The Pilgrim’s Progress

Background of the Novel

The Pilgrim’s Progress is a religious allegory written by English novelist John Bunyan. The novel was published in two parts. The first part was published in 1679, and the second part was published in 1684. The novel is an allegory for a vision of the pilgrimage of a good man through life. It is the most famous Christian allegory to date.

It was first published during the reign of Charles II. It was written when John Bunyan, a puritan author, was imprisoned for violating the Conventicle Act 1593. The Act prohibited the masses from conducting any religious service outside the walls of the Church of England.

The Pilgrim’s Progress is considered as one of the most important religious works and theological fiction in English literature. The novel has been translated into more than 200 languages. It is considered the first novel written in the English language and has never been out of print since its first publication.

Historical Context

John Bunyan started writing his novel when he was in Bedfordshire county prison. He has been charged with the offence of violating the Conventicle Act of 1664. The Act prohibited the masses from conducting any religious service outside the walls of the Church of England.

Early scholars such as John Brown believed that John Bunyan started writing The Pilgrim’s Progress when he was in second and shorter imprisonment in 1675. This imprisonment was for six months. However, most recent scholars claim that Bunyan wrote this work in his first and much longer imprisonment from 1660 to 1672 and started writing it after his spiritual autobiography Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners.

The English text of The Pilgrim Progress is composed of 108,260 words. It is divided into two main parts. Each part is a continuous narrative without any division into chapters. The first part of the novel was completed in 1977. It was published in 1679 after the edition. The second part of the novel was published in 1684. The first part has eleven editions and two editions of the second part.

The Pilgrim’s Progress Summary

Part One Summary

Author’s Apology

In the Apology of The Pilgrim’s Progress, John Bunyan upholds his purpose to strengthen religious beliefs through fictional work. He points out the misconception that fiction and religion are enemies. He asserts that the Bible also contains many fictional stories. Bunyan claims that his work is written solely to further his own spiritual development.

The First Stage and the Second Stage

When the novel (allegory) opens, the narrator narrates he has been wandering through backwoods and then enters a den to sleep. In his sleep, he dreams of a man, carrying a book, is crying. The man is named as Christian and is visited by a spiritual guide Evangelist. He tells him to leave his hometown, The City of Destruction. Christian struggles to convince his family to leave the town with him. However, they consider him mentally ill. Christian leaves home without trying to convince them.

Christian also attempts to convince his neighbors Pliable and Obstinate to leave with him. Pliable agrees, but Obstinate refuses. When Christian and Pliable fall into a mud pit known as Slough of Despond, Pliable also discourages and returns back to home. Because of the burden on his back, Christian sinks. Help takes him out. Alone, Christian meets Wordly Wiseman. He forces him to throw his burden. Though he does trust him, he listens to him. Evangelist scolds Christian for listening to Worldly Wiseman. 

When Evangelist leaves, Christian, in his journey, comes across a Wicket Gate with a sign that reads “knock.” Goodwill appears and asks the direction from Christian. Christian tells him that he is heading to Mount Zion, the Celestial City, to save him from the wrath that will soon affect the City of Destruction.

Goodwill opens the gate and pulls in Christian. He explains that he is saving him from the arrows of Beelzebub. Inside, Goodwill asks Christian to narrate his account of the journey. Christian first asks to set down the burden on his back, and Goodwill negates. He explains he must carry it until it is dropping off naturally. Christians narrate his account of the journey so far. When satisfied, Goodwill sends him to a house where the Interpreter lives.

The Interpreter welcomes Christian and shows him a serious man’s picture. When asked, the Interpreter tells him that this man saves souls and promises a better world. Then Christian enters a large but dusty parlor. The Interpreter orders a man to sweep and then orders a woman to sprinkle water on the floor. The Interpreter tells him that the man sweeping symbolizes the Old Testament law while the woman sprinkling water symbolizes the New Testament. Both of them are necessary for faith.

Christian enters into another room in which fire burns alongside the wall. Even though a man is pouring water on the fire, it burns hotter and high. He also sees another man pouring oil to rouse the flames. The Interpreter tells him that the first man is the devil who tries to put off the fire of faith while the second man is Christ and natures it.

A man standing on the doorway is preparing to fight a crowd in the room. The man appears to lose the fight; the man wins at the end. Christian, he understands that he shows the courage a true pilgrim must show.

The Interpreter then leads him to a dark room where man is sitting in an iron cage. When asked, the Interpreter tells that the cage is his despair. Once a professor was confident that he would reach heaven; however, he struggled against the crisis of faith and never overcame it. Now, he is in a cage of misery and despair. When asked about his feelings, the Christian says that he feels fear. The Interpreter says that this fear will strengthen him on his journey.

The Third Stage, the Fourth Stage

Resuming his journey, Christian comes near the wall of Salvation. The wall is a boundary of a rising land that contains a cross and tomb. When he passes the wall, Christian feels that his burden has been dropped off naturally. The sight of the cross has revived his burden, and he stands and cries for a while. In the meantime, the three Shining Ones come and give a rolled-up certificate to Christian. They tell him that he will need this to enter the Celestial City.

Moving forward on the straight and narrow road of the wall of Salvation, Christian sees that Simple, Presumption and Sloth is sleeping and iron chained. He warns them to go on their way, but the three insist on sleeping. He then observes two figures, Formalist and Hypocrisy, climbing over the wall. They have come from the city of Vain-Glory and are going to Celestial City for praise. Christian blame them for cheating and call them thieves.

Christian mounts a hill Difficulty. He decides to rest in a pleasant arbour and falls asleep. He has been awakened by the two men warning him of the lions in the area. Confused by what to do, he sees that his certificate is also missing. He calls sleep sinful as it was responsible for his carelessness. When he goes back over, he finds the certificate and promises to be observant. He gets a glimpse of the pilgrim’s hostel known as Palace Beautiful.

As he has arrived late to the hostel, he has lost much of his sleeping time. The gatekeeper doubts to let him in. Discretion, one of the daughters of the lodge owner, allows him in when Christian identifies himself. Charity, Piety, and Prudence, the three other daughters of the lodge owner, ask Christian about his journey. When asked about his family, Christian weeps, while talking about his sons and wife. They eat, and the four girls take him on a tour of the lodge. They also give him a weapon. Christian also learns that Faithful, a fellow townsman, has passed by. 

The four mistresses provide Christian with food and warn him about the valley of Humiliation. When Christian walks through the valley, he encounters foul monster Apollyon. Though he got scared, he did not escape. He claims that Christian is his subject as he is on his land. Christian refuses to say that he is the only subject of Christ. The monster becomes angry and states his hatred for the rival prince. In a fight, Apollyon has almost killed Christian, but he saves himself at the last moment. He strikes Apollyon to make his escape.

Resuming his journey, Christian then enters the Valley of Shadow of Death. It is a hot desert full of pits. The mouth of hell is located in this place. Christian acknowledges the upcoming danger. He takes relief by thinking that Christ is always protecting him. When the valley ends, Christian sees ashes, bones, and crushed remains of other pilgrims. Pagan and Pope headed over the area and demolished the early pilgrims. They both are unthreatening and decaying, so Christian is not afraid of them.

The Fifth Stage, the Sixth Stage, & the Seventh Stage

Continuing his journey, Christian encounters his former Faithful. When Christian left the City of Destruction, he followed him soon. Faithful tells him that the townspeople are aware of their upcoming destruction, but only a few have the courage to leave.

Faithful tells him that he escaped the Slough of Despondent but was tempted by a cruel woman and old man Adam the First. He promised his three lusty daughters if he stays with him. Faithful declined the offer. Moses appeared punished Faithful. Christian tells him that he must secretly incline to the offer of Adam. Faithful also reports that he had been turned from the holy path because of shame. Christian applauds Faithful on his strength and narrates his own adventures.

Talkative, another townsman also joins him. Talkative likes to discuss religious topics and Faithful gets impressed by his devotedness. Christian secretly tells Faithful that Talkative faith is only in words as he knows him before. Christian then asks Talkative to tell them the difference between speaking against sin and hating it genuinely. Talkative is unable to see the difference. Annoyed, Talkative leaves the two.

Evangelist sees Faithful and Christian emerging from the wilderness and congratulates them for successfully passing the obstacles. He also tells them that both of them will enter an enemy city Vanity, where one of them will die. The city is home to the ancient Vanity Fair festival where Beelzebub is worshipped, and tawdry products are traded. Christian and Faithful are humiliated and mocked at the festival and then thrown in a cage. However, they remain true to their religion and faith. For belittling the false religion of Vanity, they are sentenced to death. Faithful is burned and carried off to heaven while Christian imprisoned again. He later escapes.

Christian joins a new ally, Hopeful, and By-ends. Both of them perceive religion as a path for moving ahead in life. Initially, Christian does not let By-ends accompany them before affirming poverty to be a characteristic of faith. By-ends leave them and join religious fortune hunters. Christian denounces them. Hopeful and Christian enters the land of Ease. Demas lures them with wealth and buried silver. They snub him.

Moving ahead, they also observe a pillar of Lot’s wife. She made a mistake to look back at what she left behind on her path to salvation. They swear not to make such a mistake.

On their way, they encounter a man who tells them a shortcut to Celestial City. They soon fall into a pit and realize that it is not a shortcut. A storm comes, and they almost drown with rain flooding the hole. They come out when the rain stops and find shelter in Doubting Castle, which is kept by Giant Despair. They sleep, and the Giant Despair wakes them up. He intends to punish them for trespassing. They are beaten and imprisoned. They think of suicide and then decide that it is a sin. Christian remembers the Key Promise that will open any door in the castle of Despair. Hopeful and Christian escape and mount a sign then warns the future pilgrims.

The Eighth Stage, the Ninth Stage

Hopeful and Christian reach the Delectable Mountain that is situated in the suburbs of the Celestial City. They eat in the garden and orchards that belong to Lord Emmanuel. They also meet shepherds who welcome and invite them to sleep.

When they wake up the next morning, Christian and Hopeful are warned by the shepherds about the hill Error and Caution. These hills lead some pilgrims to disaster. The remains of the pilgrims who made a false supposition about the nature of resurrection are littered beneath Error. Likewise, blind pilgrims wander and are stuck in the hill of Caution. Hopeful and Christian know what to avoid. The shepherds tell that the blind pilgrims tried to take shortcuts and ultimately lead to Doubting Castle.

Christian and Hopeful take a view of Celestial City from the telescope. They become excited. The shepherds guide them to Delectable Mountains, warn them not to sleep from Enchanted Ground, and warn him of Flatter.

On the way, they meet Ignorance and accompany them for some time. Ignorance passes his life in hopes of best. He believes that a good life is enough for entering into heaven and claims that Hopeful and Christian’s path to heaven is unnecessarily difficult and long. Ignorance then leaves him, and Christian and Hopeful leaves enter a dark backstreet full of devils.

Christian sees a man bound with his face. Christian recalls him to be Little-Faith, his acquaintance. He narrates his story to Hopeful. Travelling with his money and a precious jewel, Little-Faith was robbed by thieves. He begged for the remaining of his journey. He still has the jewel but does not think about it. When Hopeful asks him why he does not sell his jewel for some money, Christian calls him foolish and says that a believer does not exchange his faith for material wealth.

Christian and Hopeful then fall prey to Flatter deceitful and beautiful talk. He traps them in a net. A Shining One comes and frees the. They also encounter an Atheist who mocks their intention to reach a Celestial City. Atheist claims that in his twenty years of searching, he could not find Celestial City. Christian and Hopeful uphold that they have seen it.

Christian and Hopeful talk about sin in detail. This discussion helps them to ward off the sleep while crossing the Enchanted Land. They agree that no person is free from sin, and only Christ is sinless. Hopeful tells him of his realization about his sinfulness. They fight off dangerous sleep on Enchanted Ground. They again see Ignorance and talk about his belief that salvation is guaranteed by living a good life. 

Christian claims that Salvation only comes through exposure and revelation, only living a good life. They also talk about reverting among the earnest. Ignorance disdains revelation by calling it nonsense and claims that faith in God is enough for a believer. Ignorance falls behind as he cannot walk as fast as Christian and Hopeful.

The Tenth Stage

Christian inquires about a fellow Temporary from Hopeful. Temporary was a religious man and also resolved to go on a pilgrimage. Hopeful says that he knows about him. Christian tells him that the resolution of Temporary only lasts for a short time. He meets Saveself and then cuts his ties with Christian. This example makes Hopeful to discuss the reason for spiritual backsliding in general. Hopeful tells him that shame, fear, and guilt are the reason that makes the devout to lose faith in salvation. He also mentions the signs of backsliders that include association with people of loose nature, abandonment of duties, and ex-communication with Christian friends. 

Hopeful and Christian are warned about more difficulties. Two Shining Ones appear and encourage them. Between them and the city of the gate, a river with no bridge is situated, which is marked as the first difficulty. When they try to cross it, Christian feels himself sinking. He expresses his fear of never able to see the Celestial City. Hopeful encourages him, but Christian urges him to go without him. Hopeful mentions Christ and this gives Christian a new hope. They both cross the river successfully.

They follow the Shining ones who lead them to Celestial City. They are welcome by trumpeters. They realize that in the river, they have lost their mortal garments. The gate was opened, and they entered and wore garments of gold.

The narrator wishes them to be with them. Ignorance does not have a certificate of an entrance, and he is shut out of the City and sent to Hell. The narrator then wakes up from his dream.

Conclusion of Part One

In the concluding part, the narrator says that he has narrated his dream, and the readers can interpret it in their ways. He also warns the readers for wrong interpretations. He cautions for playing around with the obvious content of the story.

Part Two Summary

Author’s Introduction

John Bunyan addresses his second book in the introduction of Pat II. He says that the book follows the order of Book I and also embarks a pilgrimage. The book is called by the name of Christiana and identifies it with the wife of Christian.

John Bunyan states different objections to the proposed pilgrimage that Christiana offers him. Christiana, first of all, does not agree that she has been authored by the original writer of Christian’s tale. The author replies that the need for Christiana was sent for him, and his arrival will claim her to be his creation.

Christiana also states that some readers may react angrily to the book. Bunyan says that she should not worry about it as his first book has many readers. Thirdly, she objects that people may not like the employment of allegory. Bunyan again defends that he uses fiction to tell a religious truth. Lastly, Christiana inquires about the readers who call the work of John Bunyan as romance. Bunyan replies that everyone cannot be pleased and reassures that the readers will love her.

The First Stage

The narrator of the novel tells the account of the dream that follows the one in Part I of The Pilgrim’s Progress. He dreams about the wife and children of Christian who has been left behind in the City of Destruction. The narrator dreams of an elderly man Sagacity. The narrator visits him to talk about the City of Destruction and asks him about Christian. Sagacity tells him that he dwells in Celestial City. The narrator then asks him about the wife of Christian and his four sons. Sagacity tells him that they have packed up and began their journey in search of Christian. Sagacity now tells the story of the pilgrimage of Christiana.

Christiana invites Mercy, a fellow townsperson, to accompany her on pilgrimage. Mercy agrees to be her servant on the trip. Mercy is upset for the ones who are left behind. Christiana says that maybe the ones who are left behind may also follow them someday.

Mercy, Christiana, and the four children slip several times but ultimately cross the Slough of Despond. Sagacity stops narrating his tale as the narrator falls asleep, and he sees Christiana’s journey in a dream. The group then comes across the gate that leads to Celestial City. A dog barks at them, and the gatekeeper appears to inquire about their identity. When Christiana introduces herself, the gatekeeper expresses his admiration and lets them in. However, Mercy is not guaranteed a permit to enter.

Mercy knocks again. When the gatekeeper inquires her identity, Christiana explains to him, and she is allowed in.

The group feels relieved for being inside the gate. Christiana inquires about the frightening dog. The gatekeeper says that it belongs to neighbours and scares the beggar with barking. The gatekeeper gives food to the group and washes their feet.

The Second Stage and the Third Stage

The group continues their journey. They see a garden and the boys climb the wall of the garden and steal some food. The garden belongs to the devil. Not knowing that the food belongs to the devil, Christiana scolds and punishes them.

The two Ill-Favored Ones arrive to meet up. Mercy and Christiana veil their faces out of modesty. They say that they do not intend to robe them but need something else from them. Mercy and Christiana cry for help. The Reliever, a helper, arrives from the neighbours. He made the Ill-Flavored one escape. He asks them why they did not hire any guide for the journey. Christiana realizes and apologizes for his mistake.

They then arrive at the house of Interpreter. The Interpreter shows them several meaningful and moral scenes, just as he shows to Christian. Christiana observes a man collecting lots of stuff and realizes that he represents a man who is obsessed with worldly materials. The Interpreter also shows Christiana an empty room. There is a spider on the wall which Christiana recognizes as sin.

The Interpreter then takes them to a room where a Butler kills a sheep, and the sheep accepts its death meekly. The Interpreter explains that all Christians should accept their death like this. The Interpreter guides them to the garden where all flowers are beautiful and different, and they do not compete with each other on beauty. This suggests that humans should also be grateful for what is given to them. The Interpreter shows them other emblems in his house.

He then invites them to eat with him and inquire about what made them start their journey. Christiana tells them she has decided to accompany her husband, but her neighbours frightened her. Mercy tells her that when she saw Christiana leaving, she also joined her. In the morning, they take a bath, wear fresh clothes, and continue their journey.

The Interpreter also sends his manservant Great-heart along with them. Great-heart and Christiana are engaged in detailed discussion about pardon in words and indeed. They also cross the place where Christian lost his burden. They also cross Sloth, Simple, and Presumption. They are hanging in chains alongside the road.

The group then mount the hill Difficulty. They face the hot sun, and the boy starts crying. Mercy insists on having some rest, but Great-heart urges to continue and take rest in Prince’s arbour. Christiana gives them honey and pomegranate given by the Interpreter.

The Fourth Stage and the Fifth Stage

On the spot where Christian lost his certificate, Mercy, Christiana, and her children stop to drink and eat. When they resume the journey, they realize that they have forgotten the water bottle and return to get it. Great-heart tells them it is a place of sleepy forgetfulness, and the travellers must be observant.

They then reach the place where Christian was warned about lions. The pilgrims become frightened when the lion’s roar. Great-heart tries to ward them off. Grim, the master of the lion, appears and tells them that they cannot cross the area. Great-heart kills Grim saying that it is a King’s road, and everyone can pass it. The rest of the lions are chained, and Christiana, along with her group, pass.

The group reaches the lodge of the Palace Beautiful. They are admitted, and the porter expresses his respect for Christian. Charity, Piety, and Prudence are happy to see them in the lodge. They feed the group and then put to sleep. When they wake up in the morning, Christiana tells Mercy that she has been laughing in her sleep. Mercy describes that she has been dreaming that she is alone and lamenting over her hard heart. She is surrounded by those who mock her. Then a winged figure arrived and clothed her in beautiful clothes and embellished her with crown and earnings. Christiana says that such dreams are a sign from God.

Prudence chats with the four sons of Christiana names Samuel, Joseph, James, and Mathew. Prudence asks them questions about Christian doctrines, the Holy Ghost, the value of the Bible, and the nature of hell. They all seem so well verse. Prudence urges them to always listen to their mother as she will teach them everything. 

A suitor named Mr Brisk appears after a week showing his interest in marrying Mercy. One day, Mr Brisk comes and sees that Mercy is making clothes for the poor. He leaves disappointedly and never returns. Mercy says that many suitors stopped courting her in the past because of her religious passion. She says she is prepared to never marry as her sister has been dropped out of religious activities after marriage.

Eating a fruit that he stole from the devil’s garden, Mathew gets ill and suffers from cramps. Skill, a doctor, comes and prepares medicine for him. Mathew takes medicine and gets well. The doctor gives Christiana his universal pill for later use.

The time for Christiana and her group’s departures arrives after spending a month in Palace Beautiful. Great-heart comes again to give them company. Christiana gives a golden angel coin as a tip to the porter. On the way, they see a spot where Christian slipped and also saw a monument that honours the victory of Christian over Apollyon. When they enter into a Valley of Shadow and of Death, they are surrounded by darkness and traps knot their feet.

Maul, a giant, appears. He wearily speaks to Great-heart that he has been warned many times to guide the travellers through this area. He also accuses him of kidnaping the group. They both fight for an hour. Great-heart cuts Maul’s head.

The Sixth Stage and the Seventh Stage

The place where Christian met Faithful, the group halts to celebrate their victory. Moving onward, they encounter Old Honest sleeping under a tree. When Old Honest wakes up, he has mistaken the group for thieves. He calms when the group shows their identity.

Great-heart inquires about Fearing. Old Honest tells him that Fearing had been his companion. Great-heart explains he has guided Fearing to Celestial city. He boldly faced the challenges but feared hell as he was not sure about the commitment of Celestial City.

The boys, Christiana and Old Honest, talk about how fear is good if it is used in a proper way. Old Honest also informs the group about Self-will. Self-will would do what he pleased to do. The pilgrims show their disapproval.

The three robbers appeared who robbed Little-Faith in Part I of The Pilgrim’s Progress. The pilgrims take shelter in Gaius’s house. He offers them food and talks about religious matters in detail.

They spend a month in Gaius’s house. In the meantime, Mathew, the eldest son, marries Mercy, and the youngest son James marries Gaius’s daughter Phoebe. When they are about to leave, Great-heart invites Feeble-minded to accompany them who refuse to be too ignorant. Great-heart insists, saying he will help him. Ready-to-halt, a handicapped pilgrim, also joins. Old Honest and Great-heart talks about the character Christian met during his pilgrimage.

They all camp at Mnason’s home. Mnason’s friend Contrite tells them the guilt of locals after the unjust execution of Faithful. They have become moderate. The group spends a long time at Mnason’s house. Samuel marries Grace, and Joseph marries Martha. Both are daughters of Mnason.

A dragon with seven heads appears to threaten the Great-heart, along with Mnason’s friend, subdue the monster. 

The group mounts Lucre. There Christian was tempted with silver. Christiana has become a grandmother and tells her daughters-in-law to hand over their babies to the caretaker who appears. They move onward and decide to kill Giant Despair. When they killed him, They spent seven days trashing the castle.

The group reaches Delectable Mountains and meets shepherds who direct them to Mount Charity and Mount Innocent. They then go to the place with shepherds, Mercy sees a mirror and asks Christiana to buy it for her. The shepherds give it to her as a thanking gift for killing Giant Despair.

The Eighth Stage

The group reaches the place where Christian met Little-Faith. They encounter Valiant-for-Truth. Valiant-for-truth tells them about the three thieves who attack them, and he repelled the after energetic combat. When Great-heart asks him why he did not ask for help, Valiant-for-truth says that he seeks Lord’s help. He also says that he has learned from the example of Christian.

The group resumes its journey. Valiant-for-truth also accompanies them. They all become weary in the enchanted ground. They cross the land with great struggle and reach a place for rest. The place is disenchanted and tricks pilgrims and warns themselves not to rest. They continue and retreat with Too-bold and Heedless sleeping in couches. They try to wake them up. Darkness is prevalent, and Great-heart lightens a lantern.

They also find Standfast, a pilgrim, bow in prayer. Valiant-of-truth inquires why he is in such a state. Standfast replies that he has refused the offer of a woman who offered him her money, bed, and herself. Great-heart recognizes the woman as Bubble when Standfast describes her. Some travellers see her as a goddess, but she has no power. Great-heart tells that she loves to party and causes trouble since biblical times. He also praises Standfast for rejecting her.

All the pilgrims reach the home of Celestial City, Beulah. The locals give them fresh garments and bring them perfumed bouquets.  A messenger with a letter arrives addressing Christiana that the Master wants to see her in ten days. The messenger also gives her a token that assures his validity. He gives her an arrow that spreads love in her heart. Christians meet every pilgrim and say farewells to them. 

The remaining pilgrims also receive a letter from the Master. Ready-to-halt wants to leave some heritage, so he leaves his sticks to his son before leaving. Feeble-minded laments that he has nothing to leave behind. All of them leave. The narrator says that he is unaware of what happened to Christiana’s son and their families. He has heard from someone that they are alive.

Author’s Farewell

The author concisely bids farewell to the readers.

Characters Analysis

Christian

He is the hero and the central character of the novel, the Pilgrim’s Progress. As the book is more an allegory than a novel, the character of Christian as a hero is very simple. The character of Christian represents one aspect of human life: the pursuit of religious truth. He is clearly defined by his hunt for salvation in the pilgrimage to Celestial city.

The character of Christian is goal-oriented. The pilgrimage to Celestial City is a matter of life and death for him; that is why he cannot waste his time and energy on matters that are not of much importance. Even he does not pay importance to his family once he leaves on the pilgrimage. He never talks about his family to his travel companions. Even though he gets emotional when one of the mistresses at Palace Beautiful inquires about his family, he does not mention his family’s subject. It clearly shows that his goal of salvation is much more significant to any other earthly concern.

Apollyon

Apollyon is a negative character of the book and wants to stop Christian from his pilgrimage. The physical indiscretion of Apollyon shows his evilness. Apollyon is a hybrid: he is partially born, partially dragon, partially fish, and partially human. He has all four elements of matter: the air for being associated with wings, the fire for being associated with dragons, the water for being associated with fish, and the earth for being associated with bears. He is also a combination of animal and human.

Through these symbolic combinations, the author shows his unlimited power and suggests that he extracts energy from all the parts of the universe. The complexity of his character is put into his contrast with the extreme simplicity of Christian’s character. Even though he appears for a very short time, Apollyon’s character is one of the best characters in the book.

The character of Apollyon symbolizes human subjection to worldly forces. He is opposed to the spiritual freedom that is shown by Christian when he leaves his worldly existence. The name of Apollyon is also put in contrast to Greek God Apollo. Apollo is the God of form and beauty that controls the worldly values. 

In addition to this, the character of Apollyon symbolizes the traditional feudalism of the medieval ages. The Christian appears to be a feudal subject who owes faithfulness to his owner. Apollyon believes that being the owner of the area, he has power on the people on his land. This power is rejected by Christian and asserts that he only believes in divine freedom. Therefore, the defeat of Apollyon at the hand of Christian shows his Christian’s victory over worldly powers.

Christiana

The character of Christiana is introduced in part II of the book as Christian’s wife. As shown by their names, they are better halves of each other. In part I of the book, Christiana does not agree to accompany Christian on his pilgrimage. She appears to be held by the worldly limitations and values. However, when she appears in Part II, she shows great appreciation for Christian’s pilgrimage and follows him.

As she is preoccupied with many responsibilities, her decision to embark on pilgrimage shows more weight than that of Christian. She is a mother of four sons and has to take care of four sons on pilgrimage. Moreover, her final victory as a pilgrim also surpasses the victory of Christian as she, along with her group, achieves more as compared to that of Christian.

Great-heart

Great-Heart is the Instructor’s male servant and accompanies Christiana and her group on their pilgrimage as a guide. He is a very important character in Part II of the book. He provides not only physical defence but also provides spiritual guidance to Christiana and her group. He also shows a strange ability to sense the needs of Christiana. There is a kind of marital closeness between Christiana and Great-heart. On the pilgrimage, he acts as a stand-in husband to Christiana.

Christian shows mercy that has not even been shown by Christian and acts as a compassionate protector of week pilgrims.

Minor Characters of Part I

Evangelist

He is the messenger of God who carries the gospel message to Christian. He ignites the spirit of Christian to start a pilgrimage to Celestial City.

Obstinate

He is the neighbour of Christian in the City of Destruction. He refuses to join Christian on his pilgrimage.

Pliable

He is the neighbour of Christian who accompanies him on his journey. However, after falling if Slough of Despond, he gets discouraged and goes back to his home.

Help

He is the fellow pilgrim who takes out Christian from Slough of Despond.

Worldly Wiseman

He is a practical and reasonable man who meets Christian when he starts his pilgrimage. He tries to force Christian to give up his religious foolishness.

Formalist and Hypocrisy

They are travellers who meet Christian on the other side of the wall of Salvation. Instead of following the straight path, they try to sneak over the wall.

Discretion

She is one of the mistresses at the Palace Beautiful. She takes the Christian into the lodge and feeds him

Piety

She is one of the mistresses at the Palace Beautiful. She inquires Christian about his journey.

Prudence

She is one of the Mistresses at the Palace Beautiful. She tries to understand the purpose of Christian in his pilgrimage to Mount Zion.

Charity

She is one of the mistresses at the Palace Beautiful. Charity inquires about Christian’s family from Christian.

The Interpreter

He is the guide of who protects Christian. He instructs Christian through interpreting various meanings hidden in everyday stories, events, and objects. He houses these stories, objects, and events in his Significant Rooms.

Shining Ones

They are the celestial creatures. They clothe Christian in new garments and give him the certificate that is necessary to enter the celestial city. They also act as Christian’s guardians throughout his journey.

Faithful

He is the companion of Christian. He is also from the Christian home town. He gives an account of the city when they meet. He is executed in the town of Vanity.

Talkative

He is the fellow pilgrim who accompanies Christian and Faithful for a short time. Christian spurned him for making sentences on spirituality rather than performing religious deeds.

Mr By-ends

He also accompanies Christian for a short time when he escapes from the town of Vanity. He uses religion for social profit and personal ends.

Hopeful

He accompanies Christian in his pilgrimage and replaces Faithful. Before entering into the gates of Mount Zion, Christian and Hopeful have to cross a river with no bridge. Hopeful saves the life of Christian when he is about to sink.

Giant Despair

He is the owner of Doubting Castle. He imprisons Christian and Hopeful for intruding into his territory. He is killed by Great-heart and Christiana’s son in Part II.

Diffidence

She is the wife of Giant Despair. She encourages Giant Despair to give harsh punishment to Christian and Hopeful.

Demas

He tries to charm Hopeful and Christian with wealth and silver.

Temporary

He is the would-be pilgrimage. Christian speaks of him in a cautionary way. Christian warns the readers of the backsliding of Temporary before he completes his spiritual process.

Minor Character of Part II

Sagacity

He is an elderly man who comes into the narrator’s dream. When the narrator inquires about the family of Christian, he offers to take him to a place and recounts the story of Christiana’s pilgrimage.

Mercy

She is the neighbour of Christiana. She accompanies Christiana as a servant. Later, she marries Mathew, the eldest son of Christiana.

Matthew

He is the eldest son of Christiana. He marries Mercy. He unknowingly steals the fruit from the devil’s garden and then gets ill. Dr Skill healed him.

Joseph

He is the son of Christiana.

Samuel

He is the son of Christiana.

James

He is the youngest son of Christiana.

Ill-Favoured Ones

They are the two strangers who appear to harm Christiana and Mercy.

Reliever

He rescues Mercy and Christiana from Ill-Favored Ones.

Watchful

He is the doorkeeper of House Beautiful.

Grim

He is the master of the lions. He appears and threatens Christiana and the group on their way to House Beautiful.

Maul

He is a giant that Great-heart killed. He claims that Great-heart has kidnapped the group of pilgrims.

Mr Brisk

He is the suitor of Mercy, who comes to visit her at House Beautiful.

Old Honest

He is an old pilgrim who accompanies Christiana and her group. He also accounts for the story of the demise of Fearing, a pilgrim.

Mr Fearing

He is a pilgrim who accompanies Old Honest for a short time. Though he is brave enough to face the physical danger, he cannot stand before death and is uncertain about his ambition to reach the Celestial City.

Gaius

He is the owner who homes and provides shelter to Christiana and her group when they are attacked by the thieves. The two daughters of Christiana marry the two sons of Christiana.

Giant Good-Slay

He is an evil giant killed by Great-heart, Gaius, and other men.

Heedless

He is a pilgrim who accompanies Christiana’s group. He falls asleep at the end of the pilgrimage and starts talking in his sleep. He shows his basic disappointment in the understanding of the pilgrimage.

Too-bold

He is the cohort of Heedless.

Madam Bubble

She is a tall, dark-skinned, and attractive woman who tempts Standfast. She offers him herself, her bed, and her money if he stays with him.

Standfast

He is the last pilgrim who met Christiana in her journey. He kneels on the ground, thanking God for protecting him from the temptations of Madam Bubble.

Mr Feeble-Mind

He is a pilgrim who is mentally slow. He is almost killed by the giant Good-Slay. Gaius rescues him, and he then joins the group of Christiana.

Mr Ready-to-Halt

He is a handicapped pilgrim. He joins the group on support.

Mr Mnason

He is the pilgrim with whom the group of Christiana lodges.

Contrite

He is a friend of Mnason.

Valiant-for-truth

He is a strong and sword-wielding pilgrim. He single-handedly drives off three attackers. He joins the group of Christiana at the end of their journey. He demonstrates the idea that a hero can concentrate on others as well.

Themes in the Novel

Knowledge Extended Through Traveling

The books The Pilgrim’s Progress represents the idea through travelling, and one can increase his/her knowledge. Christian and his companions learn through their mistakes that they commit during their pilgrimage. Pilgrimage is a journey, so any pilgrim should be a traveller who should be prepared to go far and wide. However, in The Pilgrim’s Progress, the travelling does not make a traveller a pilgrim. The pilgrim must increase his spirituality as he or she moves ahead in the journey.

The key factor in any pilgrimage is knowledge. Knowledge of a pilgrim must increase with travelling. For instance, in his travelling, Christian never repeats his mistakes as he learns from the experiences.

The Significance of Reading

Throughout The Pilgrim’s Progress, the significance of reading is highlighted. The pilgrims only attain salvation and joy when they read and understand the Bible. Those pilgrims who do not understand the Bible properly appear to be a disappointment and do not attain entry to the Celestial City. For example, Christian does not only dismiss Ignorant because he is unable to grasp the divine revelation, but he also rejects him because he cannot read the Bible.

In the first part of the book, when the narrator first glimpses Christian in his dream, he is holding the Bible and crying. The Bible has raided pain into the heart of its follower, who has drifted from their faith. The pilgrims are not only the reader of the Bible. They also believe that its guidance is applicable to everyday lives.

The Worth of Community

In the second part of the novel, the worth of community is emphasized through the pilgrimage of Christiana with her sons and other companions. Travelling in a group, Christiana experiences pilgrimage as a shared activity. Whenever she stops for rest, she picks up a new pilgrim, and the group grows substantially. She reached out to other pilgrims and received weak and disabled pilgrims into her group. 

However, Part I of the book shows a solitary pilgrimage. Even though Christian is accompanied by Hopeful and Faithful, he does not really need them. He could move ahead without them. In fact, Christian decides to leave his hometown as if it is necessary for him to experience solitude to feel the divine world.

When Christian cries for his family before the four mistresses at Palace Beautiful, he shows his hidden desire for his family. In his book, John Bunyan highlights the notion that spirituality is at its best when one experiences it in the community. The journey of Christian does not end up in solitary, yet Christiana knows instinctively that spiritual existence is only possible with togetherness.

The Confinement of Human Insight

Because of the fallen nature of humans, Humans are blinded by their virtue, and that is why they have trouble seeing the divine truth. This point is so well explained in John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress. Whenever Christian drifts from his path, it is because of the confinement of his insight and perception.

Christian was unable to see the stairs until Help pointed it out to him. Soon afterwards, he is deceived by Mr Worldly Wiseman because he is unable to see the trap. Christian then visits the house of Interpreter to increase his knowledge and understanding of the world. He learns and understands the meaning of the symbols that would be unintelligible for him otherwise. Throughout the book, John Bunyan focuses on the point that true Christians, such as the character of Christian, have a limited perspective because of the fallen nature of humans.

To avoid the pitfalls that are caused by limited perceptions, Bunyan points out that a man needs constant watchfulness and dedication to faith. The group of pilgrims at the end of Part II must rely on the faith to lead to the right path as the narrator says the “They walked not by sight.”

As the Christian moves forward in his pilgrimage, his faith becomes stronger. Consequently, his perception increases as well as his awareness of things that could have to delude him. Though he is not substantial in his perception and assessment of reality, he does progress spiritually in his pilgrimage.

The Chunk of Fear in Faith

In Christian and other pilgrim’s pilgrimages, fear plays an important role. Bunyan believes in the idea that one can only achieve wisdom when he starts fearing God. He repeats this twice in the book. By the fear of God firsthand, Christian also gets inspiration. When the Interpreter explains all the visions to him, he asserts that he feels both hope and fear.

John Bunyan makes it clear in the book that for true Christian, it is necessary to fear God, and this fear is worthy. However, this fear is different from the one that makes a man coward. Fearing God means to be aware of his reverence and to have faith in his power, mercy, and grace. However, the other kind of fear has no virtue.

Once Christian overcomes his second type of fear, he understands that “to go forward, is Fear of death, and Life everlasting beyond it: I will yet go forward.” Christian instantly overcome their fear and do not allow it to hamper their progress and faith.

Mr Fearing symbolizes not only the second kind of fear but also a lack of belief that he slows down his progress and burdens him unnecessarily. Even though he is physically courageous and faces the danger of the world with great courage, John Bunyan does not support the Christian beliefs he shows.

Imprisonment and Freedom

Imprisonment is one of the central themes of the book The Pilgrim’s Progress. When Bunyan started writing the book, he was imprisoned. Therefore, the liberation or freedom from the imprisonment of this mortal world is one of the significant issues that Bunyan deals with.

The characters of John Bunyan, time and again, find themselves in prison to any visible or invisible forces. For instance, there is an iron cage at the house of the Interpreter, Faithful and Christian are imprisoned at Vanity-Fair; Hopeful and Christian are jailed by Giant Despair.

The readers can interpret these imprisonments in various ways. Freedom from imprisonment is a result of some divine intervention, and that can be interpreted as the expression of God. The grace of God always makes a person free and liberated. The spiritual imprisonment of a non-believer is shown by physical prisons.

In some of the parts of the book, John Bunyan also deals with the bondage and struggle of an individual to liberate from spiritual imprisonment. For example, Hopeful keeps people in bondage, whereas to liberate oneself, a sacrifice or martyrdom is required. In Christian Reformative theology, sin keeps people in bondage, and the Christ sacrifice has liberated people from this bondage.

In this context, John Bunyan is trying to demonstrate Reformative theology when Christian sees the cross, and his burden is removed from his back, and Christian is freed from his sins.

The Alienated Community

The idea of alienation and community are moving side by side in the book The Pilgrim’s Progress. It is not easy for a pilgrim to progress in his journey without facing any difficulty. Christian encounters malice, scorn, and ignorance in his journey to Celestial City. The life of any pilgrim is full of consistent anticipation and denial as he is living in one world and is pursuing another world by continuously renouncing the one they are living in. The pilgrims in the book show alienation from the world they are born into and living in.

For instance, in Vanity-Fair, the creedal differences of Faithful and Christian are shown in the way they use foreign languages and clothing. The local people instantly recognize them as outsiders. Even though they have chosen their alienation willfully, their sufferings are not lessening.

Moreover, the pilgrims must alienate themselves from the populated world; however, it does not mean that he must live alone. Christian, except for his initial journey, he is never alone. Even when he does not have any companion, he finds himself in the community. Therefore, it becomes clear that any individual cannot complete his journey without the accompaniment of other people. John Bunyan makes a point that humans can not live in isolation, and to progress in life, they need assistance and help from others.

The church epitomizes the idea of alienated communities. The community of pilgrims in the second part of the book represents the community of church: though it is welcoming and ever-expanding, it is alienated from the world. The pilgrim in the group depends on each other for strength and worthy dialogues. For instance, the group or community greatly benefits Feeble-minded. Bunyan highlights the point that for support and help, the pilgrims must not take the community’s value for granted. 

Moreover, the essence of Christianity is a brotherhood, and it is a neighbor-oriented faith. The relationship with God can be maintained by maintaining the relationship with its creation.

Analysis

The opening of The Pilgrim Progress is simple yet great. The dream of John Bunyan was ready to be received by the reading public of the 17th century. The Europeans, in general, became known to the natural world’s moral complexity and its hardness. The world was in bewilderment, and they were wandering in the world of a maze. John Amos Comenius’ Labyrinth of the World, the Paradise of Heart had been published in 1631. In the book, he tries to show the glory, pleasure, and happiness of the chosen hearts as well as the vanity of the world. Other books teaching morality and religion were also circulating much in the first half of the seventeenth century.

The seventeenth century and early eighteenth century is known as the Age of Reason. The general audience of this age found that Bunyan lacks subtlety. And to sustain the lack of refinement as a strange virtue was left to the romantics.

The Pilgrim’s Progress is one of the most renowned Christian allegories to read. However, the book is not written with the Christian rules. Therefore, it unveils a logical fallacy. By analysis of the New and Old Testament and the Pilgrim’s Progress, one can clearly observe the contradictory factors. For example, when the book opens, the wife and children of Christian are seen as an obstacle in his relationship with God, however, in it is stated in the Bible that  “But if anyone does not provide for his own family, especially for his own household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.”

What Christian acts is totally opposite to what is stated in the Bible.  To leave family and friends for salvation is to leave or abandon one’s responsibility. Even though The Pilgrim’s Progress is the narration of a great journey for an individual’s salvation, by analyzing the text, one can see that it contradicts the modern perspective of Christian beliefs.

Christian’s greed for salvation surpasses his fellow believers. He does not attempt or struggle to convert his people to join him, and he leaves alone for salvation. He saves his own life and ignores God’s will. He did not attempt to educate his people and save his friends, family, and neighbors.

Even though Christian’s enlightenment relied upon his strong and just characters, he should never consider his own individual salvation. He should consider the issue of the salvation of the whole community, and it is very big to give an opportunity for people to be saved.

The character of Christian does not change or evolve as the book progresses. When he is introduced to the readers, he is frightened and struggling to free himself from an apocalypse. He remained frightened throughout the book. The changes that the readers see in the character of Christian are because of the change in author. The perspective of John Bunyan greatly influences the book.

Moreover, Christian is highly dependent on other characters to reach Celestial city. With the assistance of Evangelist, Help, Hopeful, Faithful, Discretion, and many others, he attains salvation. This shows that the children of God are helping Christian in his pilgrimage. However, Christian does not change in leaving everyone behind on his journey.

Feminist Perspective of The Pilgrim’s Progress

The Pilgrim’s Progress is also interpreted in the light of feminism. Women during the seventeenth century were submissive, perceived as less intelligent, and less significant than men. The books represent women are less religious than men, therapeutic, and tempting.

However, when the book opens, Christian’s wife is introduced as someone who rejects the idea of leaving her home and starting a religious journey. She is portrayed as less religious than her husband. The readers are given the impression that women of Bunyan’s time were less intelligent to have faith in God and start a journey with her husband. Christiana appears to be disobeying her husband, who was considered as a sin.

Later in the novel, the women are shown as feeble and weak, who cannot perform the duties of men. All women could do is to cook and clean for men. They cannot fight for them to save them from any evilness outside. These were the status of women in the time of John Bunyan. However, with the passage of time, changes were adapted in Christianity, and woman rights were ensured. Even though the female characters of Bunyan are stuffed with stereotypes, they appear to be interesting.

Moreover, The Pilgrim’s Progress is an account of the salvation of man Christian, not any woman. By asserting his personal desires in his writing, John Bunyan was trying to influence the male-dominated church on his time. Through his prejudiced ideals, John Bunyan exposed his amazing quality of writing.

In the seventeenth century, there is a huge difference in the role of a wife in religion and marriage. However, to an extent, religion has set up rules for the protection of the right of women.

Motifs

The recurrent images, structures, and literary devices in a literary text are called Motifs. The emphasis on the idea helps develop the major themes of a work. The following are the motifs in the novel The Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan.

Sleep

There is a motif of sleep throughout the book. The symbol of sleep is both inspirational and paralyzing for a pilgrim on his journey to the Celestial City. Danger awaits the pilgrim, whenever they become sleepy or decide to take some rest.

The Enchanted Ground in both parts of the book is threatening the pilgrims by lulling them into sleep and turns them forgetful. The pilgrims, as a result, drift from their spiritual mission and ruin their salvation. The two pilgrims Too-bold and Heedless, fall asleep after making it into the very outskirts of the Celestial City. Sleep appears to be a spiritual disaster rather than natural failure. They start babbling in their sleep. This is interpreted as a loss of reason; therefore, they become unable to attain any spiritual goal.

Over here, the motif of sleep illustrates spiritual insolvency and directionlessness. However, directionlessness can be taken as a positive notion, and falling asleep can ignite the pilgrim on their spiritual journey. For example, when the book opens, the author has no direction. However, when he falls asleep, he receives a message of God and starts his spiritual journey. Had he not fallen asleep, he would not have dreamed.

The Wilderness

The pilgrimage of the pilgrim in The Pilgrim’s Progress begins and ends in a city. The pilgrim wonders between these two cities through the wilderness. Throughout the book, the journey is framed in the wild outdoors. This motif demonstrates biblical examples. For example, Israelites wandered in the wilderness for forty years. Likewise, Christ lived his forty days in the wilderness.

The wilderness not only symbolizes solitude, but it also tests the spirituality of a person. Wilderness is a place of hardship and despair where one can strengthen their faith. However, there is a great difference in location between the wilderness of Biblical stories, and the one described by John Bunyan in Pilgrim’s progress. In Biblical stories, the wilderness is actually a desert wherein In Pilgrim’s Progress, the wilderness is something inward. However, when the book opens, the narrator says that before dreaming of Christian, he had been in a state of wilderness.

The outdoor location of the novel represents an internal struggle. It represents the hard path that is necessary for a soul to follow. Similarly, when Christian is almost drowned in the river and thinks that he has failed to reach the Celestial City, he restores his faith in Jesus Christ and instantly gains hope and strength. The hardships of wilderness are a true struggle for the pilgrims and separate the spiritual week from the strong.

Sensual Pleasure

The motif of sensual pleasure is used both negatively and positively in The Pilgrim’s Progress. The pleasures of senses are diminished in the novel. The pilgrims do not show any desire to stop or look back at the previous life because of the important journey ahead. Sensual pleasures threaten the spiritual advancement of the pilgrims. For example, when Christiana’s eldest son steals the fruit of the devil’s garden, he becomes ill.

John Bunyan appears to be advocating the basic attitude of Puritans towards the sensual pleasures and views them as dangerous and diverging for spiritual development. But John Bunyan also illustrates the idea that sensual pleasures are acceptable and beneficial in the right circumstances. For example, sensual beauty surrounds the pilgrims when they reach the Palace beautiful. They start eating healthy food with no risk of damaging their souls. The pilgrims can freely hear the birds singing when they rest in the Delectable Mountains with shepherds.

Moreover, Celestial City is also an affirmation of sensual pleasures that includes golden streets and fragrant flowers. If sensual pleasures assist in spiritual progress, it is completely acceptable.

Symbols

Abstract ideas and concepts in a literary text are represented by objects, characters, and figures. The following are the symbols in the novel The Pilgrim Progress by John Bunyan.

Houses

Pilgrimage is all about movement and travel. The houses in the novel The Pilgrim’s Progress provide a necessary and important function for travellers. Many houses in the novel are also a source of imprisonment for many pilgrims. These houses are places where movement is restricted with no salvation.

The Doubting Castle of Giant Despair symbolizes a place that threatens the movements of pilgrims by imprisoning them. However, there are other houses in which the pilgrims not only take rest but also take nourishment and increase their knowledge.  The Interpreter’s house for Christian is a source of knowledge as he gets to know and read and interpret various experiences.

Similarly, Christian does not only need Palace Beautiful for relaxation, but he also receives counselling and weapons for his journey ahead.

Christian’s Certificate

After losing the burden at the sight of the cross, Christian receives a certificate from the three shining ones. This certificate shows his first accomplishment on his way of salvation. The certificate symbolically exchanges the burdens as the worldly cares of Christian are replaced by the spiritual mission.

However, the certificate does not guarantee that he will succeed in his journey to Celestial City. As a pilgrim, he has to rely on his faith and strength to reach the Celestial City.

Gates

The gates in The Pilgrim’s Progress are the source to test the commitment and spiritual faith of the pilgrims. Christian and Christian not only have to encounter a number of dangerous creatures and dangerous places. They also have to pass through two important gates to reach the Celestial City. These gates show it significant as everyone is not able to pass it.

The gatekeeper Goodwill let Christian inside the Wicket Gate because he tells him that he intends to go to Mount Zion. However, he does not allow formalist and hypocrisy to pass the gate. Christian also carries a certificate to enter the gates of Celestial City. He maintains the spirituality and does not fall victim to any evil. That is why he gained the certificate.

However, in contrast to Christian, Christiana only has to mention her name to enter the Wicket Gate; she is steadily given permission because the story of the salvation has been widespread across the outskirts of the Celestial City.

The two gates that lead to and into the Celestial City symbolize a new journey and life that a pilgrim should struggle for. These gates can also be compared to the gates of heaven as those entering heaven should be judged by Christ and would only be allowed to enter because of the good character.

Tone

The tone of the novel The Pilgrim’s Progress is didactic. John Bunyan gives allegorical names to his characters that show where he intends to sympathize. Introducing the characters as Hypocrisy or Envy can make it clear to the readers that these characters are placed in the category. Likewise, by naming a character helpful, it is clear that Bunyan employed him to boost the strength of his main character. For example, Hopeful says that “I do believe, as you say, that fear tends much to men’s good, and to make them right, at their beginning to go on pilgrimage.”

The story is basically teaching a lesson in an explicit way; that is why the tone becomes didactic. The characters often give out lectures in full-on professional mode.

Genre

The pilgrim’ Progress belongs to the genres of Parable and Quest. The novel combines these two different genres in a way that does not fit together. Bunyan combines adventure stories with religion.

By combining these two genres, John Bunyan engages the elements of goal-seeking and death-defying journey to present the spiritual and moral dangers in a captivating way.

Title

John Bunyan was a Puritan and leading member of the Puritan community of the 17th century. The Puritan community moved to America due to a lot of persecution in England. Some of them also moved to North America on the Mayflower. However, the history of pilgrims is very old.  

The wanderers and travellers, particularly the spiritual journeymen, have been known since the 11th century. They were called as the pilgrims. The travellers in The Canterbury Tales go on a pilgrimage. Even in today’s world, people go on pilgrimage to Mecca, Jerusalem, and Graceland.

John Bunyan generalized the story by calling them “The Pilgrim’s Progress.” The journey or the progress has narrated the story of every man who sets for a pilgrimage. However, John Bunyan particularly shouts out to those who are searching for Christ.

Setting of the Novel

The novel’s main setting is a dreamland where Christian, a pilgrim, starts his journey from a city of Destruction to Celestial City.

In the novel, there are many allusions to the places that are non-allegorical places. For example, at the Delectable Mountains, Holy Land is mentioned. Likewise, many of the European countries are mentioned at Vanity-Fair.  Through these allusions, Bunyan can easily comment on the politics of his time while guiding the readers through his dream.

However, Bunyan set the story in a place that cannot be identified for a reason. He wants the story to be relatable to the lives of all of his readers, regardless of time and place.

Bunyan needs such a setting that has no limitation of time and place because he is writing about those truths of Christian and aspects of life that are timeless and limitless. The situation of a dream best suited the needs of the writer.

Writing Style

The writing style of The Pilgrimage’s Progress is simple and symbolic. The story is intended to be easily perceptible and accessible. The sentences are simple and easy to understand, particularly when an important message is conveyed. For example:

 “For God can love him and forgive his sin.”

Being an allegorical story, the sentences and dialogues are very simple and pints out towards something very deep and profound.

For example, the scene has a much deeper meaning than the surface when Christian was imprisoned in a Doubting Castle, and Hopeful reminds him of the key Promise. Moreover, the torturing scene of Faithful has a deeper meaning. For example:

“They, therefore, brought him out, to do with him according to their law; and first they scourged him, then they buffeted him, then they lanced his flesh with knives; after that, they stoned him with stones, then pricked him with their swords; and last of all, they burned him to ashes at stake. Thus came Faithful to his end.”

The paragraph points out towards the hardships and crucifixion of Christ; in order to understand Christ’s love for mankind, struggling is an integral part of life. Moreover, these hardships and tortures show struggles to live a good Christian life. Every action of the book, though, appears to be very simple, defines, and illustrates larger aspects of life.

Point of View

The story is narrated from the first-person point of view. The first person pronoun, “I” occurs very rarely in the story that even readers sometimes forget that the story is a dream.

Bunyan chose to tell his story in the form of a dream, and thus presents the Christian teaching in the form of an allegory. By saying that the story is in the form of a dream, Bunyan has liberated himself from any restriction of the reality of place and time. He acquired the freedom to be non-specific about time and place as well using the images of the real world to narrate the story.

In this way, Bunyan is able to refer to both his Dream World and the Real World.