Elhai 1

Kellie Elhai
AP Literature
Mrs. P. Bradley
7 December 2016
What the Hell?
For rebelling against God, Heaven, and Christ, Satan and his compatriots were punished
in a lake of fire. However, Satans punishment for his decision to start an uprising extends far
beyond the flames of Hell. In fact, his corruption continues throughout his mission to cause the
downfall of Adam and Eve. Lucifers spiritual de-evolution manifests itself physically through the
series of forms he chooses to take whilst infiltrating Eden.
Satans forms, from Archangel all the way to serpent, slowly decrease in size and fall
lower and lower to the ground. He begins as Archangel, then transforms to Devil, then Cherub,
then cormorant, cats of prey, toad, and finally, serpent. Each of these transitions slowly
becomes smaller and smaller still, symbolizing Satans loss of a worldly perspective; its not only
his body becoming smaller, but his mind as well. He is making the conscious choice to change
into these forms, as well as to close his mind. Satan is using his free will, which is a recurring
theme throughout Paradise Lost, to narrow his focus and push out all other compassionate
thoughts. Before he enters Eden, he wars with himself momentarily as he begins to doubt his
actions, but pushes the thoughts out of his head with a transformation into a smaller animal. The
forms which he takes on also sink lower to the ground until he reaches serpent form, which lies
entirely on the earth. This symbolizes the fact that Hell follows Satan wherever he goes, and
even when he physically leaves the place of his eternal punishment, his forms slowly move
closer and closer to it. Hell is part of him; Satans transformations show it.
The demons spiritual corruption manifests itself in the general goodness and pureness
associated with the forms he chooses. After his fall from Heaven into Hell, he chooses to
disguise himself as a Cherub, a soldier of Heaven. This is ironic, as Satan is able to return to his

Elhai 2
heavenly roots, in a sense. Cherubs always wear expressions of joy on their faces, which is
ultimately what gives the devil away, and are strong yet kind creatures. He then turns himself
into a cormorant. These birds do not boast any obvious negative stigma, but they are birds of
prey. They are hunters; this symbolizes the beginning of Satans hunt for Adam and Eves
downfall. The same holds true for the lion and tiger, since he turns into them only momentarily.
Satan transitions into a toad to whisper in Eves ear during her slumber. Toads are generally
considered slimy, dirty, and disgusting-Satans deed carries the same connotations. Finally, the
fallen angel makes the final regression into a serpent, the Christian symbol of evil. Serpents are
slippery, dangerous creatures that are able to sneak up on and deceive their prey. Satan does
just that, all while being the closest to Hell since he left the realm. The fallen angels
transgression from a Cherub, an agent of Heaven, to a lowly and evil serpent represent his
spiritual transgression as he embarks upon his journey for revenge.
During Satans mission, he comes to the realization that he is the embodiment of Hell,
and thusly, Hell is always with him wherever he goes. This discovery is followed by a series of
physical transformations that put on display the inner turmoil that the devil is experiencing.
Lucifers spiritual de-evolution and corruption from a high-ranking Archangel to a dirty devil in
Hell is emphasized through these various transformations from a Cherub all the way to a
serpent.