Short summary of ‘The
Pilgrim’s Progress’
- John Bunyan
One day Bunyan sleeps
in a den. In his dream he notices a man standing in a field, his name is
Christian. He cries out in pain and sorrow because he and his whole family as
well as the town in which they live are to be destroyed. He has read about it
in the book he holds in his hands, the Bible. Evangelist, a preacher of
Christianity comes to Christian and presents him a roll of paper on which it is
written that he should fly from the wrath of God and makes his way from the
City of Destruction to the City of Zion. Christian explains it to his
neighbours and family, but they think he is either sick or mad. Finally
Christian runs off towards the light to find the Wicket Gate which opened into
Heaven
On his way he meets Pliant and Obstinate.
He explains his plan to
escape the city and convinces Pliant, but not Obstinate, to join him. The two
hurry onward but soon fall into a bog called the Slough of Despond. Pliant
turns back toward the city. Christian struggles his way out of the bog with the
assistance of a man called Help.
Walking along further,
Christian encounters Mr. Worldly Wiseman. He tells Christian of a nearby town
called Morality where a father-and-son team, called Legality and Civility,
live. Christian is fooled into taking Worldly Wiseman's advice. Evangelist
catches up with him and warns him that Civility and Legality are frauds. He advises Christian to
follow the right path so
Christian arrives at a Wicket-Gate. As per the instruction near the gate,
he knocks the gate. He is greeted by Good-will, who opens the gate and sends
Christian on toward the house of the Interpreter, who will show Christian
"excellent things."
Arriving at the
Interpreter's house, Christian finds himself in a kind of museum. The
Interpreter first shows Christian a picture of "a very grave person"
holding "the best of books" and speaking "the law of
truth," with a golden crown hanging over his head. . Next comes a large
and spacious room that is first dusted by a man with a broom, an action that
kicks up choking clouds. The next room has two children named Patience and
Passion. Another room holds a burning fire, which is continually doused by the
devil but secretly fueled by Christ so that it never stops burning. After this,
Christian learns the meaning of many of the Christian mysteries. Another room,
dark and somber, holds a man in an iron cage, which represents the despair of
those who have abandoned their faith. In a final scene, a man rises from his
bed, troubled by dreams of the Last Judgment. Having seen all these things,
Christian thanks the Interpreter and takes his leave with hope and fear.
Continuing on his journey, he comes to the
Holy Cross and the Sepulchre of Christ. There, his burden of sins fall off.
Three "shining ones" appear and give Christian new clothing along
with a sealed "roll" (scroll) to serve as a kind of passport at the
Celestial Gate. He sings a song of rejoicing and resumes his journey,
encountering three sleeping men "a little out of the way," with their
feet bound in irons. He calls to the men—whose names are Simple, Sloth, and
Presumption—but they fail to recognize that they are in any danger and lie back
down to sleep. Next, Christian encounters Formalist and Hypocrisy, two men who
snuck over the wall rather than going through the Wicket-Gate. Later, Christian
pauses for a nap, the "roll" slips out of his pocket and is lost.
Realizing he has misplaced his roll, Christian goes back down the hill and
searches for it and finds it.
, Christian happens
upon a palace called Beautiful. He attempts to enter and seek a place to sleep
but is deterred when he sees two lions near the entryway. The gatekeeper chides
Christian for his cowardice and tells him the lions are chained. Christian
takes Watchful at his word and enters the palace, where he meets four damsels
named Discretion, Prudence, Piety, and Charity. They offer him food and lodging
and converse with him about his travels.
In the Valley of Humiliation, Christian is
forced to fight the giant devil, Apollyon, whose body was covered with the
shiny scales of pride. In the battle Christian defeats the giant but wounded.
He heals his wounds with leaves from the Tree of Life. By reciting the verses
from the Pslams, Christian crosses the Shadow of Death. After passing through
this danger, Christian has to go by the caves of the old giants, Pope and
Pagan. Then Christian meets his fellow traveler Faithful. As the two friends
continue, they are joined by Talkative. Soon Talkative parts ways with them.
Then Evangelist approaches Christian and Faithful and warns them of the dangers
in the town of Vanity Fair.
Soon enough, the two
pilgrims arrive in the town of Vanity, where the famous Vanity Fair is held
year-round. There, all kinds of vain worldly goods are sold, and all sorts of
crimes and subterfuges are committed. Christian and Faithful pass through the
fair, drawing attention on account of their strange clothes and their distaste
for the fair's goods. The crowd begins to mock them and eventually throws them
into a cage as if they were madmen. The pilgrims remain calm, it aggravates the
townspeople. Christian and Faithful are brought to trial before a judge named
Lord Hate-good, where they stand accused of creating a public disturbance.
Faithful is sentenced to be burned alive and Christian is put in prison. When
Faithful dies in the fire, a Chariot comes down from Heaven and takes him up to
God. Christian escapes from the prison.
Christian is now
joined by Hopeful, a former resident of Vanity. They next visit
Hill Lucre, where a man named Demas has set up a silver mine. The mine is
dangerous, yet many adventurers are lured to it and end up losing their lives.
The path to the Celestial City now runs parallel to a river for a while. The
scenery is so pleasant and the going so easy that Christian and Hopeful are tempted
to follow a side trail, not noticing that it curves away from the true way. The
trail leads them to the domain of Giant Despair, who, with his wife,
Diffidence, keeps the pilgrims prisoner in Doubting Castle. He seeks to
convince them, through starvation and beatings, to give up on life and commit
suicide. They escape, however, when Christian recalls that he has had a key,
called Promise, to get out of the dungeon all along. Returning to the main
road, the two pilgrims post a sign to warn others of the dangers of Doubting
Castle.
They meet the four
shepherds – Knowledge, Experience, Watchful and Sincere – who show them the
Celestial Gate and warn them of the paths to Hell. Then the two pilgrim pass by
the Valley of Conceit. There, they meet by ignorance and other men who have not
kept to the straight and narrow path. They pass on the country of Beulah. At
a distance, they see the gates of the
City of Heaven glistening with pearls and precious stones. Thinking that all
their troubles are behind them, they lay down to rest.
When they go on toward
the city, they come to the River of Death. They enter the river and begin to
wade through the water. Soon, Christian become afraid and more afraid he
becomes the deeper the water rolls. Hopeful shouts to him to have hope and
faith. Cheered by these words, Christian becomes less afraid, the water becomes
less deep and finally they both get across safely. They run up the hill toward
Heaven. Shining angels welcome them through the gates.
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