 Did I request thee, Maker, from my clay To mould me man? Did I solicit thee From darkness to promote me? -John Milton, Paradise Lost, X, 743-745 (1667) The creature reads John Milton's epic poem, Paradise Lost (1667). Milton's epic poem tells the story of how Adam and Eve live in peaceful harmony until they are seduced by Satan into eating from the Tree of Knowledge and are punished by being banished from the Garden of Eden. While reading Paradise Lost, the creature reports that he initially identifies with the character of "Adam" insofar as both are "united by no link to any other being in existence" (132). However, the creature also identifies with the character of "Satan": "Many times I considered Satan as the fitter emblem of my condition; for often, like him, when I viewed the bliss of my protectors, the bitter gall of envy rose within me" (132). Do you think the character bears a greater resemblance to Adam or Satan? Why? Primary Blog Expectations (respond to the prompt above): 150-200 words, minimal errors in grammar and usage, thoughtful and thorough writing. Please use the name you were assigned in class as your nom de plume and be sure to add word count. Due by 11:59pm Sunday night, 3/2/2025! Secondary Blog Response Expectations (read everyone's primary responses, select two that interest you, and respond to their ideas): 100-150 words EACH, minimal errors in grammar and usage, thoughtful and thorough writing. Please use the name you were assigned in class as your nom de plume and be sure to add word count. Due by 11:59pm Tuesday night, 3/4/2025! Extra Information: If you are unfamiliar with Paradise Lost by John Milton, Dr. Moore of Saint Thomas University will give you an excellent and relatively brief overview considering the complexity of this famous poem. As always, remember that this video lecture is Dr. Moore's interpretation of Milton's epic classic through the lens of sociopolitical thought. You may find that you have your own interpreation if you choose to read it. Summary: Paradise Lost, an epic poem by John Milton is arguably the greatest poem written in English. What is Paradise Lost about? Paradise Lost tells the story of the Garden of Eden, God's creation of humanity, Eve's temptation by Satan and Adam's subsequent temptation by Eve. It also tells the story of the War in Heaven, when Satan rebelled against God and fell to Hell. Paradise Lost is an extraordinary epic poem, its major themes include freedom, knowledge, justice, providence, republicanism and monarchy. This podcast provides a summary of some of Paradise Lost's major themes as well as some strategies for reading Milton's epic poem (GreatBooksProf).
36 Comments
Kei Okami
2/28/2025 09:41:40 am
I believe that the Creature has a resemblance to both Satan and Adam. Just like Adam, he was born in such an innocence, and felt abandoned by God. Adam was put in a world that his creator had left him to be, just like Frankenstein. From this, he turns into Satan with his backstory. The creature didn't have intentions to harm anyone in any kind of way until he was getting rejected and turned away by many others. Satan wanted to rebel against his creature, just as Frankenstein does in the novel. Both getting abandoned, yet very different intentions. Frankenstein clearly has good morals and a good heart, it's the world who has turned him cold.
Emily Siedeberg
3/1/2025 08:12:10 pm
I like how you explain that the creature starts out like Adam but becomes more like Satan over time. His innocence at birth is important because it shows that he wasn’t created as a monster—he was made into one by how people treated him. I also agree that rejection and loneliness changed him, just like Satan’s fall from grace. Your point that the world turned him cold is very true. He didn’t want to harm anyone at first, but being constantly pushed away made him bitter. This makes us question if he is truly evil or just misunderstood.
Mary A. Alberston
3/3/2025 08:41:09 am
I agree with this! I feel like The creature is a great interpretation of what Satan represents throughout paradise lost. I feel as though the creatures close resembles to Satan was a product of Mary Shelley and the mindset she was in while writing this book. she herself could have related to Satan in some regards and decided to project her current state of mind into the creature. We already see this dynamic being present throughout the novel through the birth of the creature and the way everyone's mother is dead throughout the novel. It's almost as if she can only write to her experiences in that lifetime.
Huang Lu
3/3/2025 11:35:36 am
I like how you explain how the creature both resembles Satan and Adam. Just like Adam, he was innocent and felt abandoned. Due to how the world treated the creature, it resulted in him becoming evil. SImilarly to Satan as you stated, he wants revenge on the people who mistreated him. The creature itself had a good heart but as it began experiencing negative stuff around him, he became what people were so afraid of as a result.
Irma Goldberg
3/4/2025 11:04:45 am
I like the connection you made between the Creature and Adam. At first the Creature had innocence just like Adam and after being abandoned he became less like Adam and more like Satan. The initial backstory of the Creature resembled Adam more than Satan, yet after being mistreated he leans to be more like Satan. The Creature felt the connection with Adam because he was left by his creator. The Creature resembles Satan after feeling rejected by the family. The Creature learned that people only look on the outside than more on the inside. The Creature had resembled two stories, although very different he became both Satan and Adam.
Marie-Anne Lavoisier
2/28/2025 09:44:26 am
Frankenstein's creature resembles Lucifer more than Adam in "Paradise Lost." Both the creature and Lucifer experience profound alienation, both cast out from their world as they know it. Lucifer falls due to his desire for knowledge, paralleling the creature's yearning for sympathy and love. Both are shut out from their worlds—Lucifer from Heaven and the creature from society—developing resentment towards their creators. While the creature shares some innocence with Adam, he lacks the nurturing and love that Adam receives, facing rejection from Victor Frankenstein instead. Ultimately, the creature's tragic journey, filled with bitterness and a desire for vengeance against those who wronged him, aligns more closely with Lucifer's narrative than Adam’s. The creature is described by Victor as a demon, as Lucifer now is.
Marie-Anne Lavosier
2/28/2025 09:52:10 am
In addition to this, the creature is a gentle soul, as Lucifer first was upon his creation. He had no interest in harming animals to eat, no desire to harm the DeLacey's when he stumbled upon them-he even tried to help them grow food, yet he was met with fear and resentment. He wasn't created with love and adornment as Adam was. He was created in a hunt for knowledge and glory, as Lucifer was. Lucifer began to question the ways of God, and argued that he was unjust. Angered by this, Lucifer was cast out of Heaven. He was deemed a demon by his creator, as the creature is. Victor is this God, a creator. The creature is Lucifer, a curious infant, made of the ugliness of mortals yet yearns to experience the beauty of the world.
Kusumoto Ine
3/2/2025 10:50:31 am
I found it interesting how you connected The Creature to Satan due to the fact that The Creature never got the love that Adam received. This makes me think about this prompt in a more different way of the actual origin of The creature. I liked how you connected The Creature to a demon because in the novel, the word demon is repeated multiple times when The Creature is explaining himself or when someone else is. I'm also fond of how you explained how Adam was created with love while the creature was created with the selfish intent of glory and knowledge. The way someone is brought into this world and raised does have a significant impact on how the new life sees the world around them and behaves. (Word count 129)
Huang Lu
2/28/2025 10:01:28 am
In Frankenstein, the creature resembles both Satan and Adam. Throughout the story, the creature acts like a "newborn" and is unaware of the "evil" in this world. That evil represents his "God" (Frankenstein) who abandons him. Adam on the other hand who was put on this world just like the Creature by their "creator". As the creature lives in this world he endures rejection and disgust by the people around him. This results in him wanting revenge similarly to Satan. The creature was innocent and knew nothing about the world. Slowly it changed him to become the opposite because of how he was treated. Satan and the creature are both rejected in different ways and intend to inflict pain on others because of it
Emily Siedeberg
3/1/2025 08:12:59 pm
Your response does a great job showing how the creature connects to both Adam and Satan. I like how you describe him as a "newborn" at first, innocent and unaware of evil. It’s sad that he only becomes vengeful because of rejection, much like Satan after being cast out of Heaven. I also like your idea that Frankenstein is like a "God" figure who abandons his creation. This makes the creature’s pain even worse. He was never given love or guidance, which led him down a dark path. His story shows the deep effect of isolation and rejection.
Teresa Ratto
3/4/2025 08:13:23 am
I fully agree with you. I like how you included the newborn and how he was unaware of the world around him very similarly to Adam. Who before he took a bite from the apple he had no idea how the world worked or the knowledge he was not receiving. The we he took the bite he learned the hard truths of the world, just like creature who had no idea of what the world was and then he was rejected by society and finally learned the sad of truth of how the world worked.Which made him turn to the evil side like satan.
Irma Goldberg
3/4/2025 11:14:30 am
I agree with the connection between the “newborn” and the creature. The creature was unaware of any wrongdoing and yet he wasn’t the one doing it. It was the De Lacey family that introduced him to the reality of the world. The creature initially resembled Adam with the innocence of the world. After being introduced to the evils of the world this results in the creature wanting revenge. Being introduced to the evils of the world this created the Satan side of the creature. The creature was rejected and so was Satan. The creature knew nothing about why people didn’t like him. Even if he had proved himself as not a monster.
Ida Augusta Keller
2/28/2025 10:06:05 am
I believe that throughout the story and the experiences that the creature has gone through, he is more closely related to Adam than Satan, simply because he acts like a regular human being with a sin nature to him. Throughout the Creature’s explanation of where he’s been and what he has done since he left, Victor. In his explanation he talks about how he stayed living with the Cottagers in a secret place and learned from them, he also helped them and stopped taking their food when he realized they were poor and already had so little. In this way he has a good heart, acting like Adam, while Satan wouldn’t have done this but rather been jealous of the little family the Cottagers have amongst themselves. Another way the creature relates to Adam is how he sins, when hurt and tired of doing good constantly only to be rewarded with negative backlash, he responds with how he feels, hatred and hurt, seeking revenge and killing Victor's brother William, a sin, which is something Adam commits as well as a man. Overall the Creature is more like Adam because he functions more like how Adam would after being kind to all, but after eating the fruit and falling into sin, he makes a sinful decision in his life just like the Creature does to seek revenge against Victor.
Kusumoto Ine
3/2/2025 10:42:11 am
I really like how you started off by saying how all human beings sin and just because they sin once doesn't mean that they are automatically like Satan. I also like how you included how The Creature stopped taking from the cottagers as soon as he realizes they are poor. It adds a sense of human character to the creature instead of him being seen as just a “hellish monster” that people view. I find it interesting how you included the “backlash” of emotion someone experiences when they are faced with constant negative emotions and events. It makes me think about The Creature bottling up his emotions of loneliness and despair until the incident with the DeLacy family became his last straw. (Word count 122)
Kristen Bonnevie
3/2/2025 05:18:44 pm
I completely agree with the comparison of the Creature to Adam rather than Satan. The Creature starts with good intentions, helping the Cottagers and showing compassion by not taking their food when he realizes they are poor. His eventual turn to sin, driven by rejection and pain, mirrors Adam's fall after the forbidden fruit. Unlike Satan, whose actions stem from jealousy and pride, the Creature's actions are rooted in a desire for acceptance and love. This makes him more akin to Adam, reflecting the human struggle between good and evil shaped by experiences.
Zonia Baber
3/4/2025 09:49:23 pm
I agree that the creature resembles Adam more then satan. Victor created the creature, making him similar to god, and the creature was the first of its kind, making him similar to Adam. “Sin of nature” is a great way to describe how humans are and why the creature acted the way he did. His creator did not show him any love, and didn't go looking for him to teach him. This, of course, made the creature very upset and resentful of Victor. The creature wanted to hurt his creator by killing the people he loves the most. Although Adam didn’t kill anyone, he was still learning, and a sin is something he committed just as the creature did.
Kusumoto Ine
2/28/2025 10:16:29 am
I believe that the creature has a greater resemblance to Adam than Satan. I feel like the reason why he feels like he relates to Satan as well is because of how lonely he feels which gets transferred into rage. His initial yearning to have someone by his side converted him into the angry and vengeful being that the creature has turned into. This makes me think about the idea that someone isn't born evil or someone isn't brought to life with anger or revenge. The creature was originally a gentle and sweet being but outside forces like being isolated from humanity made him into what he is now. Adam longs for a friend or some sort of company the same way that the creature does. I feel like it is reasonable to say that Satan is also similar to the creature but it's that initial start of feeling like Adam that led to his vengeful manner. The creature tries various different times and ways to try and get a family and friends but rejection itself in addition to his isolation has made him hostile. (Word Count : 185)
Huang Lu
3/3/2025 11:42:19 am
Your response about how Adam has a greater resemblance to Adam than Satan is great. You state that because the creatures desire to have someone by its side and it being lonely can correlate to Satan. His initial desire to have someone by its side, which slowly changes into anger causes it to become the creature that people saw. Your thought about how the creature was a sweet and gentle being but due to outside forces like being isolated from humanity caused it to turn what it is now. This is an amazing correlation.
Kristen Bonnevie
2/28/2025 12:33:57 pm
I believe that the creature sees himself in Satan because of the similarities between the two characters because they were both had creators who abandoned them after creating them.with the creature there's also some similarity with Adam initially the creature did not seek to harm anyone or commit any wrongs but as time went on the creature grew lonelier and the experiences he encountered on the way also shaped how he reacted to certain situations he didn't have anyone to guide him and him and Adam share that in common and that makes me think about the concept of whether when a child does wrong who is to blame the child or the parent/guardian.
Kei Okami
3/3/2025 07:34:39 am
I completely agree and had the same ideas as you. The creature had this lost of self worth once abandoned by his own creator. As a child, you constantly need this reassurance and support of an adult in your life. When a child hasn't gained this, they tend to resort to violence for any type of a reaction or attention from others. In this case, the resemblance of Satan that the creature feels so close to. The creature clearly didn't have bad intentions or want to harm anyone, it's the way he was shaped. But both of them have very similar backstories, both were abandoned by their creators but clearly had different ways of going about it.
Zonia Baber
3/4/2025 10:00:15 pm
For me, the creature is more so like Adam in the way that his actions are human. Yes, he killed and wanted vengeance against Victor which makes him resemble satan, but at the same time he did those things because he was deeply hurt and angry. The creature feeling those emotions make him resemble human even though he isn't quite human. Adam gets punished because a fruit from the forbidden tree was eaten, the creature is punished by not having his female mate created by victor because of the things that he did. The creature helped the Delancys in the cottage even though they were terrified of him. These actions of his, in my opinion, make him more like Adam.
Emily Siedeberg
3/1/2025 08:08:02 pm
To read the lines "Did I request thee, Maker, from my clay / To mould me man? Did I solicit thee / From darkness to promote me?" is to see the creature's deep sadness over being made. The lines express a strong feeling of loss and anger that cannot be ignored. In Bernie Wrightson's version of Frankenstein's monster, we have a giant, ghostly figure with tears and bewilderment. I believe the monster is nearer to Satan than Adam. Similar to Satan, he is rejected and alone, with a lot of bitterness and jealousy. Unlike being welcomed like Adam in Eden, he is rejected into a cold, hard world. His anger, loneliness, and rebellious desire are similar to Satan's situation. The internal life and bitter search for meaning of the creature unequivocally show that he is closer to Satan than Adam in real life.
Ida Augusta Keller
3/4/2025 09:43:04 am
I agree with your idea of The Creature being similar to Satan based on how he is never accepted and rejected and is only left with his negative emotions to continue brewing and growing in himself. However The Creature has human attributions that would relate him similar to Adam, since he’s not just a jealous and vengeful Creaute, he wants to help others and do good for others, however his goals are always shit down and turned down based off his looks, where the negative traits and vengeful nature start to brew inside of him. Overall I can see features on where the Creature relates Satan but I see him more closer to resemblance in Adam.
Irma Goldberg
3/2/2025 10:52:50 pm
In Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, I believe that the creature resembles both Adam and Satan. During Frankenstein, the creature was created by Victor, who resembles “god” and he was then abandoned. After being abandoned by Victor, he often looked for people as someone to lean on because of the abandonment. The creature struggles with loneliness and then he stumbles upon a family called the De Lacey’s. The De Lacey family rejected him after seeing how he looks. The creature tried to show the family that he was more than just his looks. He made many gestures to get the family to like him, yet no matter what he did for them they still rejected him. Adam resembles the softer side of the creature. Not only was he rejected by his creator, but also the De Lacey family. After his rejection he turned into Satan. Just like Satan he was abandoned, rejected, and desired for acceptance. They both yearn for connection with someone.
Maria Estrela
3/3/2025 08:03:01 am
I believe that the creature resembles Satan more than Adam. Although he is the first of his kind like Adam he was not created in the same way. Adam was created out of love and nurture. But the creature was created out of a desire to be great and intelligent. He is closer to Satan because they both find faults with their creators. The creature resents Victor for leaving him and being disgusted by him. Whereas, Satan resents God for not allowing him to gain knowledge and begins to question his rule. I think he resembles Satan more because Satan is shunned by all of the angels and kicked out of Heaven. This closely related to the creature being shunned by Victor and sent away. They also share a similar innocence before anger. the creature was innocent before he grew angry with society and Victor. This is similar to Satan being considered the brightest angel before he becomes angry with God and seen as a demon. I think they both can relate to each other for being stripped of their innocence.
Cornelia Clapp
3/4/2025 08:23:55 pm
I agree with your response in seeing the other side where the Creature more resembles Satan. I like the idea that you brought up of them both starting out innocent and then loosing that as they fill with the sense of abandonment and loneliness. I think they are similar in that way because they were both also left with a lot of confusion. I somewhat disagree with the abandonment aspects leading to them being looked down upon. I feel that the Creature wasn't really given a chance to prove himself to be innocent and good hearted because he was already despised and considered to be a monster just based on the way he looked. While on the other hand Satan wasn't immediately looked down upon until he was doing things that strained away from the ways of God.
Mary A. Alberston
3/3/2025 08:30:17 am
Paradise Lost operates more as a juxtaposition between the creature and Satan. It alludes to the dynamic between God, Adam, and Satan. Adam acts as this reflection of Victor whereas the creature is a reflection of Satan. Both products of a creator ultimately left to their own demise. Adam is seen as someone who sacrifices himself in the name of love. While this does contradict characterics of Victor it is important to note this book paints Victor as a victim of his own love for life (illustrated in the deaths of all his loved ones). Satan is viewed as someone who has "fallen from the grace of God" created in his image and yet forsaken by the rest of society for having differing views from society. You can see the similarities between The creature and satan in this regard.
Teresa Ratto
3/4/2025 08:08:15 am
I fully agree with you. I had some similar ideas. Satan does reflect the creature more than Adam. And I also see the point of Adam representing Victor. Satan had fallen from grace and casted out by his creator similarly like the creature. When Victor saw what he had created and how the creature looked he didn't want anything to do with it, and let it go. Victor created the creature because he was fascinated with the idea of controlling life and death but when he so the “monster” he had created he wanted nothing to do with the creature.
Zonia Baber
3/3/2025 11:27:24 am
I think that the creature resembles more of Adam than satan. He’s the first of his kind, and was abandoned by his father because of the fear after seeing what he created. Even though God wasn’t scared of the life he created, he's still responsible for the lives he has created as is victor frankenstein. Like Adam with Eve, the creature see’s Justine sleeping, and immediately is drawn to her. He wishes to have a connection with someone that shows him kindness, but he knows that because of the way he looks, he won’t get that from Justine. The creature just wanted to be loved, but instead he does acts that are punishable, just as Adam did in Paradise Lost. The creature acts human when he runs into the people in the cottage. He only wanted to help them, but they were terrified of how he looked, and he couldn't change that.
Marie Curie
3/4/2025 10:51:39 pm
I agree that the creature resembles Adam more than Satan. Like Adam, he is the first of his kind and is abandoned by his creator, Victor, who fears what he has brought into existence. While God wasn’t afraid of Adam, He still took responsibility for His creation—something Victor refuses to do. I also like your comparison between Adam’s longing for Eve and the creature’s reaction to Justine. He desperately wants companionship and kindness, yet he knows he will never receive it because of his appearance. His desire for love is deeply human, making his suffering even more tragic. Even when he tries to do good—such as helping the cottagers—he is met with fear and rejection. Like Adam, he commits acts that bring him punishment, but unlike Adam, he never had a paradise to begin with.
Teresa ratto
3/4/2025 07:57:31 am
I believe the creature resembles both Satan and Adam this is because like satan his creator didn't want him. Satan was cast out because he didn't want to bend a Knee to humans and believed them as flaws and he rebelled against god. God punished satan and the other angels who rebelled to be cast down to hell. Just similarly the creature was cast out by Victor. Victor didn’t like how the creatures looked and it made him feel disgusted with what he had created. While Adam was also casted out from the garden this is because eve took a bite from the apple and so did adam, both casted out by god just like satan. Both satan and Adam were casted out by the same person and I think the creature can identify with that casted out because of something did did or looked. I think he can see himself in both of them.
Ida Augusta Keller
3/4/2025 10:55:31 am
I like how you say that The Creature is like Adam and Satan, however I wouldn’t say that The Creature being abandoned by Victor is how God abandoned Satan. For example Satan wasn’t abandoned, rather removed from Heaven because he went against God, he was kicked out because he started acting bitter and jealous of God, rather than The Creature realizing Victor didn’t like him and wanted him gone, so The Creature left on his own accord. As for The Creature being like Adam, I do like how you make that connection between them because they are both cast out of a place, however the only difference between them is their reasons for being casted out, Adam was sent out because he sinned against God, while The creature was sent out because of his appearance. Word Count: 135
Cleotilde Tambronu
3/4/2025 09:32:54 am
I believe the creature resembles Adam more than he does satan because Adam was sought for and created by God, similar to Adam the creature was the only one of his kind until his other half was made to keep him company, although he wasn't automatically shunned when he made the decision to bite the fruit he was exiled and ostracized similar to the creature who made the decision to kill William. These factors and similarities show the resemblance between Adam and the creature and how Paradise lost conveys these allusions
Cornelia Clapp
3/4/2025 08:18:06 pm
I also agreed that the Creature most resembles Adam but I liked your response because you revealed a perspective I didn't even consider when it comes to their relations and similarities. I really like the idea that Adam was someone that God had set out and planned to create. This is extremely similar to Victor Frankenstein soughting out and dedicating his whole research to ultimately end up forming the Creature. I also didn't consider the second part of your response but I agree as well that he was also looked down upon after making the decision of eating the fruit just as the Creature, but in reality the actions of both of them were results of their creators.
Cornelia Clapp
3/4/2025 08:13:26 pm
I feel that the Creature most resembles and associates with Adam. Similarly to Adam, both him and the Creature were created without control. They were both put on this earth and were the only one of their kind. They also both had a sense of innocence as they began figuring out their purpose and why they were there. Along with the feelings of confusion being put into the world, solo, they both had feelings of abandonment and loneliness that came with being the only one like them. Adam felt a sense of loneliness because he was the first of his kind and was somewhat abandoned by his creator from the lack of guidance he gave him in such a new environment. The creature can relate to these feelings because he was created without asking, and then was simply left in a brand new world being the only one like him with little to no guidance from his creator.
Marie Curie
3/4/2025 10:47:11 pm
really like your comparison between Adam and the creature, especially when you mention how both were created without control and left to navigate a new world on their own. However, I think an important distinction is that while Adam had some guidance from God, the creature had none from Victor. Adam may have felt lonely at first, but he was eventually given a companion in Eve, whereas the creature remained truly alone. Moreover, Adam’s disobedience led to his suffering, while the creature’s suffering came from his creator’s rejection. This makes me wonder if the creature might actually have more in common with Satan—both were outcasts who became resentful after being cast away. While Adam was given a paradise (at least for a time), the creature was born into rejection and misery. Do you think this makes him more like Satan in the end? Your comment will be posted after it is approved.
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