Salem Press

Masterplots II: Christian Literature
The Pilgrim's Progress

Author: John Bunyan (1628-1688)
First Published: Part 1, 1678; part 2, 1694
Edition Used: The Pilgrim's Progress from This World to That Which Is
to Come, edited by Roger Sharrock. London: Oxford University Press, 1966
Genre: Fiction
Subgenre: Autobiographical allegory
Core Issues: Faith; grace; pilgrimage; redemption; salvation; sin and sinners

In his "relation of the merciful working of God upon my soul," Bunyan's concern is to tell how "great sins do draw out great grace." Although Bunyan, like other Puritans, had imbibed deeply of Calvinist or reformed theology, he revealed a profound dependence on the more experiential thinking of Martin Luther, whose Commentary on Galatians etched itself deeply on his mind and heart precisely because it accorded so well with his own battle with doubt and guilt.

Principal Characters
Christian, the protagonist, a pilgrim seeking the Celestial City
Evangelist, who warns Christian to flee
Mr. Worldly-Wiseman, who counsels against Evangelist's advice
Good Will, who is prompted by Christian's repentance to open the way to the Celestial City
Interpreter, who enlightens Christian from Scripture
Simple,
Sloth,
Formalist,
Hypocrisie,
Timorous, and
Mistrust, who tempt Christian to detour from his goal
Watchful,
Piety,
Prudence, and
Charity, who encourage Christian
Apollyon, the Destroyer whom Christian vanquishes
Faithful, Christian's companion during the middle of his journey
Talkative, who is faithless despite his pretenses
Judge Hate-Good and
Vanity, who attempt to destroy Faithful
Hopeful, Christian's companion on the last leg of his journey
Despair and
Diffidence, giants who try to destroy Christian with doubt
Knowledge,
Experience,
Watchful, and
Sincere, shepherds who offer sustenance
Ignorance, a thief who tries to enter the Celestial City
Christiana, another pilgrim who makes the journey (part 2)
Great-Heart, who guides and protects Christiana

Overview
In The Pilgrim's Progress from This World to That Which Is to Come, John Bunyan strove to dramatize through allegory the pilgrimage that a Christian must undertake to get safely "from this world to that which is to come." Bunyan's protagonist, Christian--warned by the allegorical figure Evangelist to flee the "wrath to come"-- forsakes a wife and four children (the same number Bunyan left behind when he went to prison in 1660) when they refuse to accompany him, despite the chidings and ridicule of neighbors. Although two neighbors, Obstinate and Pliable, try to drag him back by force, he manages to make it through the Slough of Despond and past Mr. Worldly-Wiseman, who counsels him against Evangelist's preaching, to the Strait Gate through which one must pass to go to the Celestial City. Good Will opens the Gate for him when he discovers Christian's brokenhearted repentance for sin.

Entering the Gate, Christian makes his way to Interpreter's House (suggested perhaps by the church at Bedford), where Interpreter enlightens him from Scriptures about the difficulties of the journey and explains how he can overcome them. Rested and illumined, Christian heads directly to the Cross, where the heavy burden of sin and guilt he has borne fall immediately from his back. He proceeds with greater confidence without this burden, but he faces difficulty all along the way, constantly tempted to leave the path by such figures as Simple, Sloth, Formalist, Hypocrisie, Timorous, and Mistrust. Resting after an arduous climb up the hill Difficulty, he reads from his Roll (the Scriptures) for encouragement, then places it under his head and goes to sleep. When he awakens, he leaves without the Roll and has to return "with sorrow" to find it, for he cannot reach the Celestial City without it.

At the Porter's Lodge, Watchful, Piety, Prudence, and Charity supply much-needed encouragement and, still fearful for the rest of the journey, arm him with Sword, Shield, Helmet, Breastplate, All-Prayer, and Shoes that will not wear out. They also show him a vision of the Delectable Mountains of Immanuel's Land within sight of the Celestial City. Thus outfitted, Christian overcomes Apollyon (the Destroyer) in hand-to-hand combat. All-Prayer enables him to pass unharmed through the Valley of the Shadow of Death that winds just above Hell itself. There Christian overtakes Faithful, who shares with him the cost of discipleship. Along the way, they encounter Talkative, whose faith "hath no place in his heart, or house, or conversation," but rather "all he hath lieth in his tongue, and his Religion is to make a noise therewith." Extended conversation with Talkative gives Christian and Faithful a chance to explain what true religion consists of: an experimental confession of faith in Christ; a life answerable to that confession (a life of holiness); and, above all, the practice of faith.

Upset with the peevishness of the pilgrims, Talkative bids them farewell. Once again, Evangelist appears and encourages them just in time, for they now reach Vanity Fair, which has claimed the lives of many faithful pilgrims. The Fair offers for sale all sorts of worldly merchandise. Not unexpectedly, fairgoers take offense at the clothing, speech, and disdain of the pilgrims and consequently beat Christian and Faithful, smearing them with dirt, locking them in a cage, and ridiculing them. When the brash pair preach and win some converts, Judge Hate-Good and a jury composed of no-goods of Vanity try and condemn Faithful to death. Christian, however, though remanded to prison for a time, manages to escape.

No sooner has Christian lost Faithful than he is joined by Hopeful for the last leg of his journey. Deceptive company and dangerous temptations still lurk along the way, trying to lure them astray. They nearly perish at Doubting-Castle, owned by the giant Despair and his wife Diffidence, but Hopeful helps Christian overcome his depression by recalling previous victories. Just when the giant is ready to destroy them, Christian finds a key in his bosom, called Promise, that will open any lock in Doubting-Castle. They come quickly to the Delectable Mountains and are within sight of the Celestial City.

Shepherds--Knowledge, Experience, Watchful, and Sincere--feed them and direct them to the right path, warning them to beware of flatterers and not to sleep on the Enchanted Ground. Ignorance joins them, thinking he can enter the Celestial City even though he has not passed through the Strait Gate, and keeps them company the rest of the way. Little-Faith, a good man from the town of Sincere, joins them in time to get a lecture about Esau's selling of his birthright and about the courage of Christian. Flatterer nearly diverts them from the way, but Christian and Hopeful pass through the Enchanted Ground without going to sleep and enter safely into Beulah Land, where angels meet them.

One danger still stands between them and the Celestial City: the River of Death. Their hope in Jesus Christ, however, gives them courage to pass through to the other side. Ignorance reaches the very gates of the heavenly Jerusalem but is thrown into outer darkness because he has entered as a thief and robber. Only the Pilgrims who have come by the way of the Wicket Gate were welcomed.

The story of Christiana, which Bunyan added in 1694, repeats his theme of the Christian pilgrimage, and most of the personae are the same. Great-Heart, however--who plays a nominal role in Christian's saga--becomes the hero and guide in Christiana's, lending the male power that her feminine sensibilities are thought to require and fighting her battles on her behalf. Christiana's journey lacks the terror and sheer drama of Christian's. By this time Bunyan seemed ready to open heaven's gates more readily for those who would claim some morsel of sincerity. None of the pilgrims has to pay the price Faithful did; the age of persecution has passed.

Christian Themes
The Pilgrim's Progress can be properly understood only within the framework of Puritan theology. In the Puritan view, the most urgent human concern is salvation--to go to heaven. Although salvation is a free gift of God, it requires a complete detachment from all earthly ties and single-minded preoccupation with heavenly concerns during this life. The way is difficult and few make it through from the City of Destruction to the Heavenly Jerusalem.

Saturated with scriptural language, metaphors, and ideas in the style characteristic of "mechanick preachers" of the seventeenth century, Bunyan's allegory expounds a typically Puritan message in an un-Puritan manner. Indeed, as Bunyan confessed in his "Apology," he hesitated for a while to publish lest he offend Puritan sensitivities about using allegory, but he received enough encouragement to go ahead anyway.

The narrative conveys and confirms the primary Puritan beliefs: that God's grace is sufficient to enable the Christian to remain faithful during the arduous pilgrimage from life to death; that the goal of Christian life is the heavenly city, and life here and now is only a preparation to which the faithful must commit themselves unreservedly; that the Bible is the main guide for the journey, but other agents (the Church) also offer vital encouragement and assistance; and that true religion consists in deed rather than in word.

Sources for Further Study
Bunyan, John. Grace Abounding to the Chief of Sinners. Edited by Roger Sharrock. London: Oxford University Press, 1966. This earlier autobiography (1666) lays the foundation for Bunyan's allegory.

Horner, Barry E. John's Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress: Themes and Issues. Vestavia Hills, Ala.: Solid Ground Christian Books, 2003. A study guide, including bibliographical references, index.

Johnson, Barbara A. Reading "Piers Plowman" and "The Pilgrim's Progress": Reception and the Protestant Reader. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University Press, 1992. Approaches the works through the history of their readership and critical reception, including both Protestant and Puritan readings. Bibliographical references, index.

Wakefield, Gordon S. Bunyan the Christian. London: HarperCollinsReligious, 1992. Perhaps the best commentary on the work, addressing stylistic, historical, social, and especially Evangelical issues. Bibliographical references, index.

E. Glenn Hinson