Jonathan Whitfield believes that Eve's wrongdoings are overemphasized, which therefore presents her character in a “patriarchal mythological narrative that favors [Adam]” (61). It is in this line of criticism that Eve's confrontation with Adam after their fall must be re-examined. After being chastised by God, Eve turns to Adam and proclaims, “Should I never have parted from your side? / However good a lifeless rib still grew there!” (IX.1153-54). Here Eve recognizes her estrangement from Adam, her status as “she for God in him” and inferiority to Adam because she came from him (IV.299). His use of the word “lifeless” suggests a quickening of self and body that is not necessarily physical – after all, he could walk, talk, and breathe because God made him so – but is intellectual, emotional, and psychological (IX.1153 -54). Life, versus lifelessness, is more than physical animation; it is an understanding of true emotions dictated by personal will and sense of self rather than simple imitation and conformity. Furthermore, by questioning his attachment to Adam, he sees the emptiness of a life based solely on another person. Here, and in her motivation to share her knowledge with Adam after eating the apple, Eve is aware of the limitations imposed