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Melanie Henderson

November 2017

Women and Apples in Classical and Contemporary Mediums

Apples are seen everywhere: grocery stores, paintings, or animations in Walt Disney’s

Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Women too, are obviously seen throughout society as well

as they comprise roughly half of the earth’s human population. Yet, both apples and women, in

most societies, are not viewed in a positive manner. Symbolically, they are linked as the

embodiment of deception and temptation. This conception originated in the Genesis creation

myth as society often blames Eve for the banishment of Adam from the Garden of Eden.

The apple therefore, acts as the symbol for the fall and death of man. Although the book

of Genesis never identifies the type of fruit of the "Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil”,

traditional and popular culture often represents the forbidden fruit as an apple. Historian Douglas

Harper explains that Eve’s forbidden fruit was specifically classified as an apple from the mid-

eleventh-century up until the 1600s because the word “apple” was used as a general term for all

types of fruit besides berries. In contextualizing “apple” in this manner, the classical Greek myth

of Hades and Persephone, found in The Hymn to Demeter, atypically contributes to the mediums

that incorporate apples as Persephone eats a pomegranate which was otherwise known as a

“seedy apple,” (Stover, Mercure). In multiple instances apples are incorporated into literature

and movies and are often depicted as the cause of an expulsion from paradise and fall of

characters. However, by studying the Adam and Eve creation myth, in connection to Walt

Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarves, and The Hymn to Demeter, apples can be seen as a

symbol of rebirth and enlightenment which opposes apples’ typical symbolism. It also allows

society to establish a reconciliation with the female characters who partake of the fruit.
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Therefore, each of these stories represent apples in a more positive light that renders the

characters’ “fall” into darkness as a rebirth into a new world in which they achieve higher

enlightenment through self-discovery and understanding their complete potential. This therefore,

should cause society to revere characters such as Eve, Snow White, and Persephone, rather than

viewing them respectively as a temptress, an anti-feminist, and a victim.

Commonly, in the Genesis creation myth, Eve tasting of the apple sets a precedent for

women and fruit as they seemingly represent the fall of man from paradise. In the story of Adam

and Eve, the forbidden fruit, or the apple, is generally understood as the catalyst for the fall of

men, which was caused by Eve after being enticed by Satan. When Eve was commanded by God

to not eat of the forbidden apple, He warned: “for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt

surely die.” (Genesis 2:17). This seemingly hints at a physical death that Adam and Eve will

experience, yet when Eve does taste of the apple, she perishes a spiritual death and falls from

paradise. It is because of this that Eve is often depicted as the vessel of all evils because she eats

of the fruit, and even more so, she persuades Adam to eat the apple as well. In this sense, Eve (or

women in general) and the apple represent the same thing: the emblem of temptation and the

utter destruction of man.

Yet, this is a shallow understanding of the Genesis myth. Rather than the apple and Eve

being portrayed in a demeaning and shameful way, they both have the potential to symbolize

rebirth and enlightenment. However, this can only be seen if the myth, and the apple, are studied

further than just the initial consequence of eating the apple—the fall of man. Even though Adam

and Eve are reborn into a painful world, they also encounter a place where they have the ability

to learn and consequently change. This is shown in the text when Adam and Eve’s “eyes are

open” (Genesis 3:7) to the realities of the world after they have eaten the apple. They can
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recognize the distinctions between good and evil, sorrow and happiness. This leads to the

characters’ enlightenment as they are able to recognize these differences in their existence.

Additionally, they undergo a personal discovery as they have the ability to recognize their

emotions and see the changes that exist between truth and deception. When Adam and Eve were

living in the Garden of Eden, knowing no pain and grief, they weren’t capable of experiencing

pain or joy, and were in a state of blissful ignorance.

Similarly, it is only after the innocent princess in Disney’s Snow White and the Seven

Dwarves tastes the apple and falls into a “sleeping death”, that she experiences a higher state of

happiness. Yet, her enlightenment differs from Eve’s in a distinct way because rather than

feeling fulfilled as Eve did after coming to understand the difference between good and evil,

Snow White’s journey to enlightenment concludes with her being restored to her position as a

princess. Although she was content and satisfied living with the dwarves, just as Eve was

comfortable in the Garden of Eden, when Snow White is reborn she enters a world in which she

does not have to fear, and is free to marry the one she loves (Inge 137-138). It is because of the

apple that she experiences this greater joy. Although this story is commonly recognized as a

“happy-ending” fairy tale, it is not solely because the prince saved her, but also because the apple

freed her from living in a lesser state of awareness, and gave her a fuller life. Further, with this

freedom that Snow White receives, her reputation in modern society should be celebrated as she

is saved from the entrapment of the Queen.

Commonly, like Eve, Snow White does not hold an esteemed reputation. Yet, these two

are seen in two starkly different ways: Eve as a temptress to man, and Snow White as a static and

hollow princess. Snow White doesn’t undergo an internal change or growth, and is seemingly

only championed for her impressive household cleaning abilities as she remarkably cleans the
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dirt-laden cottage (Inge 139). This causes modern viewers of the film to find it difficult to relate

to the innocent princess and thus, audiences only view her as a product of her twentieth century

time as she fits the description of a “perfect” wife for that period. As contemporary society

embraces feminism, Snow White isn’t idolized by modern audiences because she does not

embody feminist ideals (Inge 140). But when Snow White eats the enticing fruit, it is only

because she believes it to be a “wishing apple.” This is interesting as it draws on the notion that

Snow White wanted to escape her seemingly contented life with the dwarves, so that she could

be with the prince, as her wish is to be with him. This emphasizes a major characteristic of

feminists, as they desire to choose for themselves, rather than men having the power to control

their lives. This combats the idea of Snow White standing as a symbol of anti-feminism, as she

too is an oppressed woman searching for relief. Additionally, once Snow White is reborn into a

new world where the wicked queen no longer oppresses her, the princess is liberated. By eating

the apple, Snow White rises in authority and power. Even without her marriage to the prince,

Snow White would have still gained control of her rightful place as a queen because her evil

step-mother had died. Additionally, Snow White should be valued by feminists because she

chose to pursue her desires in spite of the dwarves’ commandment to avoid strangers and remain

within the cottage. By following her own choices, Snow White falls into a state of “sleeping-

death,” but when she awakes she reestablishes her place as a queen, full of power and authority.

The theme of woman rising in power from a victim-like state is similarly seen in the myth

of Hades and Persephone. The apples in both the Genesis creation myth and Disney’s Snow

White and the Seven Dwarves, thoroughly demonstrate the rebirth and enlightenment of the

characters and explore the reconciliation that society should have with each female character;

yet, these themes similarly appear in The Hymn to Demeter. Although uncommon, the story of
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Hades and Persephone similarly illustrates how the pomegranate, or “seedy apple”, is a symbol

of Persephone’s rebirth and enlightenment. Ordinarily, this tale often receives much scrutiny

because it is often labelled as a narrative that involves rape, Stockholm-Syndrome, and women’s

lack of power and authority (Fitzgerald). However, this myth could be seen as Persephone’s

transition and rebirth into power, rather than understanding Persephone to be a helpless victim to

her captor. Towards the end of the myth, Hades pleasantly lets Persephone return to her mother,

and in return gives his wife a pomegranate. Just as the serpent and Snow White’s evil stepmother

did, Hades too offers the innocent girl an apple which contains the power of rebirth and

enlightenment. In this myth, it seems as though the pomegranate only symbolizes Persephone’s

damnation as she is sentenced to remain with Hades for a third of the year. However, there is

more to be analyzed than just the narrow consequence which Persephone receives in eating the

“seedy apple.”

Ultimately, while Persephone was unwillingly and violently taken by Hades, after she has

eaten of the “seedy apple” she attains more power and authority than she had before as she was

only seen as Demeter’s innocent daughter. This causes the apple to symbolize the rebirth of

Persephone as the queen of the underworld and further her enlightenment as she transitions from

a position of a child to an influential adult. When the myth began, Persephone was blissfully

picking flowers and was naïve and oblivious to the woes of the world. However, when Hermes

comes to take the dear goddess back to her mother after she has been taken, Persephone has

undergone a drastic transformation. She is no longer the innocent child that she was before.

Persephone’s willingness to take the “seedy apple” from her husband is pivotal. This signified

Persephone’s acceptance in being Hades’ wife. According to Laura Fitzpatrick, a Times

journalist turned physician, explains that apples, and more specifically pomegranates, were often
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given to brides to symbolize the consummation of the marriage. Fitzpatrick further analyzes that

Persephone’s acceptance of the fruit, “symbolizes Persephone’s connection to her new husband

Aidoneus [Hades]. Although originally she felt alienated from him, it represents the emotional

link she has formed with him over time.” This is where Fitzpatrick, along with other scholars,

argue that this affection has formed due to Stockholm-Syndrome, and understandably so.

Stockholm-Syndrome refers to the emotional attachment that victims make to their abductors,

and this can easily and readily be applied to this myth. However, Persephone only accepts the

fruit after Hades has offered her glory and power: “When you are here/ you shall be mistress of

everything which lives and moves; /your honors among the immortals shall be the greatest,/ and

those who wrong you shall always be punished,/ if they do not propitiate your spirit with

sacrifices,/ performing sacred rites and making due offerings,” (364-369). Although Persephone

is unaware of the apple’s seemingly damning sentence to remain a third of her life in the

Underworld, she is still offered great control. This greatly contrasts Snow White’s ascension to

power, because she did not recognize that by eating the apple she would reestablish herself as a

princess. Yet, Persephone willingly eats the apple to obtain this power. And when Persephone

tasted of the apple’s seeds, she was reborn and immortalized with the power to rule over the dead

as queen, and no longer remained the helpless daughter of Demeter. This myth and the “seedy

apple” can be claimed as a victory for Persephone as she no longer remains a child, or a victim to

Hades’ capture, and further she has the ability to remain a part of both the underworld, and the

world of the gods. Society often labels Persephone as a victim of a horrific kidnapping and rape,

and a helpless child. Yet, although she was aggressively taken, Persephone should be looked

upon as a symbol of power. Rather than remaining in the shadow of her abduction, the apple
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allows Persephone to ascend to the title of Queen of the Underworld and further her

enlightenment by reaching a higher level of authority.

Throughout the three stories, apples are able to elevate the female characters from a state

of apparent bliss, to a world where they are reborn and become enlightened by learning the

difference between good and evil, re-recognizing their true royal nature, and rising to a higher

authoritative power. Although each character in the myths and film is not revered for their

decision to eat the apples, they all represent different aspects as to why they aren’t championed

as heroes. Eve is viewed as the evil enchantress to condemns Adam to a world of pain and death.

Snow White is un-relatable to modern audiences as she echoes the early twentieth-century

woman. Persephone is only seen as a victim to her abduction. Yet, Eve, Snow White, and

Persephone display characteristics that qualify them to be recognized as complex and relatable

characters. According to the Christian myth, it is because of Eve that man fell, but therefore, it

also means that it is because of Eve that man may know the difference between good and evil.

This additionally leads to Adam and Eve’s enlightenment as they are able to more clearly choose

for themselves whether they desire to follow after truth or deception. Further, by Snow White

choosing to follow her desires and eat the apple, she achieves joy, rather than simple

contentment. And Persephone, through her decisive fall, rises from a childish and victim-like

state into a position of power. By studying the apples in each of these mediums, it is evident that

they do not simply symbolize the temptation and fall of man, but instead stand as an emblem of

rebirth into a world where higher enlightenment can be achieved, and female characters can

reach their full potential.

Works Cited
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Almond, Philip C. Adam and Eve in Seventeenth-Century Thought. Cambridge University Press,

2008.

Douglas Harper, Historian (25 May 2011). "apple". Online Etymology Dictionary.

Fitzpatrick, Laura. “Stockholm Syndrome.” Time. 31 August 2009.

http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1920301,00.html.

Inge, M. T. "Walt Disney’s Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs: Art Adaptation and

Ideology." Journal of Popular Film and Television, vol. 32, no. 3, 2004, pp. 132-142.

Langley, Patricia. "Why a Pomegranate?" BMJ: British Medical Journal, vol. 321, no. 7269,

2000, pp. 1153.

Schneider, Hildegard. "On the Pomegranate." Small, vol. 3, 1945, pp. 1il.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarves. Directed by William Cottrell, David Hand, Wilfred

Jackson, Larry Morey, Perce Pearce, and Ben Sharpsteen, Walt Disney Pictures, 4 Feb.

1937.

Stover, E. D., and Eric W. Mercure. "The Pomegranate: A New Look at the Fruit of

Paradise." HortScience, vol. 42, no. 5, 2007, pp. 1088-1092.

Thury, Eva M, et al. “Genesis (Creation)”, “Demeter and Persephone.” Introduction to

Mythology: Contemporary Approaches to Classical and World Myths, 4th ed., Oxford

University Press, 2017, pp. 56-63. 519-537.