jules

eva, as in eve: the woman at the origin of everything, the one who had to make the choices in the pursuit of knowledge. she who reached for what was necessary and was made a scapegoat for it, carrying the sins of her people.

maria, as in mary: the one who said yes to something incomprehensible and surrendered herself entirely to something larger than her own life. she who gave what she could not get back and interceded for the rest of us anyway. out of a faith and a love for humanity that did not waver.

the film makes a point of eva being a believer, and because she is a believer, the concept of sacrificial lambs is not new to her. she grew up singing about it, small and certain, long before she understood what it would cost. so of course she has a name for what ryland is. and so she sends him, someone she would not otherwise lose, and watches him go. her faith in the mission and her faith in ryland are not separate things. in the end the believer in her turns toward him, and she lets him bear it. she had to watch someone closest to her carry the weight of humanity’s survival. she chose to believe it was enough. and she knows, too, what role that leaves for her.

the scapegoat and the handmaid. the full arc of what it costs a woman to be the reason the world gets to live.

on the topic of catholic allegories in project hail mary, i would like to raise eva stratt as abraham who sacrifices what is most precious to her — ryland grace — for the salvation she believes in. and like isaac, grace follows her willingly, right up until the moment he realizes he was always going to be the lamb.