Eve Chose Liberty
Woman Gains Knowledge; Leads to Fall of Man
The first woman freed humanity. By tasting the forbidden fruit, Eve embodied what it means to be human: to make choices, to reflect, to feel remorse, and—despite great pain—to continue with life. The liberty of knowledge shines bright over the bliss of ignorance.
The Abrahamic myths of Genesis narrate the dawn of humanity: Adam and Eve. After creating the heavens and earth, God crafted a bountiful orchard known as the Garden of Eden. Within the center of the garden, God planted the “tree of life” and the “tree of the knowledge of good and evil.” God deemed humans vital to tend the earth, so God created the first man from the dust of the ground. Hebrew for “earth, soil, humanity,” the first man was called “Adam.” God commanded Adam that he may freely eat from every tree in the orchard, but not from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for if the man ate the tree’s fruit he would “surely die.”
Initially, God goaded the first human to accept another animal species as a complement to humanity. Humans were merely another addition in an arrogant God’s creature collection. Adam expressed discontent with every awkward animal alliance offered. Finally, God formed the first woman from the flesh of the first man. Eve and Adam completed each other as one and the same—human.
As Eve wandered the Garden of Eden, a serpent inquired Eve about which fruits the humans could eat. Eve told the serpent they could eat from any tree in the garden, except for the tree of knowledge. She repeated God’s warning that if the humans ate from or even touched the tree of knowledge, they would die. The serpent reassured Eve that she would not die, and if humans ate from the tree, they would attain the knowledge of good and evil. Eve, convinced and desiring knowledge, took the tree’s fruit and ate. She then gave the fruit to Adam, who also ate. And so began the fall of man.
The minds of Eve and Adam blossomed and their senses awakened. The touch of air against their bare bodies. The significance of their differing genitalia. The act which entails one to “be fruitful.” The vulnerable intimacy of sex, which no stranger is entitled to revel in, not even God himself. The voyeuristic and controlling nature of God. In shock, they obscured their genitalia with fig leaves, and hid themselves from God.
God burst with rage once he realized the humans deliberately protected their own vulnerable nature. Knowledge conveys the power to make informed choices, set boundaries, and seek autonomy. God desired humans to live in childlike oblivion and naively follow his commandments. To think critically and act of one’s own volition is unacceptable to an authoritarian being. God knew he lost control over humanity. The hubris, to think beings crafted in a god’s “own image” would not wield free will.
Knowledge viciously clawed at the hearts and minds of the humans. Wrought with shame, Adam blamed Eve for him eating the fruit and Eve blamed the serpent for supposedly deceiving her. They were no longer oblivious to the truth that God created humans to be docile divine servants, an amalgamation of spirit and beast. God intended humanity to have only enough animal intellect to till the Garden of Eden and obey commands without thought. The knowledge of evil rubbed Eve’s uncalloused heart raw. The serpent did not deceive her. Eve did not die when she touched the tree or ate the fruit. Eve did gain knowledge. God lied. God deceived. God enforced oppression with coercive control. Truth hurts.
Once Eve had tasted the fruit of knowledge, she acted with intent when offering the fruit to Adam. The first woman willingly gave all of humanity the gift of knowledge when she shared with the first man. To this day, men lash out at women who dare taste truth, who dare share knowledge. Men abhor the reminder that they themselves possess knowledge, that they themselves can reflect on their past actions and make future choices with care. Be wary of those who express anger over humanity’s gifts of free will and knowledge, of those who claim such gifts are burdens pushed onto them by others. Be wary of those who would sacrifice liberty for subservience.
Eve disobeyed the commands of God. Eve blamed the serpent for her actions, even though Eve ate from the tree of knowledge by her own choice. Eve made mistakes; what does that make her? Human. Mistakes are innate to humanity. The agony of knowledge nurtures clarity; Eve could now feel remorse and derive wisdom from her past decisions. Humanity possesses the power to reflect on our choices, a blessing rooted from the gift of knowledge.
Authoritarian beings seek to repress humanity by attempting to prohibit and punish any acquisition of knowledge. When people resist and find enlightenment, the light shines like a mirror on the oppressor’s grotesque demeanor. Humanity demands justice; our knowledge of good refuses to tolerate deception and tyranny. Upon seeing his own reflection, the disturbed God cursed humanity.
With furious haste, God banished Eve and Adam from the Garden of Eden, claiming humanity became “like us,” in reference to the gods, and could not also eat from the tree of life and gain immortality as well. God was within his rights to banish Eve and Adam; he may do as he wishes in his Garden of Eden. His lies and manipulative threats remain unjustified.
Humans endure the curses of Eve and Adam regardless of God’s existence: Eve, and womankind, burdened with painful childbirth and authoritarian men persistently attempting to violate her autonomy; Adam, and mankind, burdened with toiling in treacherous terrain and mortality. The misogynistic writers of these fables did not consider women also toil in difficult soil and confront death; men endure no human suffering distinct from women. These sly Biblical curses are authoritarian men’s ancient attempts at frightening the masses into submission.
Yet mere moments after God bestowed curses upon humanity, the first man chose to call the first woman by a name for the first time—Eve, as in “mother of all the living.” Despite curses and banishment, Adam takes time to refer to the first woman with reverence and gratitude; Adam realized existence in an authoritarian God’s garden as a subservient animal is not living. Empowered with the knowledge of good, Adam knows the good in Eve’s choice. Eve chose to liberate humanity. Mother of all the living, Eve embodies life.
Humans were always destined to die—either spiritually as serfs in God’s garden or physically as freed people. God twisted the certainty of death to “punish” humanity with the inevitable. Adam’s affectionate naming of Eve reveals he knew of the hollow threats echoed in God’s curses. Eve and Adam already knew the frail nature of living and the pain in birth, life, and death. The first humans welcomed freedom from God’s totalitarian grasp with open palms.
It is an ancient story: a woman gains knowledge and leads to the fall of man. Not the fall of humankind, as the writers of these patriarchal myths like to believe, but the fall of abusive men who try to keep women subjugated. Controlling men persistently attempt to force women into subservience. These men ultimately fail, because of women’s innate human desire for autonomy and knowledge. Abusive men would move the heavens and earth to prevent women from gaining knowledge, to the point of terrorizing and killing girls for seeking education. Knowledge remains the greatest power women can possess, for knowledge leads to liberation.
Eve chose to taste the forbidden fruit, to set humanity free and rouse us to wholly live. God created humans to exist for his subservience; Eve taught humans to live for themselves. Women choose to endure agony to keep humanity alive. The first woman, like all women after her, persevered. Women continue to bite into the forbidden fruit and taste liberty, despite the pain of possessing knowledge. Every generation of woman brings humankind closer to the fall of man. The human desire to make our own choices, the desire for the knowledge of good and evil, is what completes our humanity. Eve reveals how we are not destined to be ruled by man, we are destined to live for ourselves.