Q: HOW ADAM AND EVE ARE LIKE AND UNLIKE HUMAN BEINGS?

Q: LIKE OF A RELIGIOUS BOOK, MAN IS THE CENTRAL THEME OF

PARADISE LOST, DISCUSS.
Q: DO WE FIND HUMAN NATURE AS THE CENTRAL ISSUE OF
PARADISE LOST?
Q: WHAT DIFFERENCE IN CHARACTER AND THINKING OF ADAM AND
EVE EMERGE IN BOOK IX
OF PARADISE LOST
Paradise Lost is a poem about the nature of man. The Biblical story of the fall and
its consequences serve as a framework to get the desired aim. The exposure of
human nature is made through the characters of Adam and Eve. Both are like and
unlike human beings. Prior to Satans entry into the Garden of Eden, they are unlike
human beings. The degree of innocence, simplicity, credulity, nobility, gentleness,
obedience, submission and purity, which the reader finds in them, is hard to be
found in human beings. They are more angels-like and less like us.
However, after Eves debate with Adam over the separation of their labours till
repentance that they become attractive and representatives of universal human
nature.
It is first of all Eve who attracts our attention. She argues with Adam over the
division of work. Her dissatisfaction, doubts and complaints are familiar thinking
processes of human psychic make up. The complaining wife tries to convince her
contended husband that their work to maintain the Garden of Eden is beyond their
capacity that all their efforts to keep the garden well-trimmed have failed, hence,
there is pressing desirability to divide their labours. The important thing to note is
the presence of germs of evil in Eves mind, which is another, proof of her being a
real human being. She, on the one hand, calls God unjust by complaining of
excessive work while on the other hand, finds faults with Divine Plan, which enjoins
them to work together. In short, her complaints and suggestions are natural to
human mind.
Adams disagreement corresponds to the thinking of the typical God fearing human
being. His arguments are sensible and logical but they are thoroughly coloured with
religious sentiments like a gentle husband, he advises Eve not to criticize Divine
Scheme because it is not binding on them to keep on working and to do nothing
else. He further expresses his fear like a true Christian. He thinks that the crafty
importer would prefer to seduce one of them instead of seducing both. It is worth
noting that Adam is too gentle to attract readers attention. Unlike Eve, he loves to
live a life of obedience and submission. At the same time, Adam has a noble
disposition, but neither he is authoritative nor aggressive. Eve exposes typical
female psychology by insisting upon her original plan. She wrongly interprets Adam
by saying that if they confine themselves within a small area and remain all the
time in a state of fear; their life cannot be called happy. Like a kind-hearted man,
Adam reassures her that he does not doubt Eves skill. What he means to say is that
union is strength;
when together they would administer to withstand any trial easily. He idealizes Eve
that it is in her presence, he feels stronger and more courageous.
Eve reveals firmness in her behaviour. She once again gives clear indication of the
presence of germs of evil in her mind. She advances a novel argument that God has
not made them so imperfectly that they should be incapable of meeting danger or
temptation individually. The implication of Eves argument is that if she fails to resist
the temptation singly. It would mean that God made her imperfect. She becomes
representative of universal human nature by showing her inclination towards evil.
There is blend of both good and evil in Eve, though good dominates. Eve becomes
more attractive human being than Adam as she behaves, talks and thinks, like an
average human being.

Adam is more reasonable and convincing than Eve in his arguments. He rightly feels
there is danger inherent in the fact that man may lose control over his own faculties
or the devil might drag him into fraud and deception through something that seems
too good and fair and that freewill requires to be exercised under the constant
control of reason. Thus instead of endorsing Eves desire for independence and
liberty he advises her to remain within the limits of divine rules and regulations. He
knows that whosoever violates the human limits will be punished by God. His
apprehensions are that of a true Christian. He also becomes a spokesman of human
nature.
By now it becomes clear that exposure of human nature is central to Paradise
Lost. Both Adam and Eve are the models of universal human nature. Hence, both
are like human beings therefore attract our attention and appreciation.