Introduction
An English poet who was interested in expressing his personal experiences life wrote the book ‘The Marriage of Heaven and Hell’. In this book, the author tries to bring out the social structure of the society. The book argues that in the material world that we live in, there is always a struggle between evil and divine forces. Human beings always desire to do good things. They want to help people and make the world a better place for everyone. Divine forces always define such feelings.
On the other hand, the materialistic nature of the world would lead one to sin. The desire to own the world and to have servants makes one engage in acts, which may harm others or even their own conscious. As Blake (4) puts it, Heaven and Hell find themselves in a marriage where they are struggling for existence.
The book ‘Frankenstein’ is a series of letters that Shelly wrote to different people about her personal life experiences. The author identifies a number of weaknesses she has to her friends. In this letters, the author states some of the actions that she associates with Godly forces. She also identifies forces that she considers devilish. In this essay, the author seeks to confirm that in the two books, the role of the devil is the same.
Discussion
An analysis of the two literatures reveals that the authors believed in spiritual world. They believed that both Godly and devilish power exist under the world. They closely demonstrate that in a person’s life, there is always a struggle between good and bad forces.
In a person, there is always a desire to do what is right. Godly forces define this desire. However, sometimes one finds oneself doing what he or she knows is wrong (Berendt 78). Such worldly physical desires may make one do what is wrong. Devil influences one to engage in such immoral acts.
The two authors agree that devil’s forces are very destructive. Shelley (85) says, “Fear overcame me; I dared no advance, dreading a thousand nameless evils that made me tremble.” She observes that evil forces came over her and she started trembling in fear, unable to advance. On the other hand, Blake (6) says, “I saw a mighty Devil folded in black clouds, hovering on the sides of the rock; with corroding fires.”
These two statements closely relate in defining the role of the devil. The devil is not only dreadful; it is also destructive and only brings suffering. The authors also seem to agree with the fact that devil has very strong forces. The devilish forces are sometimes so strong that they consume an individual (Chaniani 67).
In both books, there is an agreement that demon gives reward to those who follow his ways, and this reward is always disastrous. Blake (5) says, “The original Archangel is called the Devil or Satan, and his children are called Sin and Death. The scholar says that those who believe in the ways of the devil tend to get two main things. The first is always the desire to sin, and once one commits sin, he or she will get the reward. The reward for sin, according to this author is death.
This role of demon as presented in this book closely compares with the role given in the second book. Shelley (97) says, “What could I do? In an evil hour I subscribed to a lie; and now only am I truly miserable.” She admits that due to the evil spirit, she subscribed to a lie despite knowing so well that this is a sin. She then continues to state that such a sin has consequences, which is misery. Misery in this case compares closely to death presented in the first book (Suggs 112).
The two books demonstrate that devil is a destiny killer. Shelley (82) says, “The picture appeared a vast and dim scene of evil, and I foresaw obscurely that I was destined to become the most wretched of human beings. The author says that because of the evil forces, the future became obscure and destiny became wretched.
This statement is reflected in the second book. Blake (21) says, “Once I saw a Devil in a flame of fire that arose before an Angel that sat on a cloud.” This scholar notes that a flame of fire arose in the form of a cloud, shrouding the future. These two books agree that devil destroys the bright future of an individual that has been planned by God.
How the Books Challenge Prevailing Conventions about God
The two books supports the current believe that evil forces are destructive. However, there are cases where they challenge existing conventions about God. Blake (24) says, “This Angel, who is now become a Devil, is my particular friend; we often read the Bible together in its infernal or diabolical sense.” Many people in the current society believe that devil hates the bible. However, this book demonstrates that even the devil like reading the bible.
Conclusion
These two books share the idea that demon has a role to play in the society. Demon is always interested to cause pain in people’s lives. Evil forces are deceitful in nature. They corrupt the mind.
Works Cited
Berendt, J. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil: A Savannah Story. New York: Vintage Books, 1999. Print.
Blake, W. The Marriage of Heaven and Hell. Coral Gables: University of Miami Press, 1968. Print.
Chaniani, S. The School for Good and Evil. New York, NY: Harper, 2013. Print.
Shelley, M. Frankenstein. Irvine: Saddleback Educational Pub, 2010. Print.
Suggs, R. The Comic Book Bible. Uhrichsville, Ohio: Barbour Pub, 1995. Print.