Milton's Freewill in Paradise Lost - Book Report/Review Example

Freewill in Paradise Lost The book paradise lost depicts different forms of freewill and forces of manipulation that affect how man relates in relation to God. In this sense, the book and the author direct that freewill is not free at all, as it should be interpreted in a literal sense, but is instead a will that remains arbitral based on who you ask. This is shown clearly with illustrations from then authority of the king in puritan times, as well as the application of freewill in following God’s will. The section that draws up the arbitral sense of freewill is drawn and illustrated by the use of strong words that go to the extent to show then following freewill in the sense of being godly is not all free. This is because it is imposition of God’s will upon man, which in the first place is meant for to occur and is part of a design by God to be in power. As a result, there is no way that man exercises freewill in any way as all aspects of will are manipulated by God by design and by default, from the moment that one commences exercising it (Barfoot 176). In addition, the book stats that man’s exertion of freewill is by no means free as it is an act of obedience to God begging the question how freewill is meant to be freewill and how it is independent of God and His power, as well as how it should be defined. The definition of the term freewill in the book remains wanting in that it does not show a distinct definition that can be applied for the purpose of identification of the action that man engages out of sheer freewill. Instead, the whole ordeal of defining what freewill is turned into a means of showing how God works to exert freewill and how freewill is supposed to manifest itself for the glory of God. This is because the book shows that almost every aspect of freewill, including its practice, is for the glory of God, as none of it remains directly under the control of man at any given time. With this in mind, the book describes the application of freewill in antics used to ensure obedience and devotion to a high authority. It is in this case that freewill is brought out at as a challenge to God’s authority as it requires a clear definition and distinction between the ways to obedience and devotion without the use of the above-mentioned default and manipulation by God. This is not clarified in the book, but instead shows the Adam and Eve scene in separation, where there are the words saying that God towards thee has done his part do thine (Bizik 70). This part is a clear illustration of freewill at work, where God gives man freewill, by creating it in the first place and allowing the two to choose between the choices, they were given. The above illustrates that there is no way that freewill is existent, and that it is merely a convenience for human rights forums. The translation of the above statement, therefore, is that God is the master of all, and that there is no way that man has freewill as even the choices given to Adam and Eve are only bound by the will of God and His need for devotion and obedience by man towards Him. It is because of this that man’s will is not free as man’s will is subjected to God’s direction thus the mental faculties of man are not independent or free of the influence. Instead, man’s freewill is subordinate to God’s will and command, as well as system of beliefs and institutions that see to it that God’s will is fulfilled. The said institutions include the church, the threat of facing eternal damnation should one not follow the will of God, and they serve a great role in putting God’s concept of freewill in question. However, other factors in the same book relate to freewill, where freewill is shown to exist in paradise lost as the real essence of the existence of God. With this in mind, the book attempts to eliminate doubts of the existence of freewill by quoting the presence of god and the meaning of freewill, as well as the application of fate. The justification of the presence of freewill may not be well expressed as the definition remains lacking, but an aspect that is brought out based on a logical argument is seen. This is the argument of the role of freewill and the relationship with fate and defaults set by god in an attempt to ensure obedience and devotion. These two are used to show that freewill is existent because there is no predestined fate, but instead, freewill weaves fate (Mitchell 54). For freewill to be at work, or be exerted, there is need to be choices that are beyond the will of the provider of the choices, in order for the existence of freewill to be proved. However, this is not the case for paradise lost as all the options are provided by one being, God, who also sets the standards of what is expected of man, which is clear violation of logical principles of freewill, that are even illustrated in the quest for human rights. As a result, freewill is nothing but a sham, despite the mention of fate being of no consequence towards the application of freewill or lack of it thereof. In spite of the test placed on freewill and its existence in reference to God, there is a depiction of a potential existence and proof that there is no way God would be altering freewill. This is based on a logical argument that there is no way that God would create man for being a puppet that is easily manipulated to the point of lacking sense. With this in mind, God created man in order to have a relationship with him, which is convenient for the argument, but not the components of the world and the choices presented to him. This is to mean that despite God knowing the outcome of the whole creation process and having created man, and then he knew that man would betray Him using freewill. Then above translates to freewill being totally nonexistent as it points us back to the point of predestination in that even in creation and inception of freewill, God took a calculating risk, where He knew the outcome, but went on ahead to create man (Milton 103-105). The whole argument lacks sense in that the will was there for one purpose only, which was obedience and devotion to God and nothing further than that. Consequently, God continues to manipulate the will of man by setting all the conditions and determining that which is meant to be right and wrong to the point that there is no transparency in freewill, but that it is a form of will subject to change with God’s will. In conclusion, freewill in Paradise Lost is nothing but a sham that cannot be defined, as there is not even a way to prove its existence, and the ones that exist do not hold a candle to the facts presented in the book as logic prevails backed by evidence. It is therefore safe to make the conclusion that freewill in Paradise Lost is a white elephant, as it does not appear illustrated and the backings of the same are strong against its existence. Works Cited Mitchel, R. John Miltons Paradise Lost. Barrons Educational Series, New York. 1984. Print. Bizik, A. "Sufficient to Have Stood, Though Free to Fall": The Parabolic Narrative of Free Will in "Paradise Lost", Michigan: ProQuest. 2008. Print. Milton, J. Paradise Lost. Indo-European Publishing, Los Angeles. 2010. Print. Barfoot, C. The Thread of Connection: Aspect of Fate in the Novels of Jane Austen and Others, Rodopi, Amsterdam. 1982. Print. Read More