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| The work has two parts. We will cover Part 1, about Christian. That will become a small book to help people study and appreciate this masterpiece. |
The Pilgrim’s Progress as an Allegory
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The burden on his back - his sins.
He is studying the Bible to find his way. |
We use figures of
speech in our normal conversation, but seldom think about their use. Some come
from the Bible, where the best known ones are called parables. Luke 15 is an
example of parables used to introduce one of the most significant parables.
Luke 15:1-7 is the Parable
of the Lost Sheep.
Luke 15:8-10 is the Parable
of the Lost Coin.
Luke 15:11 begins the
Parable of the Prodigal Son, illustrating the Old Testament custom of moving from
the lesser (the sheep and the coin) to the greater – the Prodigal Son. The two introductory
stories get us accustomed to the feelings of loss and recovery. The story of
the impetuous son, the forgiving father, and the self-righteous brother teaches
us the nature of our gracious heavenly Father. Concrete images and associated
emotions embed the Biblical lesson.
We are heirs of Greek
and Latin literature as well. We use these figures daily:
·
I almost died – Exaggeration or
hyperbole.
·
The salad was like twigs and pine cones –
simile.
·
He is a dog – metaphor.
·
That was no small task – litotes, a
double negative used for a positive, considered an understatement for effect.
·
He gave the wrong reason for the wrong
evidence to the wrong person – anaphora, repetition of a phrase for emphasis.
Many more figures could
be listed.
The allegory is the
grandest tool of our language. An entire book can be an allegory. Used poorly,
the result is odd or tedious. The Marriage of Mercury to Philology by Jupiter
belongs in a special class – unread, unloved, and largely unknown, except among
Medieval scholars. The Lord of the Rings can be seen as an extensive
allegory, especially because J. R. R. Tolkien was a Roman Catholic. Likewise,
the movie E. T. suggests similar themes, the script written by a Roman
Catholic. Some allegories are quite obvious in their intent:
1.
Animal Farm,
by George Orwell
2.
The Chronicles of Narnia,
by C. S. Lewis – children see Aslan as Jesus, but adults miss that entirely.
3.
Plato’s Allegory of the Cave
4.
The Faerie Queen
– by Spencer
5.
Herman Melville – Moby Dick
6.
St. Paul – the armor of God – Ephesians 6
The Pilgrim’s Progress
is an allegory, which might be described as a parable with fictional characters.
This means we should read The Pilgrim’s Progress slowly and considers
its lessons. This work is not a novel, but a way to explain essential lessons
from the Bible. The wealth of the book comes from its details. The author explored
the challenges and temptations of Christian, the allegorical hero, on his way
from the City of Destruction to the Celestial City. The names and mishaps are
often humorous and always instructive.
