Paradise Lost And Frankenstein Theology Religion Essay Example

as the most significant figure, representing the will of the entire existence. Satan, who desires to break free from God's influence, creates a false vision to resist it. After his fall from Eden, Satan delivers a speech to gather and motivate his fellow demons. In this speech, Satan suggests that it is oppressive for the Son to rule over the angels since the angels are "self-begot, self-rais'd / By our own quick'ning power" (5.860-61). This is the first distortion Satan creates to deny the fact that God is the creator of all angels.In this passage, it is portrayed that Satan deceitfully denies being under God's control, even though he knows the truth. This deceit leads the devils, including Satan himself, to believe in false beliefs. Milton's God does not diminish their strength when they are defeated. God gives them hope that they can still overcome Him, but instead prevents them from seeking redemption and forgiveness. By following Satan's false reasoning, the Rebel angels lose their ability to choose whether they will repent and return to Heaven. They may not even realize that they have been given a chance to repent. Under God's manipulation, they have no choice because God's false hope convinces them to have no choice but to commit sins. The devils willingly surrender their will to God rather than having it conquered by Him. Satan falsely claims that the angels are self-created, further diminishing his will by making him a creator of sorts, where his creation is a deficiency. Sin is his self-generated creation, and along with Death, they form an impious and wicked duo. As an inversion of God, Satan is prevented

from doing good and is allowed only to bring about "Miserie, uncreated till the offense." Satan's desire to be good is initially limited by God, and evilness is what he is entirely composed of due to his false claim. Therefore, Satan's destiny is already predetermined to be nothing but evil.Despite the limitations placed on Satan by God, he still displays a sense of independence by relying on material objects to support him. Raphael explains to Adam and Eve that God's creations are more refined and pure because they are closer to Him. If this is true, then Satan must become less refined and pure when he turns away from God. However, even in hell, Satan remains ambitious and willing to challenge God with his weapons. These weapons symbolize Satan's unwavering determination against God's will. Instead of returning to God and seeking forgiveness, Satan relies on his material possessions, using his lance as a crutch to support himself in hell. Even in his fall, Satan never loses faith in his ability to defy God's will. Satan's unwavering determination to disrupt God's plan is also evident when he enters Eden and attacks Adam and Eve in different forms. This transformation of Satan's physical appearance may suggest that he is becoming less refined and pure as he becomes more hostile towards God.Despite Satan's undistinguished physical form, he successfully perverts Adam and Eve, implying that God allows Satan to execute his free will in destroying God's plans. However, Satan's belief in free will is delusional as he cannot act separate from God, and all his actions ultimately serve God's purpose. Upon returning to Hell, Satan and his fellow devils

are punished by God and transform into snakes. This punishment reflects poetic justice, as God dispenses penalties appropriate to the sins committed. The fact that God punishes them for their choice to be governed by Satan suggests that the consequences of their actions are always held by God, despite seeming independent from Him.The text discusses the idea that when a devil gets what he wants, there is always a consequence because his desired outcome is not aligned with God's will. This notion is also exemplified in Milton's Paradise Lost, where Satan starts off with grandiosity but gradually transforms into lesser beings like a snake. This transformation signifies the dwindling power of sinful will. Satan chose to become a snake and influenced Adam and Eve to sin, but once they committed the sin, their wills were enslaved to it, with no option for escape. They continued to repeat their sins without any control over their actions, mirroring Satan's decision to have no choice. Ultimately, the poet depicts Satan's tragic fate where his will is completely destroyed as he becomes engulfed in sin, unable to redirect himself towards goodness after being prevented by God.God's careful programs not only allow him to outdo Satan with the evil actions Satan uses as part of his plan, but also result in the corruption of Adam and Eve, which ultimately leads to the arrival of the Messiah and the triumph of good over evil. Despite Satan's initial attempts to corrupt Adam and Eve and cause chaos in the world, his desire to do evil actually aligns with God's plan for redemption. Satan, however, remains unaware of this fact. Satan's belief in

free will is actually a delusion, as all actions are ultimately carried out in service to God. Satan's actions, though they are against God, ultimately serve God's plans. In contrast, in Frankenstein, the creature seems to have more control over his situations. However, like Satan, he too falls victim to predestination at the hands of his creator, Victor. From the moment he is created by Victor, the creature is rejected by both his creator and the world, leaving him without a place in the world.From the moment the animal is born, it is already abandoned without understanding the universe it has entered. When the animal tries to communicate and reach out to its creator, Victor, he dismisses it and leaves the laboratory. This scene depicts the animal as a helpless baby, unable to speak but reaching out for protection. Victor's rejection signifies a divide between the actual creature and the idealized creature envisioned by its creator. This divide, which the creature is not yet aware of, already portrays it as an unwanted and rejected being in Victor's world. Victor's initial concept of creation and rebirth is initially seen as beautiful and ideal, something only allowed for God to do. However, when Victor uses his knowledge of science to create life, the result is false and ugly, showing that imaginings that may seem appealing can be repulsive in reality. Therefore, Victor's rejection is significant because the monster is not only rejected for its distorted appearance but also because it represents false and imaginary ideas that should only exist in people's imaginations.In Mary Shelley's universe of science fiction, the creature can be brought into the real world

through scientific imagination. However, since the creature is a product of this imagination, it doesn't belong anywhere in the world. It is an outlier, unable to shape its identity outside of Victor's imagination. The creature's status as unwanted becomes more evident as it makes inarticulate sounds to communicate with its creator. Victor's refusal to understand or communicate with the creature suggests that their connection can easily break, leaving the creature isolated from the world. Regardless of whether the creature can comprehend or not, there is a disconnect between it and the world. Additionally, the real world itself seems to reject the creature. When the narrative switches to the creature's perspective, it describes feeling oppressed by light and seeking shade.In Frankenstein, light is often seen as a symbol of goodness and life, representing a new beginning or virtue. However, the creature finds solace in darkness rather than light, as it does not seem to belong in the world illuminated by light. Light becomes a torment for the creature, as nature does not welcome its presence. Rejected both by its creator and by nature, the creature clearly does not belong in the world. This feeling of not belonging persists even after the creature gains knowledge and consciousness of its surroundings. It realizes that while Satan had companions and fellow devils for support and encouragement, it is alone and despised. The creature's attempts to connect with others and expand its sense of self do not succeed. Similar to how Satan has evil peers to belong to in hell, the creature is labeled as a monster and forced to belong to that category. It is tragically ironic that while

one's original identity leads them to their original community, the creature has no such community to begin with. The creature is never given the chance to belong in this world because Victor and society attribute its labeled identity, forcing it to seek belonging elsewhere.The animal, despite initially being rejected by his Godhead and the universe, develops hope to be part of a community. Without the help of his Godhead, he educates himself to become closer to humankind. The animal's desire to be accepted and assimilated is evident when he speaks about his feelings towards cottage dwellers: "The more I saw of them, the greater became my desire to claim their protection and kindness... to see their sweet expressions directed towards me with fondness was the extreme bound of my aspiration" (134). This desire to be a part of the cottage dwellers' lives, to have them accept and love him, shows a tangible connection felt between the animal and the rest of humanity. He further states, "I required kindness and understanding; but I did not believe myself unworthy of it" (134). The animal believes himself capable and deserving of both emotional and psychological reciprocation, and by extension, capable of coexisting harmoniously with the rest of the world. He confirms his belief by educating himself, demonstrating that there is an opportunity for him to absorb the morals and ethics of humanity. The result of his self-cultivation seems fruitful when the animal persuasively tells Victor, "my food is not that of man; I do not destroy the lamb and the child to gorge my appetite; acorns and berries afford me sufficient nourishment" (148).Despite lacking instruction from a higher

power, the animal possesses an innate ability to discern right from wrong. Drawing inspiration from both personal experiences and observations of others, the animal is able to establish his own code of conduct. It is worth noting that this natural sense of morality does not come from any divine guidance, but rather is attainable by the animal. The animal also gains further understanding of virtue and vice through reading about the actions of individuals involved in public affairs and violence towards their own species. Despite the absence of a divine presence in his education, the animal is still able to develop a well-structured sense of morality and ethics. His fervor for virtue and disgust towards vice serves as the basis for intellectual growth and expertise in human relationships, which is the ultimate goal of the animal's self-improvement. This ability to change and adapt through learning signifies that the animal is not inherently evil, but rather born without a predetermined identity. As he absorbs human characteristics, he feels a closer connection to mankind.Despite the animal's attempt to be closer to mankind, his constructed inner-personality is easily overridden by his malformation, and ultimately cannot escape his predetermined fate by his creator, Victor. The fall of his inner-personality occurs when the animal is shot by a boy after saving a girl. "The feelings of kindness and gentleness which I had entertained but a few minutes before, gave place to hellish fury and gnashing of teeth. Inflamed by pain, I vowed eternal hatred and revenge to all mankind" (143). The sudden transformation of the animal's personality from "kindness and gentleness" to "hatred and revenge" suggests how easily his constructed

virtue and inner-personality as a human can be replaced as if his efforts are worthless. Regardless of his efforts in creating his inner-personal identity, the "labeled" physical freak overshadows his self-construction and even brings him back to his initial state as a rejected and isolated being from the world. The insignificance of his self-cultivation becomes more evident when Victor repeats his rejection to the animal: "Begone! I will not hear you. There can be no community between you and me" (103). The repetition of Victor's rejection is evidence that there is not much change in the animal's connection to the world after his self-cultivation.Although the animal learns the importance of virtuousness and community, Victor denies the animal's requests when he insists that "there is no community." The animal's efforts are unsuccessful, and it seems that the only one who can save him from misery is Victor. Even though the animal gives up his virtue and passion to seek revenge on Victor after destroying his mate, Victor's death does not release him from suffering. The death of Victor represents the loss of the only connection the animal has in the world, leaving him completely isolated and leading to his own destruction. Classic science fiction stories show that overcoming a higher authority is nearly impossible, and even if one succeeds, it ultimately results in self-destruction because of the close connection between creator and creation. These imaginative tales do not offer true freedom or independence beyond the boundaries of the universe.In classic science fiction stories, the use of imagination can both liberate and limit individuals. Imagination allows people to envision a higher power or supernatural authority, breaking down

existing barriers within oneself. However, this newfound freedom can also impose new and more daunting limitations, overshadowing the old boundaries.