God, Holiness, and Faith Theme Analysis

Most characters in Paradise are devout Christians, and the book’s instances of magical realism frequently connect to the faith of the characters involved. The presence of magic in the story establishes that some version of God exists, but Paradise never clarifies what this God intends or what form holiness might take. The Convent is a safe place for women, and Connie, its leader, retains the Christian values of the nuns who once lived there. In its past, however, the Convent was a residential school for Native American girls. The novel does not discuss the treatment of these girls in detail, but residential schools were constructed to exterminate indigenous culture and force indigenous children to accept Christianity. And before the Convent was a holy place, it was an embezzler’s private mansion.

By establishing the Convent’s complex past, Paradise refuses to accept a single, uncomplicated perception of holiness. Reverend Pulliam and Reverend Misner both uphold the structure of organized religion, but Pulliam’s understanding of God adheres to his conservative worldview while Misner’s suits his radically progressive politics. Pulliam preaches that God is not interested in his followers unless he earns their love, while Misner believes that “not only is God interested in you; He is you.” These opposing interpretations of God inform Pulliam and Misner’s opposing stances to the rising calls for change within Ruby, highlighting how organized religion can both support and obstruct activism. Lone, the midwife, is a deeply pious Christian woman, but the townspeople view her as sinful because her beliefs about God differ from those which organized religion espouses. Connie doubts Lone’s connection to God even as the midwife helps Connie access the power of “stepping in,” a supernatural method of healing. She wonders whether her gift to save lives is an act of God’s will or an act against it, and the narrative never definitively answers her question.

Even more unclear is the book’s depiction of the afterlife, called “Paradise,” to which the women go after their deaths. The story presents the women in Paradise from external perspectives, never allowing the reader to fully grasp what “the endless work” of Heaven entails. This uncertainty emphasizes the importance of faith rather than knowledge. Paradise presents God and godliness as multifaceted, and the story refuses to provide concrete answers about their true nature, forcing the readers to choose what they believe just as the characters must do.