Paradise Lost (Books 1 & 2)
Paradise Lost, Books 1 and 2 illustrate the rare narrative of Satan shortly after his fall from heaven. Often in biblical literature, the story of Satan’s downfall itself and the reaction of God following his downfall is well represented as well as the idea that God will punish Satan and his followers for eternity by casting them to the fires of Hell however, no biblical narratives actually follow Satan immediately following his downfall. In this way, the story presented in these books follows a unique story line as Satan is presented in his kingdom of Hell and plots his revenge against God, ultimately deciding to brainwash the kingdom of mankind against God through acts of evil.
The main theme portrayed in these books is the idea of good and evil. However, contrary to popular belief, the idea of good and evil is not always the two separated cookie-cutter ideas we believe them to be. Rather, the ideas of good and evil often overlap, especially within characters.
In these books, it can be easy to simply conclude that Satan is evil and God is good. However, one must consider the fact that Satan at a certain point in time was an angel, the epitome of what we consider to be good in our world. Additionally, just because he rebels against God does not mean every part of good within him is lost to evil. Though Satan is evil, the good is still within him, given that it is unlikely the good in him was completely lost following his rebellion. Therefore the idea that some good is blended together with evil is well represented within Satan, a character who is evil and yet likely has some good even if it is buried deep within himself.
An example of this within pop culture is the character Draco Malfoy in the popular book and movie series Harry Potter. Although some feel instantly compelled to label Draco Malfoy as a bad guy alongside Voldemort, there are many instances within the series where we see Malfoy’s goodness, revealing that though he is evil, he still has good within him. A perfect example of this is when Draco is tasked by Voldemort to kill Dumbledore. Although Draco agrees to this, when the time actually comes, Draco struggles to complete this task. We can see Malfoy internally struggling between his fear of what will happen if he does not kill Dumbledore and the idea that killing him is morally wrong. This scene perfectly demonstrates the underlying theme in Paradise Lost that good and evil sometimes blend together within a person rather than a person simply being one or the other.
Another popular example of this theme is Darth Vader from the popular series Star Wars. Though many consider Darth Vader to be one of the prominent villains in the series, many consider his sacrificial death to be the epitome of his good remaining from his previous life as Anakin Skywalker. Though Darth Vader completes several unspeakable acts of violence and evil throughout the films, his willingness to give up his own life to save his son shows that a seed of good remains within him. Therefore, even Darth Vader, considered to be one of the evilest people has a blend of good and evil within him.
Overall, the first and second books of Paradise Lost encompass the idea that good and evil can coexist within a person simultaneously. This book helps us to revaluate the idea that a person is not just simply good or evil by helping us to realize that a person can actually be both as seen of Satan, whose goodness is not simply lost because of his rebellion. Rather it helps us to see that often good and evil are both existent within a person and it is a choice made by the person whether they portray the good within them or choose to suppress it and succumb to the evil.
