54 pages • 1 hour read
The Pilgrim's Progress
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Part 1, Preface-Page 273Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Part 1, Preface-Page 273 Summary
Content Warning: This section references sexual assault and suicide.
The book begins with an apology from Bunyan titled “The Author’s Apology for His Book.” He explains the process of writing the book, describes his intent, and notes the work’s possible failings. Bunyan wrote the book because he believed he should—not for any ulterior motive. He published it because it might help other people. He’s concerned that the allegorical style could confuse readers, but since people understand the ways of God through metaphors, symbolism, and characterization, he hopes his audience will detect the meaning of the story and believes that there is something in it for everyone. He hopes his book will keep Christian readers on the right path and put lost readers on the Christian path.
The story starts with an unnamed narrator walking through the tough world. He arrives at a prison, falls asleep, and dreams about a man, Christian, in shabby clothes. Christian reads a book and carries a large burden on his back. He’s upset because he believes everyone in his town, the City of Destruction, is on the cusp of destruction and destined for hell. His wife and four sons think otherwise, so after talking with Evangelist, Christian leaves his home and family and heads toward the Wicket Gate as Evangelist instructs.
Christian meets Obstinate and Pliable. He tells Obstinate he’s searching for salvation and heaven. Obstinate thinks Christian should return home, but Pliable is open to Christian’s beliefs, so Obstinate leaves and Pliable follows. Christian tells Pliable about the wonders of heaven, where there are angels, love, and no suffering. However, the muddy Slow of Dispond, created by people’s trepidation and indecision, is too much for Pliable. He returns home, where people make fun of him for going with Christian in the first place.
Someone named Help helps Christian out of the swamp. Christian meets Mr. Worldly-Wiseman, who thinks Christian is foolish to suffer for a mysterious faith. He tells Christian to visit Mr. Legality, who he says can get rid of Christian’s troubles more effectively than Christianity. However, Mr. Legality’s house is on a fiery hill. Evangelist reappears and scorns Christian for listening to Mr. Worldly-Wiseman and seeking an easy way to unburden himself of his sin. After the lecture, Christian knocks at the Wicket Gate. Goodwill lets him in and, after Christian summarizes his journey, points him to the Interpreter’s house.
The Interpreter shows Christian a picture of a man with eyes toward heaven and a book in his hand. This man—an image of perfect faith—will be Christian’s “guide.” The Interpreter then brings Christian to a dusty parlor. The dust represents sin, and the water that a woman pours on the dust symbolizes the purity of Christian thought. The Interpreter takes Christian to a fireplace. Someone is pouring water on the flames, symbolizing how the devil tries to put out humans’ fire for Christ. He also shows Christian a single man defeating an army and a man locked in a cage due to his ungodly behavior. Christian speaks with a man who dreams that a man in a cloud watches him, which means God always sees what people do.
Leaving the Interpreter’s home, Christian climbs up a wall and sees the cross. His burden falls off his back, rolling into a tomb, and three angels appear. They forgive Christian’s sins, give him a better outfit, and hand him a document for the Celestial City. Happy, Christian sings a joyful song.
Part 1, Preface-Page 273 Analysis
Bunyan begins his book with an introduction in the form of an apology written in verse. This was a common device at the time, and Bunyan isn’t actually saying sorry to a prospective reader; he’s engaging in a debate. He anticipates criticisms about using allegory, imagining readers saying to him, “Speak man thy mind” and “Metaphors make us blind” (167). Bunyan reminds readers that the Bible uses allegory, metaphors, and symbols to “set forth Truth” (169). Maybe readers will still think Bunyan overdoes it with literary devices, but Bunyan’s goal is “the advance of Truth” (171), and he’ll use whatever means necessary to do it. The purpose of the book is to help readers on their spiritual journey, and Bunyan maintains a candid tone and educational voice so that even the “minds of listless men” will understand (174). By the end, Bunyan’s “Apology” becomes a justification for writing the book and an invitation to read it.
The story starts with imagery—a literary device where the author creates a vivid picture through precise diction. Bunyan’s imagery introduces the narrator and Christian. Bunyan depicts the narrator walking through the unruly world before falling asleep in a jail—“a Denn” (176)—and having a dream. The unnamed narrator may be based on Bunyan, as Bunyan likely wrote or dreamed up much of the book in jail. However, what’s most critical to the work isn’t the precise identity of the narrator but rather Christian, the work’s protagonist, who soon appears.
He reads the Bible but is troubled by the “burden” of sin—here a literal weight. He expresses his concern to his family, but they’re not on his side. The theme of Alienation and Antagonism Versus Self-Awareness and Community manifests when Christian leaves his derisive family and home. Although companionship can be helpful to a pilgrim, the Christian journey is ultimately a personal one centered on the individual’s relationship to God (a feature of Protestant thought). When it isn’t possible to make that journey alongside one’s friends and family, Bunyan suggests, it is permissible to set aside one’s temporal obligations.
The appearance of Evangelist also touches on the theme of community, as Evangelist tells Christian to go to the Wicket Gate. If Christian’s name did not already make the work’s allegorical nature clear, Evangelist’s sets the precedent for the rest of the narrative. Each character represents a trait, action, or occupation that doubles as their name. Within the work’s Christian context, these names also establish the characters’ moral alignment. Evangelist is an evangelist: He spreads the word of God, so he’s “good.” It’s not good to be stubborn or easily influenced, so Obstinate and Pliable aren’t on Christian’s side. Bunyan juxtaposes Christian with diverse antagonists—some outright villainous, others merely weak—to illustrate the difference between the true Christian life and irreligion or superficial spirituality. The dialogue between Christian and the other characters enhances the juxtaposition.
The Slow of Dispond symbolizes “many fears, and doubts, and discouraging apprehensions, which all of them get together, and settle in this place” (201). As Bunyan promised in his “Apology,” he sticks to a direct, educational tone. He makes the allegory and symbolism transparent by explicitly articulating what each element represents. In case the reader remains confused, Bunyan often adds notes to clarify what’s happening (later editors also point out the numerous allusions to biblical verses). Pliable returns home at the bog, and people make fun of him for accompanying Christian, further underscoring the persecution a true believer may face.
Mr. Worldly-Wiseman introduces the theme of Human Laws and Customs Versus Christian Devotion. As his name implies, he thinks Christian is foolish to suffer for the spiritual realm and should seek happiness in the material world. Mr. Worldly-Wiseman and his friend, Mr. Legality, try to separate Christian from his faith. As Evangelist represents faith, he gets Christian back on track.
The Wicket Gate symbolizes the first step toward a Christian life: the acceptance of Jesus as one’s savior. Christian says he must go to the Wicket Gate to “receive further direction how [he] may get to the place of deliverance” (218). Inside the Gate, the Interpreter shows Christian items and situations that underscore Faith’s Necessity for Salvation. This provides Bunyan with another place to adopt an educational tone. Christian and the reader don’t have to figure out what these scenes mean on their own: The Interpreter explains their significance, the dialogue serving the instructive goal of the book.
The cross Christian encounters after leaving the Interpreter symbolizes Jesus Christ. Because Christianity teaches that Jesus died to save humanity from its sins, “the sight of the Cross should thus ease [Christian] of his burden” (270); that it rolls into a tomb signifies Jesus’s “defeat” of death in defeating sin. The angels and the new clothes reinforce Christian’s buoyed spirits. The “Roll with a Seal upon it” plays with the theme of human law versus religious truth (271). In Bunyan’s allegory, people require an official document to enter heaven. Yet judges, bureaucrats, and clergymen can’t dispense this “Roll”—only God can.
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