Shame and Sorrow

So for this post I’d like to talk about something no one likes to talk about: shame. As I read Book 9 of Paradise Lost, I couldn't help but feel an intense sympathy for Adam and Eve, particularly in the passage after they’ve realized they are naked and decide to clothe themselves. I think we can all relate to the pain and remorse that one might feel when we realize we have committed a wrong, but imagine being the first to ever commit sin, and the first to experience the guilt it carries. Milton says that the earth literally groaned and thunder rolled as they committed sin, and when they came to a realization the morning after, both Eve and Adam are overwhelmed with sorrow. Eve cries at Adam’s feet, and they both realize the gravity of the situation too late. In the same way, when we sin we often realize the choice we are making after the fact, but that doesn't change the way we feel. We feel broken, shameful, and often, as Adam and Eve will do eventually, hide from the world and from God. Also in the same way when we sin, we might try to justify what it is we have done, and pin the blame upon someone else. Adam and Eve do precisely this, but again, it doesn't change the fact that what has happened has happened. I also found it particularly interesting that Adam would rather fall into sin with Eve than live without her, which is precisely what Raphael warned him of in the previous book: not to be subjected to her but rather admire her. In the same way today, peer pressure or the pressure from someone we look up to or love can cause us to do what is wrong because it is to difficult to fight against. I’m starting to see that this book, though written so long ago has so many practical implication for life in modern times.

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