Milton’s Paradise Lost is one of my all time favourite books. It is actually a poem that is split into twelve books or parts. The book maps the journey of the Fall of Man, first mentioned in the Book of Genesis, from the stature of a hero to that of a heinous villain. The book not only sheds light on the events that lead to the fall of Lucifer (later Satan) but also gives a unique side to his personality, that is, all evil starts off as good. Paradise Lost begins with a description of Satan and his team recuperating in hell after losing a war they fought against God. They have to choose either returning to war or explore a newly created world and find a way in that world to avenge their defeat. Satan chooses the latter. While travelling, he spots a new universe situated near heaven. God spots Satan and predicts the Fall of Man. His Son offers to save man even if it entails self-sacrifice. Satan reaches the new universe and enters the Garden of Eden. He feels jealous of Adam and Eve. Satan also overhears them discussing God’s order not to eat the forbidden fruit.
Meanwhile, angel Gabriel and his followers banish Satan from Eden. God sends angel Raphael to warn Adam and Eve about Satan’s machinations. Satan returns and enters the body of a snake. When he spots Eve alone, he convinces her to eat the apple from the forbidden tree. Adam also eats the fruit. As a result, Adam and Eve lose their innocence. The Son of God judges the sinners but delays their death sentence. Satan’s children, Sin and Death, build a road to their new home, the earth. But Satan and his team are punished and transformed into snakes. The angel Michael expels Adam and Eve from Paradise but first tells Adam of events that will happen due to his eating the forbidden fruit. Although saddened by this narration, Adam rejoices at the thought of the coming of mankind’s saviour.
This book is an eye-opener. It educates us about the existence of good and evil inherent in all of us. Man in his life’s journey often forgets that good and evil co-exist in each of us. Our misfortunes lead us to make a choice which marks us as either good or evil in the eyes of others. Many people see Satan as the hero as he was God’s archangel and he had been wronged when God chose his Son over Satan to sit on his right. It was this gross injustice that led Satan on an evil pursuit. The strength and charisma of a fallen angel is evident in the latter part of the book where Satan manifests himself as the serpent and lures Adam and Eve to eat the forbidden fruit. It also reflects upon God’s non-redeeming quality which makes him to cast his wrath on Adam to endure hardship of labour and Eve to endure the pain of child labour.