Why would a writer choose to write a Christian allegory? It is not a new concept, nor is it easy to create a presentation of Christian allegory with new and interesting insights to captivate readers. Bunyan wrote his Christian allegory, The Pilgrim's Progress, while in prison in Bedford, England. He was born in 1628 in a period full of religious unrest, due to the Protestant Reformation. He experienced his “intense spiritual struggle” during Oliver Cromwell's Commonwealth, from 1648 to 1652. After the British Restoration, Bunyan was arrested for failing to comply with the Act of Uniformity while preaching in the countryside, and spent 12 years in prison. After his release, he became pastor of an independent church, but was imprisoned again in 1677 for preaching without a license. In his second imprisonment, he was imprisoned in a bridge over the River Ouse, where he finished writing The Pilgrim's Progress. Initially, this novel was written as a way to entertain his children when they came to visit him in prison. This is very surprising not only because the story is very tied to religion, but also because it contains many mature concepts. Bunyan may have written this novel as a way to indoctrinate his children and all the children of his church. Because he suffered in finding his own religious affiliation, the reason he wrote this book was to help his children find their religion without having to struggle. Bunyan ingeniously uses characters as metaphors for virtues and sins throughout his novel; he also uses multiple metaphors within the allegory to represent important Christian doctrines and accomplishments. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay This novel contains numerous characters, each with their own purpose and meaning. Bunyan chooses to name his characters after virtues and sins, and these respective characters exemplify the qualities of their names. In almost every chapter a new character is introduced. Many minor characters may only be present for one chapter, but each of these characters possesses a quality, whether righteous or immoral, that is an important detail within the Christian allegory. Virtuous characters continually prevail over evil ones, which solidifies Bunyan's belief that those who follow God's path will ultimately gain the rewards of eternal life. Christians and Faithful are both men of integrity who encounter many sinful characters who test their moral strength and teach the pilgrims how to truly live a life guided by Christ. Christian is the antagonist, who is a representation of the strengths and weaknesses of most Christians. His journey shows the difficulties and rewards of embarking on the journey to Eternal Life. During his journey he meets many characters who help him, such as the Evangelist, the Faithful and the Interpreter. In addition to reverent individuals, Christian also encounters sinful characters, such as Mr. Wordly Wiseman and Apollyon. Bunyan uses generic names like Christian and Faithful so that readers can apply the knowledge and faith learned from these characters to their own lives and not limit the spiritual enlightenment to the book and characters themselves. The Christian, like all pilgrims, must maintain his faith and be strong against all the tribulations he faces along the way to the Celestial City. Bunyan presents the general difficulties that all Christians face in going to heaven through Christian's journey from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City. The journey ofChristian begins while reading the Bible and pondering how he can be saved, he meets a man appointed as an evangelist. He tells the Evangelist that he is afraid of death because he is sure that the weight on his back will "sink him lower than the grave" (Bunyan 28). Since Christian is confused about where to go to achieve salvation, The evangelist shows him the narrow door before the shining light because that is where the Christian must go to begin the path to salvation. According to the introduction written by Ken Ham, Bunyan based the character of the Evangelist on a man named John Gifford, who helped Bunyan begin the path to salvation. Bunyan personifies the Holy Spirit as the character of the evangelist when he helps initiate the Christian on his journey. The evangelist sets the Christian on his way and guides him every time he is led out of the "narrow way". In the Bible, people of the Christian faith are said to be “led by the [Holy] Spirit,” which is the metaphorical purpose of the evangelist (Luke 4:1). Shortly after starting his journey, Christian is begged by Mr. Worldly-Wiseman and finds himself in danger before Mount Sinai. This is a mountain made of materials that initially seem attractive to Christian and lead him away from the narrow path, but then the falling tower poses an immediate danger to him. These attractive dangers make Mount Sinai a metaphor for the worldly things that distract a Christian from his true purpose and will ultimately lead to his destruction. The Christian is frightened and alone, but the evangelist finds him and enlightens him, saying, "You must absolutely abhor his turning away, his striving to make the cross hateful to you, and his placing your feet in that direction which leads to the administration". of death” (Bunyan 53). This is Bunyan's interpretation of the Holy Spirit forgiving Christians of their trespasses and continuing to direct them to the right path. Bunyan later uses Evangelist once again in the story to foreshadow and reflect God's unlimited knowledge. The Evangelist encounters both the faithful and the Christians while they are together, and prophesies that “...one of you shall seal the testimony with blood ... and he will still get the better of his neighbor; not only because he will arrive at the Celestial City as soon as possible, but because he will escape many miseries that the other will encounter on the rest of his journey” (Bunyan 165). Bunyan's reference to the "Heavenly City" foreshadows Faithful's eventual execution and also introduces Bunyan's belief that a Christian who remains faithful even in the face of death will be granted eternal glory. The evangelist is an important character because he serves as a representation of the Holy Spirit, which is what gives Christians the desire for heaven. Along with many helpful and religious characters, Christian encounters some sinful and dangerous ones, such as Apollon. Apollyon in Greek literally means "the destroyer", and is the angel of destruction in the Bible (Revelation 9:11). Christian's battle with Apollyon represents the battle that people of the Christian faith figuratively fight every day, against all the evil forces that seek to destroy them and prevent them from reaching heaven. All people of the Christian faith are obligated to resist Satan, as Jesus himself was “tempted by the devil” in the wilderness, but prevailed against sin (Matthew 4:1). For Apollyon believes himself to be "the prince and god" of the City of Destruction and is furious at Christian for leaving it (Bunyan 118). Apollyon says that through his devotion he can relieve Christian of the burden he physically carries on his back. When the Christian sins and distances himself further from God, the burden “seems heavier” (Bunyan 49). His backpack is symbolic of the weight of sin that people of faith carryChristian, which only Jesus Christ can truly remedy. Apollyon also uses examples of previous "transgressors" against him who met "shameful deaths" on their pilgrimages to try to persuade Christian to abandon his journey (Bunyan 120). When Christian refuses to return with Apollyon due to his loyalty to God, Apollyon becomes angry and begins a physical battle. Christian manages to defeat Apollyon thanks to the infallible protection of the "Armor of God" which he had previously received from the Beautiful Palace (Ephesians 6:10-18). Bunyan uses the narrative of the battle with Apollyon to symbolize how Christians can defeat the things that seek to destroy them, as long as they are faithful and rely on the “armor of God” to save them (Ephesians 6:10-18). At the end of the Christian character's journey, Bunyan metaphorically uses the absence of a bridge over the river of death to show that a person of Christian faith must drown so that he or she can be reborn into eternal life by Jesus Christ. The only way to cross it is to enter the rushing water, which inevitably leads to drowning. When Christian enters the water, he begins to drown and fears for his life. Hopeful, another pilgrim he was traveling with, tells Christian that the difficult waters are only there to test Christian one last time, and Jesus Christ is waiting on the other side of the water. As soon as the Christian takes faith in Jesus and stops worrying, “[he] presently [finds] some ground to stand on, and so it follows that the rest of the river was but shallow” (Bunyan 275). Christian is forced to cross the river of death in order to receive his judgment, as all Christians must die and receive judgment before they can reach heaven or hell. Christian is Bunyan's depiction of the difficulties Christians face in reaching heaven. Bunyan uses various metaphors in The Pilgrim's Progress that contribute to the overall allegory of the journey; these metaphors compare Christian's journey to the Celestial City to the average person's search for heaven. Some situations occur that contain multiple important components, such as Christian's stops at the Interpreter's House, the Hill of Troubles, and Vanity Fair. Bunyan uses several metaphors to represent some of the main points of the Christian allegory. The Interpreter's House is one of the first stops on his journey. Christian begins his quest for salvation after reading the Bible and is continually encouraged by the evangelist, who sends Christian to the Interpreter's House. The interpreter's purpose is to “show [Christian] what will be advantageous to [Christian]” (Bunyan 64). The interpreter's house contains various parts: the picture on the wall, the powder room and the room with the fire on the wall. The first room Christian enters contains the painting on the wall. This image is of a man with "his eyes lifted up to heaven, the best of books in his hand, and the law of truth written on his lips", which means that this is a man seeking salvation, holding the Bible in his hand and talks about The Love of God (Bunyan 64). Man leaves the world behind and despises all the immoral things of the world, because "he is sure that in the world that comes after, he will have glory for his reward" (Bunyan 65). The interpreter shows this image first, because it is an accurate representation of all successful pilgrims. The only pilgrims who will finish their journey are those who live like the man in the photo, and the rest will die as "their road goes down to death" (Bunyan 65). It is important that Christian sees this initially so that he knows what is expected of him to reach the Celestial City. Bunyan believes this should be true for everyonethose who seek salvation: Christians should leave behind the imperfections of the world and strive for the glory of eternal life. The interpreter then leads Christian into the powder room. This room has never been cleaned and is, as the name suggests, full of dust. A man is called to sweep this room, but when the dust is swept it completely fills the air and “Christian had almost choked” from all the dust just being moved around (Bunyan 66). A woman is then called into the room to spray water, and then the dust can be easily swept away. The interpreter says that “the parlor is the heart of a man who has never been sanctified by the sweet grace of the Gospel” and “the dust is the original sin” (Bunyan 66). The parlor shows how sin can accumulate in the hearts of those who do not seek God to purify their souls. The Interpreter says that to sweep is to do what is good according to the law, to sweep with extra water is to do what is good with the help of God's grace. “The law revives, strengthens and increases [sin] in the soul, just as it discovers and forbids it,” meaning that even though the purpose of the law is to help, it cannot do what God can do. During the time this novel was written, the British monarchy had nationalized religion and the Anglican Church, and Bunyan was writing from his prison cell because he practiced another branch of Christianity. He felt he had been wronged by being punished for practicing his form of salvation. Bunyan believed that the law cannot cleanse from sin, because only God and Baptism can cleanse sin, and he illustrates this belief in the Hall of Dust. Another room inside the Interpreter's House is the Room with the Fire on the Wall. As Christian and the interpreter enter the room, they see a man pouring water on a fire sprouting from the side of the wall; however, this fire continues to grow despite man's efforts. As Christian looks further into the room, he sees that the reason the fire continues to burn higher and hotter is that Jesus Christ is on the other side of the wall, secretly adding oil to the fire. The Interpreter says “fire is the work of grace in the heart; that he who throws water upon it, to quench and quench it, is the devil,” but Jesus is on the other side and continues the fire and defeats the devil (Bunyan 72). This demonstrates Bunyan's belief that the devil cannot extinguish God's work in the heart, despite all his efforts. The Interpreter's House is important in Bunyan's Christian allegory because it teaches Christians “how Christ, despite Satan, keeps his work of grace in the heart; how that man had sinned precisely in the hope of God's mercy; and also the dream of him who thought in his sleep that the day of judgment had come” (Bunyan 104). This is a lesson that Bunyan believes must be learned by all Christians in order to properly begin the Narrow Way. Another of Bunyan's metaphors is the Hill of Troubles. This hill represents the quest to find the tools necessary for salvation. Both Christians and believers find themselves on the Hill of Difficulty, proving that it is unavoidable for all pilgrims. Faithful finds his virtue of faithfulness through encounters with characters such as Adam the First and Moses, which we will talk about later. Christian encounters temptation from the path itself and the bower, but then receives the Armor of God when he reaches the Beautiful Palace. The metaphor begins at the foot of the hill, where Christian's temptation arises from the natural landscape. When Cristiano first arrives at the foot of the hill he sees three paths: the narrow path, the path on the left and the path on the right. "The WayNarrow it stretched right up the hill,” while the other two paths skirted the steep and treacherous hill (Bunyan 91). Although the other two would have been easier options, Christian chose the difficult path to which he had been directed by the Evangelist. Later, Christian discovers that the other two paths were called Danger and Destruction. The difficulty of the Narrow Path is Bunyan's way of showing the difficulty of living a true Christian life. He believes other ways may initially seem more easy; however, eternal life (allegorically the Celestial City) cannot be reached by any other path. Pious Christians must be able to endure the difficulties of their pilgrimage to reach heaven, as demonstrated by the narrow path that forces the Christian. to climb the Hill of Difficulties. Christian finds an establishment while at the top of the Hill of Difficulties: the Beautiful Palace is placed on the top of the Hill of Difficulties, to reward the pilgrims who endured the steep climb. In this palace, Christian learns that God will provide for the needs of his followers who are faithful to him and help them on their journey to salvation. The master of the house "is a lover of poor pilgrims" and is happy to transform "beggars [into] princes, despite being born beggars", but the Christian must first be questioned to see if he is worthy of taking respite in the palace ( Bunyan 111). The three princesses of the palace are called Piety, Prudence and Charity; consequently, they ask Christian questions to test his proficiency in each of these values. Piety asks the Christian what pushed him to want to be a pilgrim and what he saw on his journey. Despite the various horrors and tribulations that Christian has faced, he continues his journey because of his unique love for God and his desire for salvation, which proves that he is godly. Prudence then takes charge of the investigation and asks Christian if he prefers his difficult life as a pilgrim or the easier life when he lived in the City of Destruction. Although Christian realizes that his life was more peaceful in the City of Destruction, he also sees that the city will be of no use to him when Judgment Day arrives. This shows his prudence. Christian's wisdom and prudence are exemplified in his desire to achieve eternal life and his decision to choose the most difficult life in order to please God. The interrogation then turns to Charity, who asks what happened to his wife and children. Christian's children when he left the City of Destruction, leaving them behind. Christian said he did what he could to convert his family, but they did not want to abandon their material life. Christian demonstrates Charity because he tries to help his family at no cost to his own, and this shows that he is altruistic. Christian's answers to these various questions demonstrate that he possesses important qualities that will allow him to rest in the Beautiful Palace. Bunyan uses the Palace to teach that God will help everyone achieve eternal life if they prove themselves to be pious, prudent, and charitable, demonstrating that they are worthy of entering the Kingdom of Heaven. Another metaphorical setting that Bunyan uses is Vanity Fair. It is called Vanity Fair because it is in the “city where everything is held lighter than vanity, and also because everything that is sold there…is vanity” (Bunyan 167). This fair has a history that begins in the time of Jesus. The leaders of the fair are Beelzebub, Apollyon, and Legion, who are all legendary henchmen of the devil himself, proving that vanity itself is a direct result of the devil's work. Jesus himself was forced to go through Vanity Fair and was tempted by the "lusts, pleasures and delights of every kind" that came