The Great Controversy according to Young Goodman Brown

I personally believe that this book could be a story told to John Milton by the Holy Spirit. Milton's Satan is somewhat different to our thought of Satan largely because he is more complex than the Satan of the Christian tradition. Satan's rebelliousness, his seeking of transcendence and his capacity for action, particularly evil action, change certain people’s viewpoints on him, even if their viewpoint might be considered theologically misleading. The question is: do we actually understand Satan and evil by means of the book Paradise Lost? In John Milton's Paradise Lost, Satan is banished from Heaven for his defiance against God.

Satan could be described in many terms, and by many people, but all can be disputed. According to my sources, Satan is displayed as the hero, while God is the evil deity, and Milton was wrong for writing Him as so. In this essay, I will show my thoughts on the subject of Satan as an evil deity, and other’s opinions on the matter. Satan is thought of as the tragic hero in Book 1 and 2 of Paradise Lost because he is shunned by God for trying to overthrow Him, and being ambitious enough to think he could be God. Satan, in my opinion, is not as much an evil individual, but more juvenile, and ignorant.

One of those is an adversary. The dictionary tells us that an adversary is one’s opponent in a contest, conflict or dispute. I believe that Satan is in constant conflict with God. We read in Luke 8:12 that, “the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, so that they may not believe and be saved” (NIV). He wants what God has and will do everything in his power to tempt God’s people to come to his way of thinking.

Satan also tests Job and even tempts Jesus to abandon his ministry (but is unsuccessful). Many Christians say the devil is a real being, who has the power to corrupt us into doing evil. Some of these people's lives revolve around "resisting Satan". They ban the music of rock groups whose lyrics supposedly include satanic ideas. They hold exorcisms to rid people of satanic influence.

Furthermore Christians believe that evil creatures are fallen, originally good creatures created by God. Satan (or the devil) is the embodiment or 'personification' of evil, the great enemy of God, the opposser of all that is good and the promoter of all that is evil (Matthew 5:37). Satan is wicked, a liar, deceitful, arrogant, cruel a... ... middle of paper ... ...t God's fault. Some Christians believe that all evil is work of the Devil. In addition I believe the statement "If God really loved humanity we would never have to suffer."

Milton goes on to describe Satan as a strong leader, someone who has the power to influence his fellow angels by using the justification that it is “Better to reign in Hell, than serve in Heav'n” (3). The fallen angel flaunts his strong-will by standing against God and refusing to stand on the same ground as his suppressor. Milton clarifies Satan’s profound ideas and questions, but at the same time he also identifies the devil’s tragic flaw as an ambitious being that does not know his own limits. In contrast to Milton’s idealization of Satan, the Bible takes on a fundamental view of the sinner as the ultimate adversary to... ... middle of paper ... ...ot be able to prevent man from turning to God in search of logic. These instances displays Milton's portrayal of Satan’s ineptitude to win against God’s supremacy.

Paradise Lost is a story of Genesis told as it normally would be, but with a protagonist focus on Satan. The story is told largely with Satan being favorably portrayed and God having little presence other than cursing things, which convinces the audience that Satan’s view of God as a tyrant may not be too far off. Still, Satan is portrayed as the villain of the story. However, he has characteristics of a classical hero; including flaws that make the audience relate to and feel sympathy for him. By using part of the black-and-white Genesis story which paints Satan as evil and juxtaposing a narrative which paints Satan as a sympathetic hero, Milton raises a question about morality that largely define the audience’s reaction to the story: what is immoral?

Humanizing Satan: An Examination of Satan as a Victim In John Milton’s, The Paradise Lost, Milton’s representation of Satan makes us uncomfortable due to the recognition of his humanizing and relatable reaction to what happened to him. The reader expects Satan to be an evil, and malevolent figure who does evil acts because he loves it and there is no defense for it. While these aspects are prevalent in his character in the poem, Satan does not come across as a completely wicked person but instead, a victim. The representation of Satan has a personifying quality that any of us may have and do not want to admit. In book one, Milton’s portrayal of Satan makes us uneasy because we relate to his actions, which are ordinary human responses to similar situations.

Spiggott interprets his punishment as a personal challenge from God, reacting to his sentence in a much more affronted manner than Dante’s Satan. Because Cook’s devil is not restricted, he is able to challenge God to a contest, rather than bear his punishment in silence like Dante’s devil. The devil has taken on many forms in both legend and media throughout history. Whether it is a con-man in a suit, or a vicious minotaur-like monster, the devil has been a representation of human evil since his conception. Satan in both Dante’s Inferno and Peter Cook’s Bedazzled is seen as an evil figure forced into an eternity of punishment, yet sympathetic because of this.

Throughout Paradise Lost, written by Milton, there are many primary motivations that consequently guide Satan in his actions, revenge, power, and lastly, praise of his own followers. First, Satan is guided throughout Paradise Lost by the revenge he wants God to deal with. He decided to go against the lord and live in the dark place where the damned go. Satan must live with the fact that he was one of the highest angels in heaven, but it still was not good enough to become a ruler along with god. He got mad, and lost his spot that he once held.