A Comparison Of Adam And Eve In The Garden Of Eden And Anthem

Expulsion. The pain and suffering that accompanies it. Nobody wants to be excluded, but what if it’s the difference between quenching your curiosity and remaining ignorant? In both the Biblical story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden and in the dystopian novella Anthem, by Ayn Rand, the protagonists are faced with this predicament. Their actions come with immense consequences which forever change not only their own life, but that of the human race. The environment and lifestyle in which we are brought up in can greatly affect our motivations and thus our decisions.
The conditions and freedoms, or lack thereof, which we mature in influence our perspectives and attitudes on various issues. The settings of both narratives can be considered

Though Adam and Eve and Equality 7-2521 all developed in environments of utopian perfection, they experienced different freedoms and restrictions in their lives. Furthermore, one cannot be free without knowing what freedom truly is. Adam and Eve were told that they were allowed to consume any of the fruits from the trees in the garden except from the tree in the center of the garden. “ ‘You [Adam and Eve] must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it...’ ” (Genesis 3:3). In this utopia, the only restriction is that against the consumption of the fruit of knowledge and self-awareness. God had banned this in order to protect His children from the evils of the world. This flexibility, however, is not seen in Anthem. In Anthem, by Ayn Rand, the progression of society was not accepted. Equality 7-2521 grew up learning that knowledge not belonging to all men was considered a sin. “We [Equality 7-2521] are false in the faces of our brothers … the course of our punishment, if it be discovered, is not for the

This is exemplified in the stories of Adam and Eve and Equality 7-2521 where a common inspiration is revealed - pride. While the sins had a direct linkage to pride, the individuals believed that they had broken the rules for the greater good. “ … the serpent said to the woman, ‘For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.’ When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband...” (Genesis 3:5-6). Eve’s interest in the fruit was piqued by Satan the serpent, and she gave the fruit to Adam, who also consumed the forbidden fruit. Comparably in Anthem, Equality 7-2521’s catalyst for his actions is his own curiosity. “We [Equality 7-2521] wish nothing, save to be alone and to learn, and to feel as if with each day our sight were growing sharper than the hawk’s and clearer than rock crystal” (Rand 36). In both stories, the thirst for knowledge ultimately led to the three of them falling to temptation. While Adam and Eve were tempted by their curiosity, which was instigated by Satan, Equality 7-2521 was tempted by his thirst for knowledge and desire to explore the world outside the closed society. Because they had become enlightened with restricted information, they were expelled from places of ignorance: Adam and Eve