Reading Notes: Adam and Eve, Part A

This week, my reading was from Adam and Eve from the Biblical reading options. I have known about Adam and Eve since I was a young child. I decided that reading their story again would refresh my memory, and I would have a chance to see how other parts of the world tell their story. I particularly liked how The Punishment by Louis Ginzberg (1909) was told in a way that was not as traditional as the way this tale was told in the Bible. This telling helped give more insight into the thoughts of the different characters. The characters were Adam, Eve, the serpent, and God. Walking through their punishment, the reader sees how Adam makes excuses for eating the Forbidden Fruit and following this behavior, so does Eve. This was not what God was intending, as had they confessed to their sins, the reader learns that God would have let Adam and Eve stay in Paradise.

More motive is shown behind God's intentions as well as the serpent's. God wants to truly let Adam and Eve stay, and He gives them a chance to make up for their mistakes even though they had the ability now to discern between good and evil. We also see that God is wary of the serpent, so He does not even let the serpent speak to defend himself. This was surprising to me, as this behavior seems to be out of character with God's since He gave Adam and Even both a chance to make up for their sins. The serpent's reasons for convincing Eve to eat the Forbidden Fruit to try to bring Adam's death was new to me.

I liked how this story had motives behind each character's actions. We see a play of power and deceit unfold in a way that does not go unpunished. I would like to be able to create characters that have concrete motives and desires that drive them.

Bibliography

The Punishment by Louis Ginzberg (1909)

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