I see it differently. The talking serpent represents a type of person, a narcissist, in society.
When Jesus said "satan was a murderer from the beginning" it was not about a serpent within.
When he said his disciples would be immune to the poison of serpents it was not about any serpent within.
When God sent a plague of "fiery serpents" among the people recently freed from Egyptian slavery
during the time of testing in the wilderness (because they were complaining about the hardships of freedom) he did not send snakes, he sent a plague of con artists, people like this;
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And as you know millions of people have died when bitten and injected with their poison. And this is no fairy tale, no superstitious fantasy, no blind faith or suspension of disbelief required.
Just awareness. Eyes that see, ears that hear, and a mind to perceive. To be aware is to be alive!
When John the baptist called the pharisees "a brood of vipers" he was not talking about serpents within. He was calling the people vipers for the same reason people have been comparing other people to lower beasts, birds, insects, etc, to either praise or insult, ever since people could talk.