Eve was created innocent, but in pursuit of wisdom she lost
her innocence in the Garden of Eden by disobeying God. She was deceived by the
serpent and ate of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. She
saw that the tree was good for food, and it was pleasant to the eyes, and its
fruit was desirable for making her wise,* so she took of the fruit and ate it.
Compounding the tragedy, Adam also ate of the forbidden
fruit. Their eyes were opened, and they were ashamed of their nakedness. They lost
their innocence and as a result they tried covering their nakedness by making
garments of fig leaves. Having disobeyed God, they hid from Him, but to no
avail. The consequences of their disobedience made them cognizant and culpable
because of their knowledge of good and evil. With these god-like attributes God
banished them from the Garden of Eden, lest they were to take of the tree of
life which was also in the Garden and live for ever. (Genesis 4:22-24)
William Blake’s poem, ‘The Sick Rose’, could possibly be seen as an
allegory telling of the horrendous effect of sin brought about by the insidious
serpent that violated Eve’s innocence. The sickness of sin pervades the human
race.
*Genesis 3:6
The Sick Rose
O Rose thou art sick.
The invisible worm,
That flies in the night
In the howling storm:
Has found out thy bed
Of crimson joy:
And his dark secret love
Does thy life destroy.
The invisible worm,
That flies in the night
In the howling storm:
Has found out thy bed
Of crimson joy:
And his dark secret love
Does thy life destroy.
Links
Innocence
Innocence
Innocence Synonyms
Innocence Rose
Innocence Rose
Songs of Innocence and Experience
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