Milton establishes Eve's role as a stand-in for God in his description of her initial observation of her reflection. Eve's appreciation of her own form over Adam's does not stem from vanity (as it first seems), instead, the river acts as a lens through her own image stands in for that of God. The river that she looks in is "pure as the expanse of heaven," and "[seems] another sky," (456, 459). She first sees her own form through the lens of this heaven-like water, which separates Eve's reflected image from her actual identity. Because she was created in God's image, in seeing her own reflection through this heaven-like lens, she sees and appreciates the image of God. Additionally, when she refers back to the reflection that she saw in the river, she calls it "that smooth watery image," suggesting that she does not see it as an actual representation of herself but as a separate entity (480).
Because of this establishment of Eve's connection to God, every subsequent misstep she makes ultimately applies to him rather than her.
I love your bold claim first of all. I really did not make the connection between the two (and I'm not completely sure if I buy it) but I think it's great that you do have evidence to back up your claim!
ReplyDeleteWhat I would have loved to see, however,w as an explanation as to why Eve would be a stand-in for God. Why her specifically? Why a woman at all? How can the parallels between Eve and Sin be erased when talking about Eve and God?
Great thought processes and relation!