-
Essay / Allegory and Obstacles in the Pilgrim's Progress
In the classic allegory The Pilgrim's Progress, John Bunyan explains the journey of a newly saved believer. Bunyan's story took place in the dream of a man named Christian. After reading a passage from the Bible, Christian tells his wife and children that he must find a way to deliver them from the City of Destruction, or they will be burned by fire from Heaven. As Christian sat in a field and cried out for salvation, a man named Evangelist advised him to run toward a bright light that would lead him to the wicket where he could learn how to be saved. Throughout his journey to the Heavenly City, Christian encountered people who attempted to discourage and lead him astray in various ways. Two of these deceivers, Worldly Wiseman and Apollyon, symbolize the very common setbacks that occur in the walk of believers. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Worldly Wiseman was a man of high standing in his hometown, Charnal Policy. He had great knowledge of how the world views morality. Crossing paths with Christian, he tries to convince him that going to the Celestial City was a waste of time. He told Christian not to follow the evangelist's advice or read the Bible, because that would only lead him to peril and death. However, even though Mr. Worldly Wiseman seemed to know what he was talking about, he didn't. He tried to deceive Christian into believing that he could have happiness and be free from his burdens if only he lived a moral life. He considered people foolish who took the difficult path to the celestial city. (13-19) Essentially, Worldly Wiseman allegorically represents the world's disregard for its relationship with God. The worldview, and that of Worldly Wiseman, fits perfectly into the Devil's plan because it makes people believe that if they are good people, they will go to Heaven without having a relationship with God and without taking on sins of their lives, which is it's just not true. Christian was led astray by what the wise man of the world told him until the evangelist found him and brought him back on the road to the heavenly city. Apollo was a horrible beast, in the valley of humiliation, who believed that he was the lord and protector of all. land. He despised the Prince (Jesus) and killed everyone who came looking for him. When Christian met Apollyon, he tried to strike fear into his heart. He told Christian to return home to the City of Destruction or he would kill him like he did the others who passed by to find the Prince. Christian did not listen to him, but instead told him that he preferred the prince's things to those of Apollyon and that he would not return to his old home but would continue his journey. Hearing these things made Apollyon angry and he decided to kill Christian. However, Christian stood his ground and fought him for almost half a day. The battered and wounded things looked grim to Christian, but when Apollyon turned his back on him, the Lord gave him the strength he needed to pierce the monster with his sword, and he flew away, bringing victory to Christian. (63-69) In the story, Apollyon symbolizes submission to the power of the world and the loss of spiritual freedom. He tried to deprive Christians of the freedom to choose a path to God. Apollyon is comparable to a dictator who demands that the people under his rule must not worship or follow God, but rather participate in worldly and sinful practices. This type of government is all too common in this world. This leads people to have less knowledge..