The Struggle Of Women From History To Present Day

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The Struggle of Women from History to Present Day Since the beginning of time, the world has been based on men being in charge and ruling everything around them. What is not known to many is that the woman was created to be the man’s partner and his strength through his struggles. Eve was created from Adam’s rib; Enkidu from Gilgamesh’s image. Each character was to serve as a confidant and support system for the man. These two examples not only justify the treatment of women, but also give insight to how women silently fought to be equal and respected by men. Although Enkidu was made from Gilgamesh’s image, a close connection to women through appearance and emotions can be identified from reading the passages. Eve clearly was unaware of how her actions would shift the entire universe. Curiosity was undoubtedly the driving force that caused the unfortunate destiny of both Enkidu and Eve. Both characters’ fates; Enkidu transcendence and Eve’s transgression, led to the epic struggles of women for centuries to come. In the Bible, the story of Adam and Eve is a familiar one in which Eve was disobedient to the command from God and acquired knowledge that was off limits to Adam and her. Through the manipulative coaxing from Satan, Eve’s curiosity was escalated and she became rebellious towards God; thus seeking and acquiring the forbidden knowledge. Not only did she defy the specific instructions from God, she willingly involved Adam in her actions and caused them to be exiled from the Garden of Eden. It was clear that God had his reasons for forbidding the couple to gain any knowledge. Once the knowledge was bestowed upon the couple, they became aware of their nakedness. This angers God once he finds out that the couple is now embarrassed to be seen due to their naked bodies. He lays out punishments for both Adam and Eve and clothes them in loin cloths. Eve was initially created to be Adam’s help mate but it turns out she was his downfall. In analyzing the actions of Eve, would it be safe to assume that her role in the biblical story was to be objectified by Adam and only have a single minded thought of ‘serving’ her man? Although some theological scholars may argue the point, there is significant evidence that implies that women were merely objects of men’s affections during this era. Pleasing their men is their only focus and they place emphasis on doing just that. Enkidu was created by Aruru, the Goddess of Birth, to be Gilgamesh’s equal. He was going to be a partner to Gilgamesh who would display all the virtues the priest-king was lacking. Enkidu was just as strong as Gilgamesh and could contend very well. Although Enkidu is referenced as ‘he’ in the epic, his appearance is clearly that of a woman. The passage describes the character as having head hair like a woman, with locks that grew as thick as a grain field (Foster, 102). Fear was also a factor that opened Enkidu’s eyes to his lack of knowledge about the world. The hunter’s father implemented a plan to have Shamhat seduce Enkidu in order to avenge that fact that the beast was tampering with his traps he had set for the animals in the forest. His fear of Enkidu’s appearance and the circumstances of angering him prompted him to rely on such extreme measures. Enkidu, like Eve, was seduced and introduced to the civilized world by Shamhat. While this part of the story describes the weakness discovered by Enkidu, another situation is occurring as well. Shamhat is used by Gilgamesh to destroy Enkidu. Because she is a woman, her opinion does not matter and she follows instructions without a complaint. She is the catalyst for Enkidu’s destruction. She is seen as an object of desire for men who seek temporary or permanent pleasure. This fact is still prevalent in today’s society. Although women have come a long way since these times, struggles to maintain equivalent importance in society is reality. There have been many other
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