Facing demons, slaying monsters, escaping giants… The Pilgrim's Progress doesn't skimp on the daring deeds. But perhaps the hardest thing Christian has to do in this story (and the thing he comes closest to failing at) is simply to keep going.
Bunyan allegorizes the importance of perseverance both in the physical fatigue that Christian faces and in his emotional discouragement. The Slough of Despair, The Valley of the Shadow of Death, and Doubting Castle are all places where his simple ability to keep going is seriously questioned. In all of these instances, Bunyan shows how the help of companions and the words of the Bible can help you keep on keepin' on.
Questions About Perseverance
- How does Bunyan's allegory of the pilgrim speak specifically to the importance of perseverance?
- What do you make of the spiritual perseverance that Bunyan is trying to show? What is spiritual perseverance?
- What are some of the things that enable Christian to persevere in his story?
- In contrast to perseverance is despair. In what places does Bunyan allegorize the experience of despair into actual places and characters? How do these situations help you to understand more specifically what it is to "give up"?
Chew on This
The imagery of despair as a prison in The Pilgrim's Progress suggests that perseverance is the key not only to staying out of despair, but to finding one's way out of doubt as well.
The allegory of physical obstacles in The Pilgrim's Progress is used to convey the frequent difficulties of living a Christian life.