ipl-logo

Symbolism In C. S. Lewis The Great Divorce

713 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Essay on 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 …show more content…

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 …show more content…

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

Show More
Related
397 Words | 2 Pages

shows how he was asking for God. He was desperate for answers. He was struggling to find the answers about why

Read More
990 Words | 4 Pages

Watching her wade waist deep into the water after a bucket and almost being pulled under, Jimmy on shore kept repeating “What are you doing”, to which Lisa finally after regaining control of her thoughts said, “I don't know,” I said, “I really don't know” (Robinson 357). It was only after Jimmy pulled her from the water and questioned her that Lisa realized the deep effect and control that the spirits were having on her life. During a rest stop on Lisa’s' journey to Vanover, Lisa subconsciously, not in cuts her wrist to make an offering to the thing in the trees. ‘I turn around in circles, offering this to the thing in the trees, waiting’ (Robinson 366). Gaining control, Lisa comes to understand how blindly she is following the spirits' messages and how it is affecting her mental well-being.

Read More
436 Words | 2 Pages

As they are presented, the symbols suggest that the result of Chris’ attempts to escape reality will end in frustration, or failure, or even in

Read More
1049 Words | 5 Pages

It also represented the American Dream. Every apple had an equal chance of growing and it can grow anywhere. Now sugary snacks are replacing the sweetness that people once enjoyed from apples. The apples are less fit because they lack genetic

Read More
669 Words | 3 Pages

Symbols in literature aren’t simply one-sided. When looked at briefly, symbols may seem to be just another simple element in a story. Although when one takes the time to really understand the symbol, it becomes another whole component. In the novel, The Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls, the Glass Castle is one of the biggest symbol. Whenever Jeannette’s father, Rex, couldn’t seem to support his family in an adequate way, he brought up the Glass Castle as a promise to his children.

Read More
684 Words | 3 Pages

But understanding the symbols and patterns is what makes the progression of the book more interesting. But in the story, a certain theme is present throughout the pages and that is the symbol of not giving up on what you believe in. As the story continues, we understand that Jews did not give up their faith even if it cost them their lives. Which shows the relentlessness of the Jews in their faith. Another symbol that is present in the book is the care the Jews have for other Jews.

Read More
1032 Words | 5 Pages

In his memory, the tree is a “huge lone spike”(13) or an “artillery piece”(13), but when he sees it again it looks small and innocuous. Though the tree itself has not changed, Gene's perspective, which has changed over the years, is what is enabling him to face the tree without it haunting him. At the time of the incident, in his youth, the tree was a symbol of fear and forbidding. At the end of the novel, the tree has become a symbol of profound changes in perspective that time and growth can give people. “This was the tree, and it seemed to me standing there to resemble those men, the giants of your childhood, whom you encounter years later and find that they are not merely smaller in relation to your growth, but that they are absolutely smaller, shrunken by age….”(14).

Read More
1000 Words | 4 Pages

Janie's concept of love is far from the truth in which she discovers. Through the beginning of the book Janie sits underneath a pear tree that was holding a lot of meaning. “Page

Read More
1159 Words | 5 Pages

Lewis uses the theme of free will to mainly project the decision of going to Heaven or Hell. One example of this is the conversation between Dick and the fat ghost. Dick tries to convince the fat ghost that Hell is not a great place to be, but he refuses to listen. The fat ghost believes in logical science, rejecting the doctrine of the resurrection, and even mentions that “Grey Town” is similar to Heaven. Dick uses more examples to try to convince the fat ghost to choose Heaven, by saying things like, “Christ was a very young man when he died,” or telling him that he is being provocative.

Read More
451 Words | 2 Pages

The white of the bones represents purity, and their slumber indicates their eventual peaceful rest. The scorched little tree points at the sky to reproach God himself for allowing such a horrific event to take place. Nature is brought to life in order to parallel death and the otherwise idyllic setting that surrounds it.

Read More
1410 Words | 6 Pages

Throughout this novel, sin is shown numerous times each with a unique connection to the other, that derives a deeper meaning of the theme. An example of sin first occurs in chapter four, when the Big Ghost reconnects with a spirit named

Read More
1247 Words | 5 Pages

Armen Tatevossian Sesay English 8 5 April 2023 When a reader first reads The Great Divorce, written by C.S Lewis, the reader may notice it has many themes interpreted throughout the story. These many themes are what makes up the novel’s main topic and the way the reader interprets the story. The story mentions many religious ideas and fantasy-like topics which invoke the reader to dig deeper into the story and understand its many meanings. The themes of The Great Divorce, written by C.S Lewis, have ideas and theologies which coincide with the real world, the most notable themes of The Great Divorce consist of: Christianity, free will, fantasy.

Read More
783 Words | 4 Pages

The daisy that keeps coming back is also a small reminder of that as well. Altogether even if you do not see the christian images that are in this story it

Read More
903 Words | 4 Pages

One of the main symbols is the glass snowdrop, the representation of love. The glass snowdrop first appears when Tristran 's father, Dunstan, goes to the market in Faerie and hears the glass flowers. Dunstan follows the sound and then falls in love with the girl in charge of the booth that sells the glass flowers, she gives him the flower at the cost of a kiss. Dunstan then walks away, "He nodded, and stumbled away from her; he did not need to ask how she knew his surname; she had taken it from him along with certain other things, such as his heart, when he had kissed her. The snowdrop chimed in his hand" (Gaiman 22).

Read More
369 Words | 2 Pages

In “The Lesson of the Falling Leaves” by Lucille Clifton, she introduces the reader to a serene piece of nature by speaking of leaves. An expressive message conveyed from the leaves is to let go. Hence, creating a form of symbolism of trust by stating, “the leaves believe such letting go is love such love is faith such faith is grace such grace is god I agree with the leaves.” Throughout the constant comparisons Clifton uses metaphors to demonstrate that each object of belief is required to believe in something else. It takes letting go of pain and insecurities to love someone completely, you have to have faith in people to love, an individual has to have faith to understand grace, and believe in grace to believe it is God.

Read More

More about Symbolism In C. S. Lewis The Great Divorce

Related Topics

Open Document