you guys are going to judge me for this- madison flowers

on

This is my second time reading Paradise Lost and I am just as overwhelmed as the first time I read the book. There are so many hidden meanings and messages throughout this poem and I know I am only scratching the surface of all that lies between the pages of this story. My mind is blown that Milton has created this entire back story from what was written in the Bible. The character that continues to shock me the most in book is Satan. Now do not judge me for what I am about to say, but I almost feel sorry for him. ALMOST. Ok he is a bad guy, I get that, but look back in Book IV when Satan first enters Paradise. He sees what he has lost and can never know again, he has fear and envy and despair at what he knows he can never get back. He did it to himself, I know this guys I know this, but still, how absolutely terrifying would it be to know that you have messed up so bad that you cannot fix it, no one can. He knows that even if he were to ask for forgiveness, it would not be true repentance. He knows that true repentance is impossible for himself because he is the embodiment of all that is evil and I cannot imagine what it would be like to know that you are separated from God for all of eternity and there is nothing you can do about it. The worst part is that he knows what he is missing. He experienced what it was like to live in true harmony and peace with God and now he can never get that back.

I will tell you what though, I cannot stand Eve. Her complete naivety is extremely aggravating.

commented on Stephen and Eliza's posts

Comments

Rachael Gregson said…
Hi, I really respect your bravery and honesty to post this and understand it has got to be hard to discuss something like that in front of a group with mixed opinions. But here's the thing. Because of Jesus dying for us, we never have to experience this sinking feeling of doom that Satan felt when he screwed up. No matter what we've done, we're never too far from God. We can always come back to Him, and He will always be there to readily accept us back.
September 1, 2019 at 9:02 PM
Eliza Colbert said…
Milton would be proud. I think this is the exact reaction he was going for. Satan is definitely displayed as a pitiable character, that's one of the reasons that people hated Paradise Lost so much. It makes me wonder if Satan (in reality) ever did feel regret.
Also, I have read this before too and I hate Eve just as much this time as I did last time.
September 2, 2019 at 6:49 AM
Moriah Nelson said…
I think it's really interesting to see how Satan goes from seeing creation and realizing what he lost, almost to a mournful state, to giving his army a "pep-talk" (Book Six) in the night after fighting God's army all day and tells them to resolve to not fear anything but rather "Think nothing hard, much less to be despaired" (line 495). He may have had this shift of attitude as a result of not being able to truly repent and thus resolves to give his full energy to fighting against God. This resolve seems to be Satan no longer looking back but forming his own purpose to fight against God for as long as possible.
September 2, 2019 at 8:33 AM
Osten Belew said…
I agree with that. This idea of messing up so bad that you can't ever fix it is a scary thought but I thing Milton has it wrong when he says that Satan is grieved by this. Instead I believe that he is so overwhelmed with anger that he can no longer feel sadness. All he ever does is plot and scheme a way to take over. If Satan could ever take it upon himself to humble himself to be forgiven then God's love would forgive him but he is too obsessed with power. for us as humans it can be easy to mess up so badly that it could never be fixed. Just look at the age of kids who commit school shootings and bomb threats. Now that is something worth grieving over.
September 2, 2019 at 12:58 PM
Stephen Davis said…
I can see why you would feel sorry for Satan, the way john Milton portrays him naturally makes the reader, in a way, connect with him. Even knowing that he is the prince of lies and the literal devil incarnate, told through Milton's eyes, we see the pain and the hurt that he feels, knowing that he is forever lost from paradise and begin to feel sorrow for him. Knowing that he cant repent for what he has done, I believe you nailed the point on its head when you said " He knows that true repentance is impossible for himself because he is the embodiment of all that is evil and I cannot imagine what it would be like to know that you are separated from God for all of eternity and there is nothing you can do about it".
September 2, 2019 at 4:31 PM
Devin Monasterio said…
I understand the sympathy that Milton creates for Satan. It was truly sad to read those pages where he saw what he had lost, but I believe it wasn't that he knew he could not repent because he has to be the "evil" to a point that there's no choice on whether being good or not. I see it as ignorance and stubborn because he tossed back and forth on the treasure he has lost in those pages, but he ultimately knew that he could never repent because of what it would do to his position of power. After creating sympathy, I view Milton turning back to the evil that satan chooses to be. To go against The Almighty comes form his position of power and rebels through the build up of his own ignorance and stubborn ways...for He did take a third of the angels with him to rule against the Lord.
September 2, 2019 at 7:49 PM
Anna Gay said…
I feel that same way about Satan as I read. I can't imagine being in that situation and understanding what I had done and knowing I couldn't get it back, that there was no hope. Repentance isn't an option for him, he knows that and understands that, as much as he wants it. Great thoughts!!!
September 2, 2019 at 7:55 PM
Gabby Strahan said…
I have nothing but respect for your raw honesty. I share so many of your opinions regarding Satan’s character and found myself often even finding relation with him with my own experiences ... feeling hopelessness. I loved that you mentioned that once knowing every detail of Heaven’s perfection made it so much more tragic for him. Also he knew God’s love and holiness in a way we can not even begin to grasp. They were probably even friends. Imagine that!!! He knew God and was sent as far away as possible to never experience or witness His power or love again. Imagine his withdrawals. Scary dude.
September 2, 2019 at 8:40 PM
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