Adam
There are four characters in this narrative essay: Adam, Eve, Lilith, and the God of Judaism. The story is set in the dawn of man, the Garden of Eden. Adam is the earth's first human, born not of animal nature, but of God's own nature. God breathes life into a sculpture crafted from clay, and the sculpture comes to life as a living, breathing being. Except, Adam is not the only one, in this feminist retelling. Instead, Plaskow sets Adam against a truly equal counterpart, the untamable Lilith of Jewish mysticism.
Eve
Eve is Adam's wife born after him, so that she does not know about her own nature the same way Lilith does. She is the wife Adam desired for himself, the one Lilith refused to be. Eve's life is one of chores and service. Adam makes her more of a slave than a wife, but all in all, things are alright. Eve is humble and enamored. Then, Adam tells Eve stories about his ex-wife, and Eve is suddenly curious. She wants to see more women. She finds Lilith and they become best friends.
Lilith
Adam says that Lilith is a demon. The truth is that she is a minor deity of the same nature as Adam, derived from God's own essence. She is a "son of God," in Jewish tradition, and Adam calls her a demon only because he hates her as his ex-wife. She refused the humiliation of service to him. Instead of tolerating Adam's incessant need for service and worship, she leaves and lives alone in nature, leaving Adam to be alone. Eve meets Lilith and realizes that she is secretly very awesome and inspiring.
God
God plays two roles in this narrative. First of all, he plays a sovereign role as the grand architect of reality. He knows that his world is contrived in such a way that it will not last in perfect stasis, but will instead fall into sequences of manifesting patterns. But on the other hand, he also plays a confusing role as a character within that Garden narrative that unfolds. When Lilith leaves, God talks to Adam as if he is genuinely puzzled; secretly, Plaskow frames God as a feminist, setting Adam up to learn a lesson. God is humble enough to "learn that lesson" alongside Adam, but the theology of that is challenging.
