Progress Chapters 25 Chapter Two The Pilgrim Falls into the Swamp of Despondence But really Chapter Two Characters Characters we are dealing with Christian Pliable and Help Christian ID: 367818
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Slide1
Pilgrim’s Progress
Chapters 2-5Slide2
Chapter Two: The Pilgrim Falls into the Swamp of DespondenceSlide3
But really…Slide4
Chapter Two – Characters
Characters we are dealing with: Christian, Pliable, and Help.
Christian
: Protagonist who is struggling with a burden on his back (metaphorical sin). In chapter two, he falls into the Swamp of Despondence along with his traveling partner, Pliable.
Pliable
: Neighbor of Christian who attempted to bring him back to the City of Destruction along with Obstinate [chapter one]. Instead, he decides to go with him on his journey for a time. Once he falls into the pit with Christian, however, he regrets his decision and after pulling himself out, he returns home.
Help
: Important minor character; ‘helps’ Christian understand the nature of his journey, and that it is not meant to be easy. He physically pulls Christian out of the muddy pit and encourages him to move on toward the Narrow Gate. Slide5
Chapter Two - Conflict
Christian is the protagonist throughout all of part I. His journey alone is wrought with conflict and peril that makes it difficult for him to physically move.
Antagonists that aid in creating conflict in chapter two is only Pliable, and only in the sense that he makes the journey lonely for Christian by turning back. The pit could serve as a physical antagonist in that it is continually unfixable and will always suck people into its misfortune and mire.
Too early for a climax (which tends to come later in a story), but we do have an outcome of Christian escaping the mire with Help’s help (
hee
hee
). He then learns from his first difficult encounter that this road is not an easily traveled road. Slide6
Chapter Two – Ms. Levine’s Two Cents
Christian is evangelizing without even knowing it
Pliable is
kinda
like a particular seed mentioned in a certain parable… (Matthew 13:20-21)
“That sounds wonderful” – Pliable relies on happiness and instant gratification (note how fast he got out of dodge when they fell in the mud)
What do we know about Pliable in this regard? What’s so bad about being happy? Do you know anyone like Pliable?
Revelation 3:5 – “He who overcomes will, like them, be dressed in white. I will never blot out his name from the book of life, but will acknowledge his name before my Father and His angels.” (NIV) Building on the validity of the Bible, and the truthfulness Christian trusts God to have, this verse is a definitive promise to his people that he will never forsake those who overcome the world.
Other Revelation references: 7:15-17; 21:4; 5:11; 4:4; 14:1-5; 21:6-7; 22:17. Slide7
Chapter Two: “Bloody Mary”
In note 10, we see a reference to all those persecuted for the church “all because of the love they possessed and delivered to the Lord of the place.” Bunyan, at the time, had a specific persecutor in mind.
Puritans were a Protestant sect of Christianity that split from the Church of England way back when.
They would have regarded Mary (a Catholic) with a certain level of disdain for the gruesome persecution of Protestants during her reign in the mid 1500s.
Martyrs are held in high regard Biblically, in literature, and in most sects of our Christian faith. Slide8
Chapter Three: The Pilgrim and Legality
Mr. Worldly
WisemanSlide9
Chapter Three: Characters Christian
– Well, you know who he is.
Mr. Worldly Wiseman
– This guy is slick. He listens to Christian’s current situation, and gives him advice based on the morals and principles of mankind’s wisdom. Instead of backing down when Christian shows little interest in listening, he only persists with human logic until Christian gives in and takes his false advice to find Legality and Civility in the town of Morality. We do not actually meet these characters, but they are constructs of man’s attempts to maintain goodness without God.
Evangelist
– The character who set Christian on his journey to begin with, and comes to him with stern guidance when he is terrified atop the mountain, unable to continue with Mr.
Worldly’s
advice. Slide10
Chapter Three: Conflict
Mr. Worldly is easily the center of conflict in this chapter. Albeit subtle, the conflict is Christian’s struggle to stay the course or deviate.
Evangelist then makes him aware of his folly by rebuking him, and although this is necessary for Christian to continue on the Way, it is still an unpleasant situation for Christian. His shame and embarrassment is very evident.
To resolve the conflict, Christian admits his foolishness, promises he will stay on the path, and Evangelist patiently gives him further advice, as well as warnings against anything that takes him away from God’s word.Slide11
Chapter Three: Ms. Levine’s Two Cents
“Will you listen to me?”
I Corinthians 3:18 – 20
Young Christian desperation – what’s wrong with Legality & Civility?
Christian is aware of his sin…Does this make him saved?
What do you notice about the things Mr. Worldly offers Christian?
Three things in the text that Christian was to despise:
1) “His act of turning you out of the Way.”
2) “His work to render the Cross offensive to you.”
3) “His way of setting your feet in the path that leads to the administration of death.”
What is Legalism? How does the author feel about Legalism?
Page 26 – The very last paragraph. Examine the way that Christian goes on from Evangelist. Should we take our Christian walk this seriously? What do you think?Slide12
Chapter Four: The Pilgrim Enters the GateSlide13
Chapter Four: Characters
Christian
– Something tells me he’ll be around for a while…
Goodwill
– The Gatekeeper. He is who Evangelist instructed Christian to find. He is credited with helping Christian avoid the arrows of Beelzebub. We do not actually meet Beelzebub in this chapter, but he is noted as being a destroyer of those who attempt to enter the gate. (Beelzebub is another Biblical name for Satan, and his actions parallel Satan’s attempts to spiritually and possibly physically destroy those before they can find the gate.)Slide14
Chapter Four: Conflict
Goodwill is the antithesis of conflict. In fact, he is considered a safe haven, pulling Christian to safety before he is pelted with arrows. He takes time to help guide Christian toward the straight and narrow path.Slide15
Chapter Four: Ms. Levine’s Two Cents
“An open door has been placed before you, and no one can shut it.” Oh man. What a deal!
Notice how gracious Goodwill is. But it also says he is serious. Why do you think he is both of these things? What is it about his job that requires these traits?
When Goodwill asks about his journey, Christian admits to him about his moment of weakness on Mount Sinai.
Pg. 33 – “Concerning your burden…” What does this say about “Christian” at this point in his search?Slide16
Chapter Five: The Pilgrim Meets the InterpreterSlide17
Chapter Five: Characters
The Interpreter
- This is
the man who helps Christian understand the many difficult things about the Christian faith through metaphors, images, and testimony by other characters. Even when Christian is anxious to leave and head on, The Interpreter makes sure that he sticks around long enough to understand each important aspect of his new found faith. Slide18
Chapter Five: The Significant Rooms
The Man in the Picture
– This
is more of a figure and less of a character, but he can represent two different ideas. One idea is that he is a mature Christian who brings people to God with words of Truth and with the Bible (The Best of Books).
Another is that he represents Christ Himself. It is more likely that he is Christ because of the explanation in the second to last chapter on page 37.
The Dusty Room
– This is also a figure in the form of a room that represents the heart of an unsaved man. If he tries to “clean” the room with a broom and no water, all of the sin that is within him only chokes him. However, if he sprinkles and cleans the room with water, (the grace of the Gospel), it is easily cleaned.
Passion & Patience’s Room
– These siblings both relate to two sets of people. Passion represents the people of humanity who live for the treasures of the flesh, and Patience represents people of the Kingdom – those who do not live for the flesh, but for the hope of the treasures to come in Heaven (the Celestial City).
“The Fire Bug”
– There was no identified name for this figure, but the Interpreter showed Christian a man who was constantly trying to put out a fire with water. Conversely, on the opposite side of the wall that separated them, another man was secretly pouring oil onto the fire so that it would continue to burn. The fire represented grace working in a believer’s heart. The man with the water represented the Devil. The man with the oil represented Christ who is always fueling the fire with his continual grace. Slide19
Chapter Five: The Significant Rooms Continued
The Man with Great Strength
– This man’s persistence and strength represents the valor and Spiritual strength that a Christian must exude in order to reach the Heavenly realm. Christian understands this without asking because he has already experienced it to some degree.
The Man in the Iron Cage
– He represents a man who was the definition of a Christian in his own eyes and the eyes of others [pg. 42] but he let go of his self-control and lost the ability to repent of his ways due to a hardened heart. It is important to recognize that
he
is the reason he cannot get in, not God. The Lord welcomes all who truly seek him with open arms. It is the hardened heart of a man without repentance who cannot gain access to the kingdom, and who places himself in chains and cages.
The Trembling Man
– This represents the man who is not prepared for the coming of Christ. His great fear and trepidation regarding the end times is so great, that he wakes from his dream shaking. Slide20
Chapter Five: Conflict
There is little conflict going on between Christian and any specific characters; however, there is a plethora of descriptors of conflict that result from leaving the Way, and choosing the desires of man over the path after the Narrow Gate.
Slide21
Chapter Five: Ms. Levine’s Two Cents
“Remember well, therefore, what I’ve shown you and apply your mind seriously to what you’ve seen, lest in your journey you meet with individuals who pretend to lead you correctly but whose ways lead to death.” [Pg. 37]
The Man in the Picture: Mature Christian, Christ, or the Holy Spirit?
The Dusty Room: Legalism vs. Grace
Passion & Patience: Settling for treasures on earth instead of treasures in Heaven
Eternal Fire: Knowing we’re okay without having to see the results right away. [Trusting God to do His work in us]
The Man with Great Strength: Christian’s familiarity
The Man in the Iron Cage: Appearances are not everything
The Trembling Man: “Be
Prepaaaared
!”Slide22
Speaking of being prepared…You have a quiz tomorrow! Chapters 1-5. Complete the study guide, and it will prepare you for the content on the quiz. If you want to know the answers to the study guide, e-mail me your answers, and I will respond with the correct answers.
E-mail: crayola_kristy@rocketmail.com