Strike the Sun: The Satanic Leader, Manifest Destiny, and American Consciousness
Date
2017
Authors
Agnew, Montana James
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
University of Oregon
Abstract
My thesis examines the influence of John Milton’s portrayal of Satan in Paradise Lost on Captain Ahab in Moby-Dick and Judge Holden in Blood Meridian. Specifically, I examine the way in which a satanic figure can be portrayed as morally ambiguous and potentially heroic, and why such figures are the driving forces of the works they inhabit. To answer this, I argue that Milton’s Satan may be viewed as a colonist, and that Manifest Destiny and American expansionism can explain his influence on Ahab and Holden. Ultimately, I assert this is indicative of an ongoing frontier mentality in the American psyche.
Description
64 pages. A thesis presented to the Department of English and the Clark Honors College of the University of Oregon in partial fulfillment of the requirements for degree of Bachelor of Arts, Spring 2017
Keywords
Melville, McCarthy, Milton, Satan, Satanic Figures, Manifest Destiny