This beautifully crafted, sorrowing and burdened representation of the Biblical Eve, apparently carrying the weight of her so-called sins in that enormous apple, used to stand on a grassy hillside crossed by a public footpath not far from where I live. The wooden statue stood for many years but has recently vanished. I don’t know why.
Eve’s been the subject of many artists over the centuries since she was introduced in what always seemed to me a way for her real inventors to subjugate all the women of the world. Here, she stands holding the infamous (and traditional but inaccurate) apple above her head. Is she nude because she’s yet to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge and therefore remains unaware her state? Or has the artist portrayed her this way to make observers consider the odd pervasive human view of our own reality?
Why would her Biblical creator want to imbue her with a sense of shame at her lack of cover? He’s portrayed as having made her the way she is. Is this deity ashamed of his creation?
At the time of the incident, there’s only her mate, Adam, similarly naked, to see her. And as their god supposedly created them in this private place to reproduce, doesn’t it seem a little odd he considers clothing essential?
Why, I wonder, would this deity want to keep her and her mate ignorant of everything? Doesn’t his punishment of the pair, after Eve’s desire to learn is manifested, seem more like the response of a controlling male human terrified of sharing his own limited knowledge, and not the reaction of a being capable of creating the entire universe? Why would such an omnipotent and omniscient being be concerned about humanity gaining knowledge? Surely, such a powerful and knowledgeable creator is more likely to positively welcome his creations’ acquisition of every type of knowledge that exists? Doesn’t wishing them to remain no more than playthings, the trivia of a child, inconsequential oddities, seem much more a human need to be in control?
And I must ask why this supposed creator then condemns the entirety of the female human race to suffering, and to domination by his created men? Doesn’t that appear incredibly unjust, petty, cruel, unreasonable, and unbelievably biased? It seems to me that even the simplest analysis of the story of Eve in the Garden of Eden proves it to be the work of a man, or men, desperate to keep women under control. Can there be any other reason for writing and spreading this wicked piece of injustice?
Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the women of the world, as one, rejected this appalling slur on them, and instead showed themselves as the strong and independent gender they truly are?
Stuart Aken 
Great questions, Stuart. Here the sculpture would very likely be considered inappropriate to display in a public, outside venue because of the topic. Rightly or wrongly, there would be many complaints, not least because it could be seen as supporting religious notions of a “woman’s place.”
More likely it would be part of an installation to raise the same sort of discussion that you have also raised. The story of Eve is stolen almost wholly from the Pandora myth, another female who got blamed for the evils of the world, so I agree that it’s all about men trying to exert control. It is a beautiful piece, though.
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So much of the Old Testament seems to have been stolen from earlier myths, Lynette. Creation and flood myths appear in almost every religion ever invented. I hadn’t realised Pandora preceded Eve, but the dating of many of the Old Testament stories is somewhat fluid, of course.
It’s interesting to compare these misogynist tales. I do wonder what happened in those ancient times, especially around the Mediterranean, to make men turn against women in such a perverse manner. Perhaps women were gaining the upper hand after the early tribal male leaders had had their day and the persecution of women became part of their backlash. It’s certainly the case that women have been portrayed in a poor light for many centuries, and most religions appear to promote this idea of women as the cause of the ills of the world. The right wing, in particular, and especially in modern America, have long portrayed women as both sinful and inferior. What’s depressing about that is the way so many of the US female population have been so thoroughly brainwashed by unscrupulous and greedy pastors that they actually believe the lies they’ve been fed. Hence the extraordinary support for the likes of Trump, of course. High time all religion was relegated to the past as the myth and legend it is, eh?
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Much of the Old Testament was based on Greek philosophies, especially those of Plato and Socrates, twisted to fit the desired ends. What I find interesting is that this blaming of women seems to have occurred everywhere. Ancient Chinese and Indian texts are also full of this dogma about evil females. Agreed, the right wing can’t let go of it; it’s part and parcel of all this religious nonsense that’s designed to ensure power, control, submission and wealth.
Here in Canada we seem to be holding the line, but I frequently find it uncomfortable to be living next door to such a powerful and at the moment, unstable country. It could easily tip over into a theocratic authoritarian regime if Trump is elected again (or perhaps even if he isn’t). Closer to home, the leader of one of our opposition parties is what I call Trump light, a total liar and real piece of work who keeps spouting similar inanities and getting lots of attention for it. Much more difficult for him to go down the religious road here, but I’m concerned at the numbers listening to the rest of his phoney baloney. Ugh.
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I agree with all you say here, Lynette. Part of the problem lies in the fact that those with power often attribute their holding of office to the ‘Will of God’, which is certainly the case here in the UK with the Royal Family and much of the landed gentry. Of course, the fact that there is no god is something they do not wish to confront, as it would destroy the basis on which their wealth and status is founded. It’ll take a lot of time and education to change all this, of course, but the atheist position is rapidly growing in many parts of the world, and the one thing the internet is good at is spreading information widely, so who knows, perhaps this trend toward reason and rational thought might increase in influence and put an end to the dreadful hold religion has on so many basically good people?
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It would indeed be a great thing to see the world begin to take on a more atheistic sensibility, Stuart. It unfortunately could take a long time, though. There’s an awful lot of it and very dominant in numerous parts of the world. The idea that there’s no god scares and discomfits many people, and they don’t want to examine that.
Yes, the Royal Family is very dependent on some completely outmoded notions which, as you point out, allow them to hang on to their wealth and status.
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That’s a beautiful rendering, Stuart. It was probably removed by someone who disliked the biblical reference, since it seems that Christianity is under protest right now. Or maybe someone who disliked the nudity. There’s always one person out there to complain. I’m sorry it’s gone.
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I suspect it may have been sold to an admirer, Noelle. It’s not sited in a particularly well-known space, and anyone unfamiliar with the footpath, which is itself quite obscure, would be unlikely to see the piece. So, I hope that’s what’s happened to it. I think it stood in a field belonging to the carver, and I think it may be that he/she produces other pieces of art at the home I imagine stands adjacent to that field. But that’s entirely speculation, as I’ve never met anyone in the village who knows where the sculpture came from.
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Thanks, Stuart. I hope she ended up in a good home!
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Me, too, Noelle.
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