Contrasting portrayals of God and religion in literature throughout history: from 16th century to 1971 Darcey Victoria 12th Grade

Both William Peter Blatty’s “The Exorcist,” and John Milton’s “Paradise Lost” were written with the intention of demonstrating the importance of religion; Milton wrote Paradise Lost with the intention of “justifying the ways of God to Man,” while Blatty wrote the Exorcist about the power of faith and to explain how evil can exist in a world ruled by God. Although the texts have almost identical messages, the methods in which they deliver these make striking comparisons due to changes in context and reader, as well as the individual methods of each author. For example, it can be argued that Blatty’s most prominent aspect is shock value, while Milton focuses largely on the senses and religious context, which may be due to his blindness or his religious background.

Blatty justifies the ways of God to man through the character Damien Karras. After his mother dies lonely and in pain, Karras meets Father Thomas Bermingham in a bar and states “I think I’ve lost my faith, Tom.” This dwindling faith is the result of pain felt by both himself and his mother, as Karras explains that evil and God must be mutually exclusive, as no loving God would allow such pain and sadness in the world. Later in the film, Karras is reminded of his mother...