#adamoreve

PARADISE LOST BOOK IX

Ah yes, the critical moment that everyone waits for, the moment of temptation and fall has arrived.

First off, Satan, as he returns to the garden, reveal his true purpose for tempting man. Readers learn that Satan's sole purpose is to destroy, and make others feel the same pain and woe as he is subject to, because that is his only ease to his relentless punishment. Since he has no hope of escaping his punishment, he wants to drag others in  with him. He once again displays a sense of pride, saying how he will in one day dismantle what it took God 6 days to create. He's also overflowing with jealousy at man's ability to get angels to serve him. Satan wanted angels to serve HIM, not man, and he doesn't understand why etherial powers are forced to serve the lowly likes of man anyway. He takes on the form of a nearby serpent as he enters the garden, deducing that there is no better way to repay God's spite with his own spite.

Later, Adam and Eve prepare to set out for the day's work of tending the garden, an ever increasing work load. Eve makes a brilliant yet sinister proposal that in order to accomplish more work, they need to split up, otherwise their affection for each other will prevent them from getting work done. Adam fears this and decides it is not safe with Satan crawling around, since he believes that Eve is not strong minded enough to realize Satan and overcome him on her own. Eve, in a very cunning fashion, becomes offended by Adam's remarks, implying that he doesn't trust her; she implores that they split up. Once again, Adam asserts his point that they are stronger together and he wishes to avoid an individual encounter with Satan altogether. He implies that Eve is weaker, and Satan will know this. It actually seems to be the opposite though, as Eve's argument would suggest that she is more evolved with a better understanding of her own free will. Many people seem to blame Eve for wanting to be separate, but in reality she is just defending God's wish for them to have free will, and if they live in fear of separation then they really do not have free will. It is man that is tested in his power of free will whether or not to let Eve wander off or let her stay. Adam, against his better knowledge, hinting from the previous book that all his knowledge goes out the window with Eve, lets them split up, but warns that free choice is dangerous - God has intended this as part of their test. However, Eve brings up the interesting point that if Satan is so proud he would rather attack Adam, the stronger, anyway.

The focus returns to Satan, but ironically he intentionally goes for Eve. Does this mean to imply that Eve is actually superior minded? Or does Satan realize that the gateway to man's poor judgement is through her? Satan has an interesting way of not just lusting for Eve's qualities, but he actually admires them. Again, this portrays Eve in a very superior light. In fact, Satan falls victim to the same charms that Adam does, and as he's watching Eve he almost decides to turn around and not tempt man. In that one moment he is void of all the hate, jealousy, and rage that has driven him to this point. The lesson here is that Eve, or women, make men do stupid things, and this moment Eve wins. This is not to last though, as Satan only need remind himself of his goal and his revenge driven mind returns to normal. He decides to follow a tradition very similar to Greek mythology of impregnating her, but in this case it is only metaphorical and he impregnates her with curiosity.

Satan begins his seduction of Eve by placing her in a goddess-like light, and appeals completely to everything she might desire, specifically to be viewed as equal or superior to man. Satan tells her she is a "goddess among gods, ador'd and serv'd by angels numberless, thy daily train." However, Eve is once again displayed as very intelligent, no the stupid person Adam makes her out to be. She calls out the serpent saying that he should not be able to speak or express emotion of human-kind. She realizes that something isn't right here. Satan, once again so quick on his feet, replies that it was the fruit of a tree which granted him this knowledge and power, and that he would be more than willing to share. Eve, doubtful of the serpent's tale, asks to see the tree so that she herself may taste of it and see if his story is true. It's interesting that they're not far from the tree, as this seems to be a metaphor for never being far from sin.

When Eve approaches the tree she is once again very aware of the instructions to avoid the tree of knowledge, something Adam thinks her incapable of. Therefore, as she approaches the tree, she immediately tells the serpent that she cannot touch the tree. She takes a stance. Satan decides to really appeal to Eve now, explaining that this tree has given him the power to understand why God has imposed the rules he has. He makes several good arguments such as "how can you die if you are immortal?", "I've eaten and I'm still alive and better than before!", "This tree is not forbidden to beast so why is it forbidden to man?", "Why would God restrict you from knowledge other than to horde it all for himself?", "Nature produces only good fruit as you can see!", and "God cannot be envious of you if you have knowledge so why has he restricted it from you?" All of these are completely believable from Eve's point of view since she has no reason to expect the serpent of misleading her - she has no inclination to believe this is Satan. In fact, Eve is smart enough to weigh her options before she eats the fruit. She contemplates God's motives, and the possible outcomes of the situation. Her internal conflict shows her multi-dimensional thinking, and her complexity. She in effect decides to eat the fruit and sacrifice herself so that man may have things like knowledge and passion, and so that they need not live in fear of God forever.

Things take a sinister twist once Eve eats the fruit though. She fully realizes her own superiority now, and realizes how Adam was keeping her ignorant. She now must decide whether to show Adam the fruit so that he too may eat, or if she would rather horde all the power, knowledge, and superiority for herself, something that actually seems very smart to do. She realizes she will be more desirable to Adam if she is not inferior. However, jealousy also arises within Eve when she realizes that there is the possibility of her being destroyed, and Adam wedded to a new Eve, and this thought is one she simply cannot bear. So after a very LOGICAL thought process she decides to share the fruit with Adam. This in itself is quite selfish though, to cause the downfall of man because you don't want to die alone.

As Eve returns to Adam he immediately realizes that she has fallen. Her egotistical essence gives it away. She lies though, telling him that she sought the fruit for him. She asserts that if he eats they can be equal together, but if not she will no longer submit to him and will leave him. This seems to present Adam with an impossible situation of choosing between God and the one he loves. Ultimately he decides out of his passion for Eve, but very reasonably so, to fall for and with her. He simply cannot stand the thought of losing her and having to be married to a new Eve. He says that because she is "flesh of flesh, bone of my bone" that they should never be separated. He continues to rationalize his decision by claiming that God would never destroy us because that would be unjust, but it is ultimately his own fault that he fell, not Eve's, although Milton tries to play it off in some noble fashion that he did it out of love. Ultimately though, it all comes back to God...he must have seen this coming when he created Eve, after all he is omnipotent. It seems as though both Adam and Eve were set up for this, put up against an enemy that could easily overpower them, and they were completely unarmed. 

As time continues, it is apparent that Milton now portrays Adam and Eve exactly as the animals they once ruled. They participate in lustful and carnal activities, give way to animalistic desires, and after all is said and done, they lie naked and ashamed on the ground in search of some way to cover themselves up, to cover their sin. Thus begins the blame game, as Adam accuses Eve to be at fault, then Eve accuses Adam, then Adam comes back at Eve. In reality though, man would have lived a relatively boring life had it not been for Eve. I mean, fear, restricted knowledge, no choice, no separation. Life would have been extremely boring had it not been for Eve and free will. Since it is apparent that neither of the will take the blame, this further shows their transgression away from godlike status, and they now come across and immature arguing children.