The first interesting point brought up in book x is the idea that the fall was not preventable, that God believed man armed with free will was completely capable of overcoming his enemy. In reality this is very true, but the question becomes is this fair? God is supposed to be wise, just, and merciful, but he is also omnipotent and has the ability to project every future event that will occur according to his will. Therefore everything was planned out right from the beginning and although man was armed with free will, we never really had a chance in the first place. God even comments that the angels guarding the garden could not have prevented this, bringing up the question of why even send them their in the first place? To give man some false sense of security and hope?
In the meantime God sends Jesus to judge man for his crime, since Jesus is the bridge between God and man. Contrary to Godās wrathful punishment of Satan, Jesus is actually quite mild when he approaches man, even seeming to pity them. As Iāve mentioned in a few of my reblogs about the similarities between human-like and Satan-like qualities, here is the description of Adam and Eve as they approach God: āā¦but apparent guilt, and shame, and perturbation, and despair, anger, and obstinacy, and hate, and guile.ā These are things that basically describe Satan as well, things man is now capable of since he has the knowledge of evil added to his knowledge of good. Adam actually accuses Eve to be at fault, that he was mentally overpowered by her charms, and that he was ironically unsuspecting of her ability to do so (liar), but God sees through this in a somewhat mysogynistic way, reaffirming Eveās inferiority and telling Adam that she is not the God of him, not his controller, but he is the sole controller of her and the rest of this world, and therefore he is to blame for his own actions. Eve, instead making excuses, just admits to what she didā¦something that again shows her higher maturity level. In reality I think Eve was created with the power, and his way more capable of complex acts whereas Adam is not.
The focus switches a big metaphorical description of Sin and Death, and how they are suddenly freed from the gates of hell by their newfound strength, and they know that Satan has succeeded. The fact that their journey from hell to earth is so simple can only symbolize that it is all too easy to disobey God and fall prey to sin and death, dooming yourself to hell. Once death and Sin reunite with Satan, Satan is portrayed as a hero, and almost rightly so, since as a reader heās a character you secretly feel bad for and canāt help but root for throughout the poem. As I was reading, itās not like I wanted man to fall, but in the end Satan deserved revenge, as his punishment seemed unjust and overly harsh, quite similar to manās, but I think man actually benefitted from the fall as well. We acquired so many of the characteristics, desires, and thought processes that make us who we are todayā¦anything less than that and life would again seem pretty boring. Satan commands Sin and Death saying as long as you can have the earth subdued, our dominion will never cease to encompass mankind.
The focus eventually switches back to Adam contemplating his own punishment, and he actually deems it fair and just. I think his opinion shifts slightly when he realizes that his spirit does not die, since his spirit is not made of earthly matter. This is the point where he realizes that his punishment will be relentless, eternal, that his spirit will suffer for all time. He brings up the critical question of why all of mankind must suffer for one manās wrongdoing, and again Godās punishment comes across as extremely harsh and over-encompassing for the act that was committed - we ate an apple from a tree and decided to exercise a little free will that he gave us. Adam once again resorts to accusing Eve.
Eve, realizing whatās done is done, decides to stop blaming each other and figure out a way to overcome this punishment. She recommends they not have children, so that when they die no one else needs to suffer for their mistakes. In essence they talk of suicide, of hastening their own death. However, Adam is still skeptical of Eve and her motives, although her ideas are good. He decides that God would only worsen their punishment if they try to evade it, and brings up the point that eventually one day man will have his revenge upon the serpent, as promised by God. Knowing this, they try to appeal to Godās good side, which brings up the first time man ever asked for forgiveness or repentance. Adam suspects that a God that took such pleasure in them before will certainly show mercy and grace on his beloved creation if they are sorry. Based on the wrathful God I see throughout the entire old testament, I think it took God a pretty long time to offer that forgiveness.Ā
