A Distinctive Reading of the Creation Story: Adam, Eve and the Serpent in the Traditional Accounts From the Feminist Perspective

This paper observes the different interpretations of the story of Adam and Eve from the main religious accounts, The Qur’an and The Bible, and the traditional understanding based on them to the challenging contemporary criticism. The study reveals that the misogyny and biased view towards women derive from the depiction of Eve as wicked due to her influence over the first sin of eating from the forbidden tree. The study illustrates that The Bible involves direct accusations towards Eve for following the serpent and tempting Adam to the sin as well while The Qur’an does not make such a distinction but refers to Adam and humankind in a more forgiving way. The misogyny in the traditional texts towards women are observed to base their arguments mostly on The Biblical accounts with the purpose of dominating women in male-oriented cultures. This study involves distinctive interpretations of the story of Adam and Eve from feminist to eco-feminist perspectives. The analysis highlights the constructivist interpretations of the serpent and the woman as being wise rather than evil. This vision challenges the story of falling from the paradise and coming to Earth as a punishment by claiming that it was just the part of the plan for the beginning of human life on Earth. The study concludes that the feminist analysis on the story of Adam and Eve acknowledges that woman has no wickedness as in the patriarchal interpretations, but she has wisdom, individual curiosity and courage indeed.