Everyone has known Greg House as the brilliant but misanthropic and narcissistic doctor who has anti-social behaviour and treats human life as a simple puzzle that needs to be solved disociating himself from any kind of human emotion with the exception of pain which ironically is the most human emotion. In this article, I'm going to try explain how House displays two opposing characteristics of his personality throughout the episode, his "divine" and his human side by paralleling House with John Milton's two main characters in "Paradise Lost".
House as "Satan"
"Paradise Lost" tells the story of two characters, Satan, the fallen angel and Adam, the first created. In the beginning of the story, we meet Lucifer who has fallen from Heaven and is lying in a pool of fire ready to claim Earth as his kingdom opposed to House who is in a pool of water, his own sweat. House wakes up in Mayfield after his excruciating detox and realising that Nolan is not going to give him his release form, starts scheming how he is going to bring Hell to Heaven which in "Broken" is Mayfield. House observes his inmates and the situation in Ward 6. In his own flawed rhetorics he tries to persuade his inmates that Nolan's system in Mayfield is rotten (the whole ping-pong scene) and in his egocentric thinking he believes that he can make his inmates see the true knowledge of what is really happening to them. The inmates start jumping up and down and shouting, making House smirk because he thinks his plan has worked (the same way as Satan persuaded other angels to rebel against God). However, the uproar comes to a halt when God ( Nolan) appears.
House is extremely intrigued by "Freedom Master". House tries to relieve "Freedom Master" from his depression which from House's POV is provoked by the system. In Milton's story, despite the fact that Satan wants to bring down God by leading Adam to sin, he has human emotions of guilt and shame and ponders whether he should go on with his plan. In his mind, he wants to prove God that he made a mistake by creating Adam and that his expulsion from Heaven was wrong and in a way to grant knowledge to Adam in order to make him see clearly. In the same way, House wants to prove his point to Nolan and let him return to his old life. House tries to help "Freedom Master" telling him to carry the chello in order to regain his confidence through his OWN experience and not forced by. Therefore, House decides to take "Freedom Master" to the carnival and gives him the opportunity to fly, the feeling of freedom, the "freedom" the apple gave to the first created ones. House smirking in the parking lot, is content with himself because he managed to prove his point that Nolan knows nothing not only about the inmates but also about House. That's where the tipping moment comes. "Freedom Master", wearing his dark-coloured cape( a symbol of what ramifications will he have with that freedom) , "drunk in his own bliss, jumps off the ledge. At that moment, House realises that he has been wrong from the very beginning. Nolan tells House that he doesn't want to treat him anymore, that House's purpose was to take a swing on him. House asks for help and this is the moment his human side starts manifesting, he becomes Adam.
House as "Adam"
We all realise that House throughout all seasons is the epitomy of anti-heroism. However, as in Milton's story so in "Broken", House steadily becomes the hero. In the end of "both Sides Now", House is crushed by his own intellect, the gift he praises more. He admits himself in the institution and goes through his own Hell, the Hell he caused with his actions. House meets Lydia and connects with her through music (ironically Satan was the angel of music). Adam(House) is intellectually smarter than Eve (Lydia) in Milton's story but she convinces him to unite physically even though he has his doubts. House knows that sleeping with her is morally wrong and seeks permission from Nolan who warns him that nothing good can come out from that kind of relationship. Eventually, House and Lydia sleep together and House during the connection cries probably because he experiences the feeling of being human again.
There is a book by Joseph Campbell called "The Hero with a Thousand Faces" where he describes the stages in which a hero must go through in order to reach his goallink . In one of the steps of the journey, the hero( House) meets with a person, a side-kick or a mentor who guides him in his venture and helps his acknowledge his failures. At some point, the hero extracts an object which will help him make the world a happier place. He gets the musical box and gives it to "Freedom Master" who in his turn offers it to Lydia's sister who recovers.
House goes to Lydia's house where her son opens the door. House is taken aback a bit until Lydia comes.Lydia realises that sleeping with House can only bring pain to her family and admits her sin to him and tells him that they cannot be together. House doesn't react in his normal manner, he simply stands there, ultimately not blaming her for deserting him. Like Adam, House feels crushed again and sits alone in the parking lot where he admits that he is only human. Nolan tells him that he is going to release him from Mayfield.
In the end, we end up where everything all began, on the bus. House may be lost as he told Nolan in the parking lot but he recognised his pain, his shame and sort of shed himself of his arrogance which was the main reason of his mental problems and asked for forgiveness. House in those small moments of "happiness" in his farewell party, saw that there is light in the tunnel, that he might be able to redeem himself of what he has done and that he has the potential of finding his own paradise though the ride will be bumpy. As in the end of "Paradise Lost", House may have lost his physical paradise (Lydia) but now he has the chance to experience "a paradise within thee, happier far."
House as "Satan"
"Paradise Lost" tells the story of two characters, Satan, the fallen angel and Adam, the first created. In the beginning of the story, we meet Lucifer who has fallen from Heaven and is lying in a pool of fire ready to claim Earth as his kingdom opposed to House who is in a pool of water, his own sweat. House wakes up in Mayfield after his excruciating detox and realising that Nolan is not going to give him his release form, starts scheming how he is going to bring Hell to Heaven which in "Broken" is Mayfield. House observes his inmates and the situation in Ward 6. In his own flawed rhetorics he tries to persuade his inmates that Nolan's system in Mayfield is rotten (the whole ping-pong scene) and in his egocentric thinking he believes that he can make his inmates see the true knowledge of what is really happening to them. The inmates start jumping up and down and shouting, making House smirk because he thinks his plan has worked (the same way as Satan persuaded other angels to rebel against God). However, the uproar comes to a halt when God ( Nolan) appears.
House is extremely intrigued by "Freedom Master". House tries to relieve "Freedom Master" from his depression which from House's POV is provoked by the system. In Milton's story, despite the fact that Satan wants to bring down God by leading Adam to sin, he has human emotions of guilt and shame and ponders whether he should go on with his plan. In his mind, he wants to prove God that he made a mistake by creating Adam and that his expulsion from Heaven was wrong and in a way to grant knowledge to Adam in order to make him see clearly. In the same way, House wants to prove his point to Nolan and let him return to his old life. House tries to help "Freedom Master" telling him to carry the chello in order to regain his confidence through his OWN experience and not forced by. Therefore, House decides to take "Freedom Master" to the carnival and gives him the opportunity to fly, the feeling of freedom, the "freedom" the apple gave to the first created ones. House smirking in the parking lot, is content with himself because he managed to prove his point that Nolan knows nothing not only about the inmates but also about House. That's where the tipping moment comes. "Freedom Master", wearing his dark-coloured cape( a symbol of what ramifications will he have with that freedom) , "drunk in his own bliss, jumps off the ledge. At that moment, House realises that he has been wrong from the very beginning. Nolan tells House that he doesn't want to treat him anymore, that House's purpose was to take a swing on him. House asks for help and this is the moment his human side starts manifesting, he becomes Adam.
House as "Adam"
We all realise that House throughout all seasons is the epitomy of anti-heroism. However, as in Milton's story so in "Broken", House steadily becomes the hero. In the end of "both Sides Now", House is crushed by his own intellect, the gift he praises more. He admits himself in the institution and goes through his own Hell, the Hell he caused with his actions. House meets Lydia and connects with her through music (ironically Satan was the angel of music). Adam(House) is intellectually smarter than Eve (Lydia) in Milton's story but she convinces him to unite physically even though he has his doubts. House knows that sleeping with her is morally wrong and seeks permission from Nolan who warns him that nothing good can come out from that kind of relationship. Eventually, House and Lydia sleep together and House during the connection cries probably because he experiences the feeling of being human again.
There is a book by Joseph Campbell called "The Hero with a Thousand Faces" where he describes the stages in which a hero must go through in order to reach his goallink . In one of the steps of the journey, the hero( House) meets with a person, a side-kick or a mentor who guides him in his venture and helps his acknowledge his failures. At some point, the hero extracts an object which will help him make the world a happier place. He gets the musical box and gives it to "Freedom Master" who in his turn offers it to Lydia's sister who recovers.
House goes to Lydia's house where her son opens the door. House is taken aback a bit until Lydia comes.Lydia realises that sleeping with House can only bring pain to her family and admits her sin to him and tells him that they cannot be together. House doesn't react in his normal manner, he simply stands there, ultimately not blaming her for deserting him. Like Adam, House feels crushed again and sits alone in the parking lot where he admits that he is only human. Nolan tells him that he is going to release him from Mayfield.
In the end, we end up where everything all began, on the bus. House may be lost as he told Nolan in the parking lot but he recognised his pain, his shame and sort of shed himself of his arrogance which was the main reason of his mental problems and asked for forgiveness. House in those small moments of "happiness" in his farewell party, saw that there is light in the tunnel, that he might be able to redeem himself of what he has done and that he has the potential of finding his own paradise though the ride will be bumpy. As in the end of "Paradise Lost", House may have lost his physical paradise (Lydia) but now he has the chance to experience "a paradise within thee, happier far."
