Eve, felt the desire for knowledge. He was curious, and more than anything, he wanted to know more. With each bite, Adam and Eve felt the sensation of knowledge flowing into their minds.
Suddenly, they were very aware of their nakedness, and for the first time, they noticed their substantial biological differences. They reasoned that these sexual differences must be covered with clothing and quickly fashioned loincloths out of the surrounding leaves. After they were adequately clothed, they sought to explore the garden.
When God realized
that Adam and Eve had eaten from the Tree of Knowledge, He was saddened. He
knew that they could no longer live in a simple and child-like world like
III
Eve did not hesitate in biting into the fruit. Resentful of being created from Adam, she sought to distance herself from him and finally had the means to do so. As she eagerly chewed the fruit, each bite bigger than the last, she could feel her mind opening.
When Adam approached, Eve saw her opportunity to assert her leadership over her mate for the first time. She handed him the fruit and told him to eat, relishing in her authority over the man.
God appeared then and angrily questioned why both Adam and Eve were hiding from Him. Adam quickly informed God that it was Eve who had showed him the fruit. Enraged, God turned toward Eve. He declared that she and all future women would be ruled over by their husbands. Eve sunk to her knees in despair and devastation, a fat tear rolling down her check. She couldn’t imagine a worse punishment.
IV
When Adam approached, he was overwhelmed with upset as he watched his lovely wife eating the forbidden fruit. He ran over and tried to stop her, but it was too late. She turned away from him, madly trying to cover up her naked body in embarrassment.
Adam was confused and hurt. He couldn’t understand what Eve knew; he just knew that she knew it. He quickly realized that he and Eve would lose all understanding between one another and their relationship would mean nothing if he didn’t consume the fruit as well. He reached up, grabbed a piece of fruit from the tree, and began to eat.
When God appeared, Adam grabbed Eve and they hid among the trees. As God continued to call on them, Adam emerged from the brush to talk for the two of them. When God asked how it was that Adam knew to eat from the Tree of Knowledge, he hesitated. He realized, however, that he could not lie to God and reluctantly admitted that his beloved wife had initiated the consumption.
When God threw Adam and Eve out of Eden, Adam grasped Eve’s hand and looked at her contentedly. No matter the hardships that life threw at them, they would have one another.
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Episode I is a simple and basic tale of disobedience and punishment. Episode II is a story of maturation and growing up. God is a protective father who tries with all of his power to protect his children from the hardships of the real world, but alas, they must grow up. In Episode III, Eve eats the fruit to assert her strength as a woman, but her plan ultimately backfires as God lays the foundation for an essentially patriarchic society. Episode IV is a love story of sorts, explaining how Adam ate simply so he could stay with Eve. Together, these tales illustrates the multifaceted meanings of this Genesis episode, each layer of meaning with its own unique truth.The Many Faces of Genesis 2....