And Adam Eats the Fruit
This is my last post on Book 9 and probably my last post for a little while. Not that I have been super consistent with my posting recently, but it turns out grad school takes a hell-of-a-lot of work and my next couple of weeks look a little scary. I will be battling Victorian school boys and alternate worlds while the Son continues to battle Satan for control of the universe. It does put my stress level in perspective.
However, weāre not there yet. Adam has to taste the Forbidden Fruit first.
We pick back up with Adam patiently waiting for Eve to come back from gathering dinner. Adam has no idea what has happened yet, but he is struck with a great feeling of foreboding. It scares him so much he goes looking for Eve and finds her by the Tree of Knowledge (shocking).
Eve has never missed Adam more (though I am not sure what that means since she has never been parted from him before). Now picture you are in a crowded theater watching the latest chick flick. There is the missing girl suddenly found by the latest heart throb. She looks at him; he looks at her, drops his bouquet of flowers and runs to her. Cue overly dramatic music now.
Of course, this isnāt a sappy chick flick and this isnāt the blissful end to the story. As soon as Adam gets close to Eve he knows something is off. For the first time Adam has a private thought. Before this Adam and Eve have always spoken their thoughts out loud, but at this moment, Adam canāt tell Eve his thoughts because he has to sort through how he feels about her in her new fallen state.
Adam realizes really quickly that he is so much in love with Eve that he would choose death over a life without her. Compare this (sinless) thought to Eveās (sinful) thought where she doesnāt want to die without Adam. One is sacrificial (Jesus) the other is possessive (Satan).
Now there is almost a rehash of the debate Eve had with Satan/Serpent. Eve must convince Adam to eat the fruit so they can be together. Eve didnāt get to hear Adamās thoughts so she doesnāt know that he is already favoring turning away from God so he can stay with her. However, Adam doesnāt make the decision without a fight. Milton is careful to distinguish the fall of Adam from Eve. Eve is deceived by the Snake/Satan. āAdam is not deceivedā (1 Tim 2:14), but instead āfondly overcome with female charmā (999).
Now sinless love turns into lust: āCarnal desire inflaming, he on Eve / Began to cast lascivious eyes.ā Thus Milton solves the puzzle about what is sinful about sex. It isnāt the sex, but the lust. Lust is also the reason that Adam and Eve suddenly feel they must cover themselves. Seeing each otherās naked bodies is just too tempting. Adam in particular is worried that God will be able to see lust all over his face.
In my opinion, this is a little like cutting off all your hair and then expecting no one will notice if you hide the sheared strands. This GOD we are talking about, omniscient and omnipotent. He knows Adam and Eve have eaten the fruit and discovered sin, masking their expressions isnāt going to change that.
The final act of Book 9 is a real, nasty, teeth drawn fight. Sinful Adam is not only motivated by love, but has all sorts of negative emotions including anger, hate, suspicion, etc. He blames Eve for causing his fall. No longer do Adam and Eve try to empathize and understand one another, now they just blame each other.
A really key phrase here is āin mutual accusation spent / The fruitless hours, but neither self-condemning, / And of their vain contest appeared no end.ā (1187-9)












