Gender Roles in Adam and Eve

            Whether mankind stemmed from creation or evolution, gender roles have played an important role in society since the beginning of time. Due to our innate biological difference man and woman each have separate roles and stereotypes associated with their functions. Many literary works have delved into this practice and Mark Twain’s “The Diary of Adam and Eve” is no different. As we read through the diary that was written by the first man and woman we see how they embrace the role of the gender they were given. We not only see them exhibiting their own gender roles but also see how they examine the gender roles of their counter part. Twain’s use of gender stereotypes gives us insight on how the gender roles were in the early 1900’s, as both of these stories were published in 1904. We first read through Adam’s diary and then Eve’s allowing us to compare their reactions of the same event.

            Until he had to adjust to Eve’s arrival, Adam as the first human experienced life in the Garden of Eden with just the animals; once she arrived Adam embraced the stereotypical characteristics of a man. When he was concerned that something problematic might occur he took this opportunity to flea in order to avoid the chaos that was to ensue, “I escaped last night, and rode a horse all night as fast as I could go, hoping to get clear out of the Park and hide in some other country before trouble should begin…” (Twain 330). As Eve had just arrived in his life—and since he believed she was at fault—Adam felt no desire to bring her with him. This is very typical of a young man especially one that has no connections with people, to just leave when they see a problem arriving. But as the story progresses we see Adam’s behavior, which resembles a man maturing and starting to understand his responsibilities. After he received ‘knowledge’ from biting into the apple, he discovered Eve is someone he wants to keep around, “I see I should be lonesome and depressed without her, now that I have lost my property….She will be useful” (Twain 331). Although he might be using her just to replace that which he has lost, he does see a ‘use’ out of her.

            While Adam eventually finds a use for Eve, he initially was not fond of her, which is made very evident in her perception of her. Through his perception we are able to see some of Eve’s typical gender roles and Adam’s interpretation of them. This interpretation, or misinterpretation as it would be, is seen in one of their first interactions, when Eve attempts to enter a shelter that Adam made. Adam said, “The new creature intruded. When I tried to put it out it shed water out of the holes it looks with, and wiped it away with the back of its paws, and made a noise such as some of the other animals make when they are in distress” (Twain 326). Just the way in which Adam describes Eve’s crying proves that he does not understand women. Also he continues to call her ‘creature’ because he does not fully understand that she is a woman and a part of him. Eve’s crying is not the only misinterpretation on the part of Adam, Eve enjoys going and sitting next to the pond, and Adam believes she is doing this to look at herself, “She fell in the pond yesterday when she was looking at herself in it, which she is always doing.” (Twain 329). In reality, we learn that Eve actually believed this reflection to be a friend of hers and enjoyed sitting next to the pond to keep from being lonely. While Adam does have some interpretations of Eve’s behavior, we can also see Eve’s female gender stereotypes in her own diary.

            Eve exhibits many female characteristics throughout her diary. Even just her diary itself fulfills a female stereotype, the fact that her diary is almost twice as long as that of Adam’s exemplifies the woman’s desire to talk and never stop talking. If this is not enough, Eve explicitly says how much she enjoys talking, “…I love to talk; I talk, all day, and in my sleep, too, and I am very interesting, but if I had another to talk to I could be twice as interesting, and would never stop, if desired” (Twain 340). Sometimes it is not just the length of the discussion that is stereotypical but also the topic of discussion. Woman enjoy talking about something men never wish to talk about or hear about, their feelings. Eve exhibits this with an emotional rant in the starting paragraph, “For I feel like an experiment, I feel exactly like an experiment; it would be impossible for a person to feel more like an experiment than I do, and so I am coming to feel convinced that that is what I am—an experiment; just an experiment, and nothing more” (Twain 337). She feels like an experiment and although her and Adam were created in the same manner and she calls him a man she is merely an experiment. This goes towards woman’s stereotype of not only being emotional but insecure about who they are and themselves. In all her lengthy discussion Eve does discuss Adam and some of his behaviors as well.

            Eve enjoys watching Adam and examining what he is doing in. At one point he is lying around and she becomes very critical of his lack of actions, “It looks to me like a creature that is more interested in resting than in anything else” (Twain 340). She is reading into him lying down as him being lazy and desiring resting more than anything else. Which is as much a stereotypes for men as they are for women. While man does enjoy lying around when he gets the opportunity woman do enjoy criticizing them for doing this. We also see Adam’s transformation through Eve as he starts to grow more concerned for her and starts to care about her. When she tries to get him to eat the apple he says, “They are forbidden and he says you shall come to harm…” (Twain 342).  While he is very blunt he is starting to become protective and concerned for Eve.

            Throughout Adam and Eve’s Diaries we are able to see them embrace their gender stereotypes. Not only are they embracing their stereotypes but they are beginning to understand the gender roles of the other. This mirrors men and women in society and as they age they must either embrace their genders stereotypes or go against them. And as they are doing this they also learn about the opposite genders roles. It is all a transformation that must occur within society.