Christian

Character Analysis

Okay, so his name isn't exactly subtle. The dude's journey is about living life as a devout Christian, and his name gives that away from the beginning. It would be like naming Frodo Baggins "Mr. Throw That Evil Ring into the Dang Mountain or the World Will End."

But even though they have different kinds of names—Christian's is oh-jeez-c'mon levels of obvious and Frodo's sounds like a scary clown—these characters have a lot in common. Like Frodo, Christian is also the bearer of light and goodness in a world beset by darkness, and it's his commitment to good that gets him into trouble. Like Frodo, Christain has a (couple) plucky sidekicks. Like Frodo, Christian suffers major self-doubt and is riddled with character flaws. Like Frodo, Christian has super-hairy, leathery feet... oh, wait. Scratch that last one.

Let's look at these parallels to Frodo in a bit more detail. First up: the whole "commitment to good that gets him into trouble." Christian's battle with Apollyon is a prime examples of this—a situation where Christian's Christianity make his opponents angry:

Christian: Wherein, O Apollyon, have I been unfaithful to Him?

Apollyon: You have already been unfaithful to Him and I see, by the mud on your clothes, you almost choked in the Gulf of Despond. You attempted wrong ways to be rid of your burden. You slept and lost your roll. You almost went back at the sight of the lions. And when you talk about your young days and what you saw and heard you like to have praise for it all, yourself. 

Christian: All this is true, and much more which you have left out; but the Prince whom I serve and honor is merciful and ready to forgive. Besides, these sins possessed me in your own country; I have groaned under them, been sorry for them, but now have obtained pardon from my Prince. 

Apollyon: Then Apollyon broke out into a terrible rage, saying, "I am an enemy to this Prince; I hate His person, His laws, and people; I came out on purpose to kill you." (P303-307) 

Yikes. Yeah, Christian's service to his "Prince" makes Apollyon none too happy. And Christian ignites a lot of anger by being so loud 'n' proud about his faith—there are no examples quite as on-point as fighting with the freakin' Devil, but we see this dynamic happen in such God-hating locations as Vanity Fair.

This dynamic also sets up the very Puritan understanding that being a good Christian ain't a walk in the park. If you're committed to your faith, you're going to have to suffer a tad. You might have to do things like fight (gulp) the Devil himself if you're walking around proclaiming "I am Christian, hear me roar."

But at least you don't have to go it alone. That would be too tough. Those who befriend Christian—like our Samwise Gamgee stand-ins Hopeful and Faithful—represent key aspects of the Christian attitude. Their names don't make it difficult to figure out what these key aspects are: a good Christian is always flanked by his hope and his faithfulness. Also (because we're in allegory territory here, right?), these sidekicks show that although the life of a good Christian is rough, it's not necessarily lonely. Much of the world might be against you, but at least you have a couple of good buddies to see you through the really hard parts.

Last but not least are Christian's faults. Remember how Frodo could be a little depressing, a bit of a gloomy Gus? Christian is the same. If anything, he's more of a well-rounded character than Frodo is: Christian takes turns being fearful, lazy, arrogant, and despairing, just like we all do. Check out Christian's very human faults at work:

Then he went to the Stile to see, and behold a Path lay along by the way on the other side of the fence. 'Tis according to my wish, said Christian, here is the easiest going; come good Hopeful, and let us go over.

Hopeful: But how if this Path should lead us out of the way?

Christian: That's not like, said the other; look, doth it not go along by the way-side? (P602-4)

Here, even though it's late in the game and Christian has learned a lot, he still is screwing up. He decides that it's better to walk on the soft, cushy grass instead of the stony road. Bad move, Christian.

What makes this story engaging is not that Christian is an unfailing source of virtue and angelic goodness—he balances the allegoric/symbolic stuff with really honest failings and quirks… like wanting to walk on a nice green meadow instead of a path so rocky he's wincing in pain. It's these flaws in Christian that not only help us relate to him, but also allow Bunyan to give a richer portrait of what any Christian is: a human being.

Christian's character is a realistic blend of strength and weakness, of faith and doubt, but he also undergoes a significant change over the course of the book. Before his arrival at the Palace Beautiful in particular, Christian, as a Christian, is slightly bumbling. He relies heavily on others, such as Evangelist, Good-will, and the Interpreter. We can think of these guys as our Gandalf, Aragorn, and Galadriel stand-ins, to continue our Christian-as-Frodo metaphor.

Not only does he need their guidance, but he also needs their encouragement. Eventually, however, having internalized or thought about these teachings, Christian's sense of right becomes his own. This really comes across in the argument with By-ends and his cronies, and in his relationship with Hopeful:

Christian: Good brother, be not offended; I am sorry I have brought thee out of the way, and that I have put thee into such imminent danger. Pray, my brother, forgive me; I did not do it of an evil intent. 

Hopeful: Be comforted, my brother, for I forgive thee; and believe, too, that this shall be for our good. (P598-599)

Aww, we love the Christian/Hopeful bromance. After leading Hopeful way astray into By-Pass Meadow, Christian apologizes. He really is learning.

Christian, himself, becomes a giver of advice (which gets him in a little trouble too—another nice realistic touch) and also quotes the Bible more confidently. With Christian's character as an allegory in itself, then, Bunyan is also showing us how people are made Christian by this kind of struggle and testing.

To Bunyan, being a Christian means committing to a journey of struggle that will eventually transform you into a person worthy of eternal life in heaven. In this way, Bunyan is not only saying that Christians should live with the humble spirit of a pilgrim, but he's also emphasizing the really heroic, adventurous, and dangerous nature of any pilgrim's progress.

Hmm. Wonder if Peter Jackson could turn his directorial eye toward a three-part, seventeen-hour-long Pilgrim's Progress epic?