Symbolism In C. S. Lewis The Great Divorce

In chapter six of C.S. Lewis’ The Great Divorce, Lewis uses several different symbols to illustrate the nature of salvation. The chapter begins with Lewis travelling upstream over glass-like water, although he later transfers to the smoother bank when the water becomes too rough. Eventually, he reaches the source of the river: a great lake into which an enormous waterfall flows. In the center of the lake is a tree with golden apples on an island. One of his fellow ghosts, the one with the bowler hat, sneaks up to the tree and attempts to steal an apple. But as soon as he acquires one, the waterfall addresses him, saying, “Fool, put it down” (Lewis 49). Not heeding this command, the ghost continues its monumental task of carrying the apple to

At first, his journey on the surface of the stream went relatively easily, but then “the current grew swifter. Great flakes or islands of foam came swirling down towards me, bruising my shins” (Lewis 45). People often face difficulty when they search for God. However, C.S. Lewis also writes, “I had to scramble to shore. But as the banks hereabouts consisted of great flat stones, I continued my journey without much hurt to my feet.” Just like in real life, then, God provides Lewis with an escape and does not let the trials overcome him.
Lewis uses the symbol of a waterfall to represent the gift of salvation. The waterfall declares to the ghost Ikey, “Stay here and learn to eat such apples. The very leaves and blades of grass will delight to teach you” (Lewis 49). This illustrates how salvation is open to all who accept it, one of the central messages of the Great Divorce. It connects back to Matthew 7:7, which states, “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to

They represent neither sin nor goodness. Instead, their significance lies in what Ikey does with them. If he would learn to eat them, they would be a part of heaven. However, they cannot be a part of Hell as Ikey would like to make them. Their weight would approach infinity the closer Ikey got to the boundaries of the grey town. This connects back to idea that “If we insist on keeping Hell (or even Earth) we shall not see Heaven,” (Lewis Preface) but in reverse. Just like we cannot take a part of Hell into Heaven, we cannot take a part of Heaven into Hell.
Ikey chooses to try to take them back anyway. His choice stems from the fact that he views the apples not as a gift to for him to enjoy, but as a resource that he must take for himself. But then Lewis points out, “then came a real gust. The branches of the Tree began to toss. A moment later a dozen apples had fallen round the ghost and on it” (Lewis 48). Clearly, the apples were meant to fall into the hands of Ikey, so that he might accept the joy they could bring him. But he views the gust of wind as a lucky chance rather than as an offer to learn more about