It was not I who began it.
This first line outlines Eve's character by the use of passive voice and the denial of responsibility. Throughout the poem, Eve insists that she is a submissive woman, though her tone and the final lines in the poem show that she is taking a stand against Adam. The passive voice of "It was not I" also echoes an older and more formal way of speaking. As the poem progresses, Eve's language becomes more modern. Even by the second stanza, Eve silently complains about her husband in the line "But Adam, you know ….. !"
He even complained of my cooking
(it was hard to compete with Heaven).
Here, Eve recounts Adam's distaste for their life on earth and for Eve's efforts to assimilate and make the best of things. The word "even" gives a tone of slight outrage, as does the guttural alliteration of the hard "c" sound. The line that follows is encased in parenthesis, which makes it an aside. This showcases Eve's sense of humor in the matter—she does not seem to be taking Adam's criticism to heart. The issue of a husband complaining about his wife's cooking could be something that modern readers relate to. The juxtaposition of the characters of Adam and Eve with this petty modern issue is expressed in casual language, which heightens the tension.
As for God and the Other, they cannot be demonstrated,
And what cannot be demonstrated
doesn’t exist.
You see, he had always been jealous.
These lines provide the fundamental logic on which Adam bases his worldview. The "Other" most likely refers to Satan, and Eve's refusal to name him suggests that she believes in and fears Satan. Despite Adam's obsession with clear logic, (as insinuated by the simple formula that "what cannot be demonstrated / doesn’t exist"), Eve makes it clear that her husband's feelings cloud his judgment. This is Eve's first observation in the poem that clearly outlines one of Adam's flaws. The short line "doesn't exist" foreshadows the conclusion that Eve will eventually draw about Adam by using his own logic.
