Analyzing Satan s Path to Forgiveness in Paradise Lost. By Jason A. Walker

Transcription

1 1 Analyzing Satan s Path to Forgiveness in Paradise Lost By Jason A. Walker Misguided in his belief about God and himself and blinded by his need for revenge for perceived wrongs, Satan proclaims that it is [b]etter to reign in Hell than serve in Heaven (Book I, 263) and proceeds to continue his battle with God. Though given the opportunity to return to Heaven through the simple act of submission to God s will, Satan s selfishness and shame prevent him from doing so. He justifies his refusal to accept forgiveness by deluding himself into blaming God and assuming the status of a victim. In understanding Satan s rationale for not accepting forgiveness so that he might return to Heaven, it is important to first understand the depth of delusion under which he reasons. From the beginning his proclamations about Heaven and Hell are made through the filter of this delusion. We shall be free. Th Almighty hath not built Here for His envy, will not drive us hence. Here we may reign secure, and in my choice To reign is worth ambition, though in Hell (Book I, ) It is impossible to be free in Hell. Hell, by definition is a place of confinement for those who have committed wrongs against God. However, Satan believes that because God is not present in Hell, he and the other devils have achieved freedom. For him, service to God in Heaven, however light a burden was to be imprisoned. Going to war with God was a justifiable attempt to gain freedom from God. This is a misguided belief. God offers true freedom. He could have forced His angels to serve Him. However, because God wants genuine love and devotion from His Creation, He allowed them to have free will to make whatever choice they would make. This, despite Satan s belief, is true freedom. Satan has the mistaken idea that God is envious of what he believes to be freedom; but, envy is a product of selfishness and, as such, is not present

2 2 in God s nature. He misinterprets who God is. He also believes that he has the power to reign in Hell no matter what God s desire might be. This false belief in the security of his present condition further serves to bolster the delusion of power that he has created himself. This strengthened delusion leads Satan to scheme against and, if not beat God, then cause Him pain by causing mankind to fall as he did. Additionally, the belief that his reign in Hell is secure allows Satan to deceive himself into believing that he is immune to God s will. Immunity to God s will means that Satan has free reign to act as he desires which is, in fact, what he has wanted all along. Satan s ultimate goal is to be greater than God to reign is worth ambition. He will do whatever it takes to achieve the goal of supremacy even if it means that he must spend an eternity in Hell. Satan s choice is to continue to seek out a victory over God. Ironically, that same choice is a gift from God. It is only through God s desire to receive genuine love from His Creation that Satan has a choice to make. However, his selfishness does not allow him to fully understand that and pushes him toward separation from God. His misperception and misunderstanding of God informs everything that Satan says and does. Hence, he cannot see his way clear to accept God s forgiveness despite his apparent desire to return to Heaven. For Satan, there is an untenable choice to throw off his own selfishness and submit himself to God, or to continue on in his quest for vengeance. Satan s shame and despair over his fall from Heaven is due not so much to a sense of guilt for the actions he took against God, but rather to the memory of what he was. Satan was an angel clothed in Heavenly splendor and created in such a way to please God. However, the very selfishness that overtook him and caused him to rebel against God is what causes the shame he feels. Now conscience wakes despair That slumbered, wakes the bitter memory

3 3 Of what he was, what is, and what must be. Worse: of worse deeds worse sufferings must ensue. (Book 4, 23-26) There is no real guilt over his actions. Satan does not reach out to God and admit his wrongdoing. Satan s conscience is not tweaked because he longs for the beauty of Heaven which he lost. Rather, it is tweaked because he longs for his own beauty what he was when he was in Heaven. Satan s selfish nature allows him only to think of himself. Everything that he sees is through that lens. Nothing that exists does so apart from him. Therefore, Satan s despair is not over what was, but what he was. Further, Satan despairs over what is. Because of his actions and the fall from Heaven, he is left to view the beauty and joy of Creation from the outside. He can no longer experience those things for himself because of his separation from God. For Satan, what is is the loss of everything good. He is consigned to watch as man enjoys the favor of God a favor which he believes should rightfully belong to him. Finally, he also despairs over what is to come. Satan desires to defeat and become greater than God, however, he knows this is not possible and is therefore overcome with the realization that he will never again be beautiful and will never achieve superiority apart from seeking God s forgiveness, which he will not do. For Satan, the future is bleak. He will spend eternity in Hell, suffering with the memory of what he willingly chose to forsake, and watching as God s love is given to those who remain in His presence. The worse sufferings [which] must ensue are those of a creature consumed with himself that he was willing to betray a Creator willing to give endlessly to His creation, asking only their devotion in return. Thus, Satan, being unwilling to devote himself to God, must pay the eternal price of not only separation from God, but awareness of what he lost. Regardless of how far Satan fell and how blatantly he rebelled against God, he remains a being capable of receiving forgiveness and restoration to God s presence in Heaven. The depth of God s love is so great that He will forgive Satan. Although Satan is no longer the luminous

4 4 and beautiful angel that he once was, there is still a remnant of light in him, revealing that he has not fallen too far to be restored. His form had not yet lost All her original brightness nor appeared Less than archangel ruined and th excess Of glory obscured, as when the sun, new ris n Looks through the horizontal misty air. (Book I, ) Satan was still an angel. He had not completely ceased being what God originally created him to be. His rebellion against God did not cause his form or original nature to change. God s love for all of his creation is so great that even in the face of rebellion he leaves room for forgiveness. He did not fully extinguish the angelic light in Satan. Satan is an archangel ruined but not an archangel annihilated. There was still room for Satan to turn back to God s forgiveness and then return to Heaven. The light of God s glory was still in him, though greatly diminished. It is obscured by Satan s rebellious and selfish nature. The dimmed light within him causes his original nature an angel meant to praise and glorify God difficult to see. Satan now views his existence, and God s, through the misty air of his fallen form. What he sees now through that mist is an obscured and distorted vision of what truly is. He can no longer see God as gracious, loving, and forgiving. Now, because of his dimmed vision, he sees God only as a vengeful and wrathful King who demanded unfair subjugation of His Creation. However, as long as the light remains, Satan can still be forgiven and return to Heaven. The light within him is the light of God s glory and the light of God s goodness. It was born in him the moment he was created and is the same light common to all of God s angels. Even the dimmest glimmer of light provides proof that all is not lost. Satan has not fallen too far to be forgiven. It is that light which is indicative that, although he is far removed from God s presence, he is not completely away from it. He can still see Heaven and its glory. Even the midst of his futile machinations to

5 5 overthrow God, Satan is not without hope. There is still evidence of his original form, and therefore still a way to return to Heaven. Satan waged war against God, and by God s gift of free will, chose his own circumstance living in Hell separated from God. Free will is God s gift to all of His creation. It is the ultimate act of love because, rather than forcing His children to love and worship Him, God allows them the freedom to choose to do so. Free will ensures that Creation s expression of love is genuine. Through his free will, Satan made the choice to rebel against God, and was therefore expelled from Heaven. While much of what Satan proclaims about how and why he and the other devils rebelled against God is a lie, Satan reveals time and again that he longs for the splendor of Heaven. Although his selfish desire to prove himself greater than God led him to the misguided belief that God s desire was that His own creation should suffer, Satan nevertheless knows and understands that God is love. Regardless of his protestation that he would rather rule in Hell that serve in Heaven, Satan misses being in Heaven because being in God s presence is the purpose for which he was originally created. Satan can, even after his rebellion and fall, return to God s presence if he chooses to do so. The pathway for that return is found in the very words of his own lament. In that bright eminence and with His good Upbraided none. Nor was his service hard: What could be less than to afford Him Praise The easiest recompense, and pay Him thanks? (Book IV, 44-47) Satan understands who God is and who he is in relationship to God. He understands that God is not only Heav n s matchless King (Book IV, 41), but also his Creator and the very embodiment of love and goodness. God s love for all of His creation, even Satan, is revealed in the beauty with which they were arrayed. God s love and goodness created Satan [i]n that bright eminence (Book IV, 44). Satan was created a beautiful angel through and by God s goodness

6 6 and love. He is keenly aware that, despite the fact that God s goodness causes him to feel malice, it was not designed for that purpose. Rather, it was designed to bring forth the product of God s love--his full creation, including Satan himself. The fact that Satan is aware of God s goodness is vital to understanding the ramifications of his choice to remain separated from God. Awareness of the truth means that he is able to make his decision consciously and using his free will. If he were not aware of the truth about God then he could not make those same choices. However, he does not acknowledge this truth either here or elsewhere in the text. Instead, Satan chooses to continue in his selfish delusion while at the same time admitting that God s expectations of His creation love, praise, and gratitude are nothing more than what He deserves to receive. He makes an even clearer statement regarding what he owes God in line 52, [t]he debt immense of endless gratitude. The mere fact that God created him requires repayment of a debt, but nothing more than simple gratitude. Therefore, Satan has mapped his own way to return to Heaven. He need only make himself subject to God not God s vengefulness or hatred, but His goodness, light, and love which make up the essence of who God is. However far he has fallen, there is a pathway to return to Heaven. He must leave his chosen world, Hell, and seek God s forgiveness simply by doing the thing he was designed to do, serve God through acts of gratitude and praise. While the path of forgiveness may be evident in Satan s own words, his ability or willingness to make the choice to return to God is not such a simple proposition. Choosing to return to Heaven would require Satan to consider someone other than himself. He is, however, incapable of doing this primarily because of his fundamental misunderstanding of God. Nor what the potent Victor in His rage Can else inflict do I repent or change; Though changed in outward luster, that fixed mind And high disdain from sense of injured merit (Book I, 95-98)

7 7 Satan s contention that God is acting out of rage is inextricably linked to his belief that he must fight God to receive that which he is due. God s actions are the result of His desire to have all of Creation subjugated to Him unfairly. Satan is an inherently selfish being. He cannot or does not understand that everything God created, including him, is by God s very nature, good. Nothing that is not good can exist in God s presence. Therefore, it was not rage which ultimately led to Satan s expulsion from Heaven, but God s innate goodness. However, Satan will not be swayed by anything God can do to seek forgiveness. For him, God s will is an inflict[ion]. It is a punishment meted out by a vengeful and wrathful God. It is punishment that was undeserved. Because this punishment was doled out without cause, Satan believes he was correct in going to war. God s injustice demanded action regardless of the consequences which would come. He remains, however, confident that he can withstand whatever God chooses to send his way. Satan s deception, even of himself, runs so deep that he believes himself capable of besting God. There is nothing that God can do to change who he has become. He is unreasonably convinced that his separation from God is accompanied by imperviousness to God s will. However, Satan only need look at himself to understand the folly in that notion. His physical form has been dramatically changed. Once a beautiful angel, Satan s form is now scarred by the battle he waged against God. His delusion has resulted in the belief that although his body is nothing like its former self, his mind is undamaged. He believes that his thoughts are sound and that his reasoning behind his choice is clear. As such, there is no real need to seek forgiveness since it was God who was in the wrong. Additionally, Satan, engrossed in the solipsistic belief that nothing which exists can exist apart from him, views God as purposely seeking to take away what belonged to him in the first place. God s favor in Heaven should have rightly been bestowed upon him. Instead, he remained nothing more than one of God s angels while Jesus

8 8 was given preeminent status. Satan believes that it was he who merited that title. In his book Inside Paradise Lost : Reading the Designs of Milton s Epic, David Quint writes, By the same logic [Satan] infers that the Son s and God s rulership is merely a matter of temporal power, and Satan thus invents worldly kingship by misattributing it to God and then by trying to obtain it by force for himself. Carnal Kingship inspires Satan s envy... 1 Satan s view of God, and by extension, Jesus, is distorted to the point that he believes God is King only by the merits of his power. As such, God can be overthrown by a greater power. Satan deceives himself into believing that he can garner enough power to defeat God and replace Him. Satan is consumed by his envy. He cannot see past his incorrect belief that he was passed over by God in favor of Jesus. In overlooking Satan, God no longer deserves his devotion or obedience. Therefore, it is this misguided and deceitful belief about God s nature which ultimately informs his unwillingness to accept the forgiveness which remains available to him. Not only is Satan s understanding of God deluded, his understanding of his own purpose for being is equally misguided. Consequently, his rationale for not seeking forgiveness is equally perverse. Doing or suffering, but of this be sure: To do aught good will never be our task But ever to do ill our sole delight As being contrary to His high will (Book I, ) Satan s delusion regarding God s nature and his own nature is all-consuming. He no longer cares whether or not his actions cause suffering. His sole focus is to find a way to cause God grief. He defines his purpose in existing as to actively avoid doing good. For Satan, doing any good at all would be an act of obedience to God, and therefore contrary to what he believes to be his purpose. His delusion that he can somehow defeat God despite what he knows to be the truth has 1 Quint, David. Inside Paradise Lost : Reading the Designs of Milton s Epic. pg. 122.

9 9 brought him to the place where the refusal to do good is his only choice. Rather than acknowledging the truth of God s supremacy and accepting forgiveness, he instead willfully chooses to double down on his rebellion by not only refusing to do good, but choosing ever to do ill. It is not enough to refuse to be what he was created to be, a luminous angel of Heaven, Satan believes that he must now act in direct opposition to God. He believes that his task is now to do harm to God by deceiving mankind. If he does not give in to and act on this delusion then he must accept the shame he feels for rebelling against God. Accepting and acknowledging that shame would be, in Satan s view, an act of weakness which is unacceptable to him. Fall n cherub, to be weak is mis rable (Book I, 157). Satan has deceived himself into believing that there is now no choice except to continue on in the war with God. To give in would lead to misery. In contrast, the delusion also leads Satan to believe that doing evil will bring about delight. Evil cannot be delightful. Delight great joy or satisfaction can only be found in doing good. It can only be found in doing God s high will. Satan s vision and understanding, however, are blurred by his selfish desire to be greater than God. He is committed to the idea that the reason for his existence is to do what is contrary to God s Will. As long as he continues on in this commitment, he cannot accept forgiveness and return to Heaven. Therefore, because he is unwilling to turn away from his commitment to do evil and cause grief to God, the pathway to Heaven remains unattainable for him. In contrast to Satan s overtly honest rationale that his sole delight is to do evil, he provides a more pitiful reasoning for his lack of willingness to repent. He is steeped in his own shame and despair. He is ashamed that he chose to forsake the resplendent beauty that God gave him at creation in blind desire to be greater than God. It is that shame that prevents him from yielding himself to God s forgiveness.

10 10 How soon Would heighth recall high thoughts? How soon unsay What feigned submission swore? Ease would recant Vows made in pain as violent and void (Book IV, 94-97) Satan questions his own ability to stay true to his obligation to God, even if he were to return to Heaven. The height of Heaven would not guarantee that his own thoughts would also be those befitting an angel. His shame has become so entrenched in who he has become that he cannot see himself ever able to maintain a heavenly attitude or countenance. He was created a heavenly being and was unable to stay virtuous and true because of his selfish need to be greater than God. After his rebellion and expulsion he certainly could not. His ability to remain true to God s higher ways in Heaven is not, however, the main reservation Satan has regarding any possible return. After revolting against God and waging war, any subsequent repentance and acceptance of God s authority over him would be false. Satan s feigned submission would just as easily be taken back as it was forsaken in the first place. Further, his false submission after accepting forgiveness for his actions would be worse. His first betrayal of God happened out of some ignorance of who God truly is. Although that ignorance was perverted and misplaced, there was a fundamental misunderstanding of God s nature despite having been in His presence. As he reveals when speaking of [God s] vengeful ire (Book I, 48), Satan could not have truly known the reality of God s nature and made such claims as these. After his rebellion and fall, any repentance that Satan professes is done with full knowledge of the true nature of God love, grace, and forgiveness as evidenced by His willingness to allow fallen angels to return to His presence. This knowledge would obligate Satan to relinquish any future claim of ignorance and, therefore, any future claim of true and humble repentance. Thus, in Satan s misguided vision of reality, his submission to God s authority would be questionable and easily rescinded. Satan s shame is so great that everything he says and does is filtered through his own delusion about

11 11 God. His very existence now is marked by violence and strife. He is obsessed with the thought of somehow defeating God, even if it means striking at Him through His new and beloved Creation, mankind. For Satan, repentance would itself be an act of violence against the reality that he has chosen for himself. Accepting God s forgiveness and submitting to His Will would be the ultimate act of weakness in Satan s mind. Thus, the pain of that violent act of acknowledging God s authority and submitting to it is too great to bear. Any word of submission would be void. It would be meaningless because it would be made out of obligatory surrender and not out of free will. Accepting God s forgiveness as an act of violence is counter to the purpose of free will. Therefore, without shirking the shame which is causing so much pain, Satan is committing a fraudulent act which can readily be taken back and would result in another unforgiveable fall. Satan forgoes all logic and reason and makes his final choice to refuse God s forgiveness. He is fully immersed in his delusion and warped sense of reality. Not only does he deny the truth about who God is, he denies the truth about his own original nature and purpose for being, proclaiming myself am Hell (Book IV, 75). Rather than counting himself a fallen creature of God, Satan names himself the embodiment of evil. In doing so, he takes the final step in his journey toward eternal separation from God. In equating himself with evil, he brings to reality the understanding which he has of himself. Satan gives in to this sense of self and finally, after toiling to find his way, is resigned to his ultimate fate. Kristin P. McColgan writes, He ends his speculations with another reference to the "Pride and worse Ambition" with which they began, seeing his own mind, not God's will, as the reason he cannot repent. Defiantly, he embraces self, the hell he represents. 2 2 McColgan, Kristin P. The Way to Pardon: Self and Other in Paradise Lost. American Notes & Queries, Vol. 4, Issue 1. January 1992.

12 12 So farewell hope and with hope farewell fear! Farewell remorse! All good to me is lost. Evil, be thou my good. (Book IV, ) To this point, Satan had been redeemable. He had been a creature, though fallen, not completely lost to his own actions. In bidding farewell to hope, Satan crosses into the realm of the unpardonable. There is no longer anything within him which could lead him to seek forgiveness and restoration to God s presence. For Satan, the complete loss of hope means that he truly has nothing left to lose. He has fallen as far away from God as he can fall. Having shed the last vestiges of hope, Satan is also able to rid himself of fear. There is nothing more fearful to him than not being in Heaven, and having named himself Hell he knows he can never be there again. He has no need to fear what already is and can go about his work against God with a twisted sense of impunity having already received the punishment for his rebellion. In the absence of hope and fear, Satan is also able to overcome the remorse for his betrayal. He now views everything that he does as justified. There is no need to feel guilt over something that is wrong. In his own eyes, Satan is the antithesis to God. Since God s nature is goodness, Satan must take on evil as his nature. He believes that his purpose is to counter every act of God s goodness with an act of his own evil. It is not enough, however, that all good is lost to him. True to form, Satan bends the truth and proclaims that, for him, evil is good. No villain sees his own actions as evil or harmful, regardless of how evil or harmful they are, and Satan is no exception. In his eyes, what he is doing is right and good. This is, therefore, Satan s ultimate act of rebellion the perversion of truth and the acceptance of evil as his nature.

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