Early literature made use of several genres such as plays, poetry, and sonnets. What made these literatures stand out was the nature of the stories that grabbed the reader’s attention. One of the common themes in the literature was about the nature of man. The relationship between man and woman has been analyzed with the topic of superiority of man and inferiority of women being a recurrent theme. The book of Genesis provides the portrayal of the woman through the character of Eve. The woman was portrayed sinful and the result was that women have constantly been regarded as inferior to men. The early works of women have tried to portray such an inferiority as shown in the Bible. However, other pieces of literature have also used the story of Eve to create a case that women regarding the inferiority of women. This paper analyzes the recurring theme of the Eve persona by analyzing how it influenced the writers in three pieces of literature which include “Eve’s Apology in Defense of Women” by Amelia Lanyer, “Eve to Her Daughters” by Judith Wright; and “Anorexic” by Eavan Boland.
The Story of Adam and Eve
The story of Adam and Eve in Genesis tells how God create the first human being Adam. Since Adam needed a companion, God created Eve, the first woman, from one of the ribs on Adam. The creation of the first two human beings saw them placed in the Garden of Eden, a perfect Eden. Everything in the garden was beautiful and it had good things that they could eat. However, one of the warnings that was given to Adam and Eve was that they were not to eat from the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil. They were instructed that they could eat everything else in the garden except the fruit that was in the tree.
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The fall of mankind takes place after the creation and the persona and character trait of Eve emerges clearly here. Eve was tempted by the serpent who spoke to her and told her that if they would eat from the fruit that they would be gods who know good and evil. Eve gave in to the temptation and also persuaded Adam who ate the fruit. Their disobedience fractured the relationship that mankind had with God and were expelled from the Garden of Eden. The nature of the story follows that it was the woman’s fault that mankind fell into evil and sin. This has been used to create a perception of women where they are regarded as weak, sinful and being at fault.
“ Eve’s Apology in Defense of Women” by Amelia Lanyer
The poem discusses the topic of the sin of Adam and Eve who ate from the Tree of Knowledge at the beginning of time causing sin to enter the world. Throughout the poem, Amelia Lanier takes a strong stand against the discrimination of women which is observed to have taken place right from the creation. The poem was composed by Lanier in the Renaissance period. This was a time where the attitudes of people towards women involved having women being blamed for everything. Men were the dominant gender in the society and they regarded women as inferior. Miller (2011) observes that the portrayal of Eve in the Garden of Eden became a flexible tool that women writers could use to address the roles that women have in the political and public sphere. Women did not have a voice in society throughout this period and would mostly use literature to air their voice and concerns.
Women are Weaker and Less Intellectual
One of the character traits of Eve from the story of the fall of mankind is that the woman was weak. The fact that women are weaker and are less intellectual means that eve could not have known better when discerning between right and wrong. The Bible observes that Eve was made from the rib of Adam and this is usually used to show that women are secondary and inferior (Gellman, 2006). Lanyer accepts this in the poem by further making the observation that women are the “weaker vessel”. This is because Eve cannot resist the advances of the serpent or be able to discern his intentions. However, Lanyer turns the weakness to an indictment to Adam when she observes that “what weakness offered, straight might have refused” (Lanyer 2). However, the arguments raised by Lanyer also downplays the possible evil nature that rests within Eve. Since Eve was made from Adam, the possible evil nature that exists within Eve could have thus come from Adam.
Lanier creates a voice for women throughout the poem that have been regarded as being the root of all evil. One of the arguments that has been raised was that Eve had not been warned of the consequences that would follow in case she had decided to eat from the Tree of Knowledge. Adam was the leader and Eve was to submit to Adam. It was thus the responsibility of Adam to explain to Eve regarding what God had stated about not eating form the tree. The arguments raised by Lanyer do not contradict with the Bible. However, the arguments are twisted around in order to provide an interpretation of the story of Adam and Eve and present a case for women.
Eve Had Good intentions by her Desire for Knowledge
The reason that Eve in the Bible chose to eat from the tree of good and evil was because she desired for knowledge. Lanyer uses this comparison to create a case for women. This is evident in the lines that state “If Eve did err, it was for knowledge sake, The fruit being fair persuaded him to fall” (Lanyer 53). The general case that is raised here is that Eve was innocent and unknowledgeable. God had created her to become simply good and she did not understand the world quite well. This is evident in the statement that says Eve “was simply good, and had no power to see” (Lanyer 53). In her innocent and unknowledgeable state, she was gullible and was thus easily deceived by the snake. On the other hand, Lanyer observes that the reason Adam ate the fruit was because he found it attractive. Adam is the one that deserves to be blamed and not Eve.
She observes that the reasons that Eve chose to eat the fruit was mainly for good intentions. Lanyer further tries to show that the reason for the fall was for good intentions in the line that states “Not Eve, whose fault was only too much love” (Lanyer 54). She observes that Eve loved Adam and it was the reason why she chose to share the fruit. Eve had tasted the fruit and noticed that it was good and wanted to share her discovery with Adam. Additionally, the good intentions of Eve were that he wanted to Adam to also gain knowledge as shown in the line “Whereby his knowledge might become more clear” (Lanyer 60). Lanyer thus tries to argue a case for women by observing that they have had good intentions all through. She uses some of the specific events that took place in order to raise her case.
Eve Derives her Persona from Man
Lanyer makes the observation that Eve was made from Adam and the result of Eve being evil also shows that Adam has evil that resides in him too. This is especially evident in the lines that states “if any evil did in her remain. Being made of him, he was the ground of all” (Lanyer 65-66). In the Bible when Eve sins, most of the blame goes to Eve and she receives a bigger punishment compared to Adam. The assumption that many have is thus that Eve was more sinful compared to Adam. However, Lanyer tries to alter this perception by observing that man is the one that has the greatest sin. The point she wants to make is that women are not the problem in society but man is.
The Inferiority of Women
One of the reasons why women have been regarded as inferior sis because of the story of Adam and Eve which places women at the center of the blame. Men have been referred to being stronger and superior while women are weak. Lanyer goes against this assumption by indicating that the fact that men are of the superior gender, then it was expected that women could have easily succumbed to the power of temptation. The superiority and strength of man is also put to question because Adam himself accepted to eat the fruit. This is evident in the line “what weakness offered, strength might have refused “(Lanyer 35). There is an irony in the statement which shows that Lanyer does not believe that women are weaker while men are stronger. She goes on to question the reason why women should put up with the stigma and the accusations of being responsible for the fall of humankind.
“ Eve to Her Daughters” by Judith Wright
The persona shapes how Judith Wright composed the poem as there are several accurate parallels to Eve in the Bible. The poem “Eve to her Daughters” is an imaginative story that is based on the biblical story of Adam and Eve. The story imagines what Eve could have written about her encounter from the fall of mankind and the experiences that followed. The story is thus based on Eve’s point of view and continues from where the book of Genesis left the story. The audience that the poem is directed to are the daughters of Adam and Eve. The poem remains relevant in the twentieth century as it attempts to show the character traits that men have in the modern century and throughout history.
Eve is at Fault
One of the portrayals of the persona of Eve in the Bible was that Eve was at fault. On the other hand, it appears that Adam was not so much at fault as he had simply fallen prey to the deception from Eve. Judith Wright uses this perception to create a case for Eve by arguing that she accepts her faults. In the seventh stanza, Eve directs a strong message to her daughters. She states that it could be time for her daughters to inherit the household. However, she observes that they may not be able to do this effectively because Eve is at fault and that probably the daughters also inherited her fault. This is especially evident in the line that states “But you are my daughters, you inherit my own faults of character” (Wright 47). The main observation here is that the daughters of Eve, all the women had inherited all the faults from Eve. This could then make them incapable leaders. While Judith Wright asserts the observation that women are at fault the message comes out rather sarcastically as she observes that Adam too is at fault.
The persona of Eve in relation to Adam is that Eve was at Fault while Adam was not. This message has been passed down throughout history and has been the reason for women regarding women as inferior beings. Judith Wright presents a case for women that although women were at fault, men too were to blame. The character of Adam is that he sees himself as faultless as shown in the lines “He has turned himself into God, who is faultless, and doesn’t exist” (Wright 60-61). This is a rather sarcastic tone where Wright observes that by Adam insisting that the woman was at fault, he makes himself appears faultless and places himself equal to God who essentially does not exist. Wright observes that there is a chance that the fable of Adam and Eve right from the beginning was meant to show that nothing exists but the faults of women. However, she approaches this with sarcasm in order to disprove the story.
Eve was Submissive
This submission of women to men is taken from Eve in the Garden of Eden and how the Bible speaks of the relationship between Adam and Eve. Fung (2015) analyzes the leadership perspective of women leaders by referring to the perspective of the Bible. The author observes that there are several instances where the Bible shows that woman is to be submissive to man. The story of the creation itself shows that Adam was created in order to be the leader while Eve was created to be the helper throughout the marriage relationship.
Wright tries showcases throughout the story that women are submissive. The poem starts by indicating that “it was not I who began it” (Wright 1) indicating that she submits the responsibility to man. Additionally, when talking to her daughters she indicates “you are submissive, following Adam even beyond existence.” (Wright 48-49). This shows that the daughters of Adam are also submissive by following Adam. The speaker also notes that the submission that women have to men can also be observed in the relationship that Abel and Cain had.
“ Anorexic” by Eavan Boland
In “Anorexic” by Eavan Boland, the speaker discusses the impact that her sexual identity has on her self-image. She observes this both literally and metaphorically on the effects of the female body through anorexia. There are parallels to the story of Adam, the Christian morality, and the perception of sin through temptation and greed. The speaker thus tries to come to terms with her situation by denying her body its everyday desires and experiences such as sexual pleasure and engaging in hunger. Vanbuskirk (2007) asserts that the significance of the poem is that it tries to show the connections between the Judeo-Christin mythology of the creation of Adam and Eve and the destructive elements of women’s bodies.
Eve was Sinful
The main persona of Eve that emerged throughout the poem was that she was sinful. This shaped how Evan Boland wrote the poem by observing that the woman is struggling with to overcome her situation. From the Bible, Eve had been overcome by greed, was tempted, and ate the forbidden fruit. This is similar to the anorexic who can be tempted to eat food that may be considered bad. Eve in the Bible gave in to temptation and anorexic condemns herself vehemently for being a descendant of the temptation.
Christian morality has also had a significant effect on her self-image. There is an allusion in the Bible through the lines that state “Thin as a rib, I turn in sleep. My dreams probe” (Boland 19-21). This is a direct reference to Eve from the Bible who was taken from Adam’s rib. The starvation of the woman is thus in an attempt to return back to Adam’s rib as it is a way for her to become more righteous. She observes the return to Adam’s rib in the line “I will slip, back into him again, as if I had never been away.” (Boland 31-34).
The story of the Eve’s fall and her encounter with the serpent is also portrayed in the poem. It appears that the speaker struggles with forgetting the story of the fall of humankind in Adam and Eve. She observes this in the line that states “as will make me forget, in a small space, the fall” (Boland 40). The reference of the fall showcases the fall of mankind from the relationship that they had with God. In the Bible, Eve fell into the deceptive tricks of the serpent. The speaker in Anorexic falls “into python needs” (Boland 44, a direct reference to the serpent in the Bible.
Eve Needed Redemption
Since Eve was considered the one that was tempted and gave in to the temptation, there is a need for Eve to undergo redemption. The speaker in Boland’s poem observes that one of the ways that she could attain redemption is through the denying her body with its basic pleasures such as the pleasure of food. The anorexic thus takes several actions to abstain from food. This is in the lines that indicate “till I renounced milk and honey, and the taste of lunch” (Boland 10-12). She also observes that she took several actions such as annihilating her hips, breasts, and health through starvation. She does this so that she can have better control of her sexual identity as she seeks holiness. The story of Eve portrayed women as the one’s at fault and that they needed redemption. Through the poem, Boland takes a rather strong approach that women, the descendants of Eve could attain redemption.
Discussion and Conclusion
Eve was the first woman on Earth and is the main role model for women. Many people that look at themselves typically observe their roles in the Bible and look at the roles that Eve had. However, the portrayal of Eve in the Bible is not quite glamorous as she is portrayed to have had several faults and was the main reason for the fall of man. Many people have thus viewed women to be the main cause of sin and are to be blame for most of the wrongdoings in the society. While many people throughout history have accepted this notion, the works of women in the early literature have tried to dispel the observation. Belin (2014) observes that women that wrote early literature have strived to create an argument for Eve through the use of words as their weapons. The defense of women is quite apparent in the literature that were analyzed.
Literature form early works of women that show portray the persona of Eve have thus tried to dispel the notion that Eve was primarily to blame and was the one at most fault for the fall of mankind. In the poem “Eve’s Apology in Defense of Women” by Amelia Lanyer, Eve’s persona shapes the poem as the author tries to make a case for Eve. She observes that Eve is not to blame because she was innocent and unknowledgeable. In the poem “Eve to Her Daughters” by Judith Wright, the persona of Eve makes the author write a letter from Eve’s perspective where she is observed to be at fault and should submit to man. In “Anorexic” by Eavan Boland the persona of Eve being regarded as sinful makes the poem emphasize about the difficulties with regarding women this way as they become anorexic.
References
Beilin, E. V. (2014). Redeeming Eve: women writers of the English Renaissance (Vol. 810). Princeton University Press.
Fung, W. C. (2015). An Interdependent View on Women in Leadership. Asia Journal of Theology, 29(1).
Gellman, J. (2006). Gender and Sexuality in the Garden of Eden. Theology & Sexuality, 12(3), 319-335.
Miller, S. (2011). All About Eve: Seventeenth-Century Women Writers and the Narrative of the Fall. In The History of British Women’s Writing, 1610–1690 (pp. 64-79). Palgrave Macmillan, London.
Vanbuskirk, A. K. (2007). Anorexia as a Path to Redemption: An Examination of Boland's Anorexic. The Explicator, 66(1), 55-58.
