The Pilgrim’s Progress Themes

Pilgrim’s Progress, a Christian allegory first published in 1678, is one of the most popular works of fiction ever written. John Bunyan’s book presents the journey of a man named Christian, who’s symbolic of the average Christian person. In the book, Christian flees the City of Destruction, finds salvation from his sins, and progresses toward the Celestial City (Heaven), encountering many obstacles on the way. To understand Pilgrim’s Progress, it’s vital…

In 17th-century Christian understanding, “the world” isn’t just referring to earthly existence as a whole, but to all forces that oppose Christ. Thus “the world” and Christ (or sometimes “the Church”) are completely opposite. Historically, Christian teaching held that although a Christian must live within the world and progress spiritually against the backdrop of worldly struggles, a Christian must also categorically reject the world and constantly fight against the temptations it poses. Not only that…

Bunyan’s Protestant faith placed tremendous importance on the Bible—believed by Christians to be God’s word—as the foundation for its beliefs. In Pilgrim’s Progress, Bunyan also portrays the Bible as a practical source of continual encouragement for the everyday Christian. Without the Bible illuminating his path, Christian is unable to even begin his pilgrimage; once he’s underway, he constantly relies on it as a source of comfort, assurance, and strength. When he does this…

The second half of Pilgrim’s Progress focuses on Christiana, the late Christian’s wife, as she, her children, and her friend Mercy seek the Celestial City, symbolic of Heaven. Initially, Christiana harshly rejected Christian’s faith and refused to join his pilgrimage to the Celestial City. However, after Christian’s death, she, too, is converted and decides to follow the same path. Although Christiana’s pilgrimage retraces much of Christian’s, Bunyan also portrays her as a pilgrim…