The only problem is, representing Hell in the new world must be exactly what God wants Satan to do. I know I'm assuming that God is truly Almighty, but omniscient powers are part of his job description, so I don't think it's a bad assumption to make. God knows no one would care about getting into Heaven if there wasn't such a shitty alternative. I mean, "Heaven or nothing" sounds a lot less intimidating than "Heaven or Hell." It can't be pure coincidence that God damns Satan and his bros to Hell, unchains them, then creates a new world and allows them inside. He is definitely capable of stopping them whenever He wants, but He doesn't! Besides, who created Hell itself if not God? Maybe there's a backstory to the backstory somewhere out there, but I hope it's written by God himself. I have a few questions for the guy.
If there is a backstory to the backstory out there, I'm trying to find out how the gates to Hell were constructed. There's nine of them for Christ's sake (no pun intended), and they're guarded by who? Satan's asexual child named Sin who he sexually impregnated with Death, and Death raped sin? Did I get that right? What kind of monster rapes his sister/mom? This is so fucked up. Do I even need to mention how ironically irritating it is that Sin is the only female here? Like...alright, I don't know what you're trying to say, God, but it's fine. Just don't act like women aren't the best sin.
Anyways, my favorite part of Book Two is when Satan flies out of Hell and gets directions to Earth from his fellow dark, cosmic entities. I'm just imagining this whole thing playing out in real time. God's a few lightyears away saying, "Let there be light!" - his voice echoing through the universe while the fallen angels strap up for war. Somebody should make a movie out of this, if they haven't already. Honestly, it would be beautiful, and Morgan Freeman could still play God.
Paradise Lost by John Milton.
I think I saw somewhere- either I read it in a summary or maybe someone's blog post, I can't recall- that the explanation for why God allows Satan to continue his evil machinations is because he intends to use his evil as a catalyst for more good. Basically, by using Satan's evil to put mankind through trials and suffering, He hopes to make us more good in the end by having us grow and endure.
ReplyDeleteBut honestly, I think that just makes God an asshole.
Sorry. Someone had to say it.
I think Paradise Lost really humanizes Satan. Most of the time when you hear about him, he's just presented as chaotic pure evil but in PL like you said, we are allowed to see the logic behind his actions. I don't think Milton wanted us to feel sympathy for Satan but his actions at times are definitely understandable.
ReplyDeleteI do agree with the idea that Milton is trying to show that God created Hell and put Satan there for a reason. I feel that your first picture really make this point. God simply did not want people to choose Him because He was the only option, that is choosing that is choice by default. For one, Satan and Hell give them something to fear and something to know is wrong. Secondly, He also knows that people are choosing to be good and choosing to follow His guidance for the sake of believing in Him.
ReplyDeleteI totally think the idea Milton is trying to convey is the concept of like, "I'm giving you a choice because then victory will be so much more satisfying". It kind of reminds me of those sitcoms when a family would lose a dog and it would be found by some other family, and then they fight over who's his real owner. They both call the dog and see who he comes to. This kind of reflects the whole "what will humans choose" dilemma.
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