Previous
John
John’s father, also named John, is the head priest of the Hill People. Within the archetype of the “hero’s journey,” John’s father could be considered the guardian figure, offering John guidance at the beginning and end of his quest. John’s father encourages John to follow his visions and his instincts, but he is more cautious than his son, believing that certain kinds of knowledge can be dangerous.
John’s father Quotes in By the Waters of Babylon
The By the Waters of Babylon quotes below are all either spoken by John’s father or refer to John’s father. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
By the Waters of Babylon
Quotes
“This is a very strong dream,” he said. “It may eat you up. […] It is forbidden to travel east. It is forbidden to cross the river. It is forbidden to go to the Place of the Gods. [...] If your dreams do not eat you up, you may be a great priest. If they eat you, you are still my son. Now go on your journey.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
He said, “Truth is a hard deer to hunt. If you eat too much truth at once, you may die of the truth. It was not idly that our father forbade the Dead Places.” He was right—it is better the truth should come little by little. I have learned that, being a priest. Perhaps, in the old days, they ate knowledge too fast.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Waters of Babylon LitChart as a printable PDF.
John’s father Quotes in By the Waters of Babylon
The By the Waters of Babylon quotes below are all either spoken by John’s father or refer to John’s father. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
By the Waters of Babylon
Quotes
“This is a very strong dream,” he said. “It may eat you up. […] It is forbidden to travel east. It is forbidden to cross the river. It is forbidden to go to the Place of the Gods. [...] If your dreams do not eat you up, you may be a great priest. If they eat you, you are still my son. Now go on your journey.”
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
He said, “Truth is a hard deer to hunt. If you eat too much truth at once, you may die of the truth. It was not idly that our father forbade the Dead Places.” He was right—it is better the truth should come little by little. I have learned that, being a priest. Perhaps, in the old days, they ate knowledge too fast.
Related Characters:
Related Themes:
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
