The Concept of Struggling in "Adam's Curse" Anonymous College

In the book of Genesis, Adam and Eve disobey God by indulging in the forbidden fruit of the Garden of Eden, thus beginning the plague of Adam’s Curse on mankind. This belief postulates that in order to experience even the most minimal pleasures in life, one must undergo a tremendous struggle. Throughout his poem “Adam’s Curse”, W.B. Yeats analyzes the burdened nature of the human race as a result of the biblical ordeal. The inclusion of irony, tone, and mood each allow the poet to contribute to the notion that human nature cannot escape the grips of the hedonic treadmill. Individuals undergo a copious amount of suffering in exchange for a minute perception of happiness, only to once again subject themselves to another cycle of sorrow.

Initially, Yeats introduces the concept of Adam’s curse in an ironical sense in order to suggest that the toiling seems to affect women more than men. The phrase “Adam’s curse” suggests the idea that men suffer as the sole victims of this agonizing anathema. Nevertheless, when conversing with the woman, the narrator discovers his erroneousness; for the woman states that, “…To be born woman is to know-/Although they do not talk of it at school-/That we must labour to be beautiful” (Yeats). The...