Heaven's Journey: An Analysis of 'The Great Divorce'

C. S. Lewis, the acclaimed author of The Chronicles of Narnia series, Mere Christianity, and The

Screwtape Letters, and winner of the Carnegie Medal for The Last Battle, also wrote an impactful book

by the name of The Great Divorce. This allegory follows the narrator, whose name remains obscure, on

a journey by bus from the Valley of the Shadow of Death (Hell) to the Valley of the Shadow of Life

(Heaven). He and other inhabitants of the grey town depart on an excursion to the outskirts of Heaven,

where they find themselves to be Ghosts, incapable of altering or moving anything. While there, the

narrator watches and learns from other Ghosts’ encounters with Spirits, who try to convince the pitiful

Ghosts to stay there in Heaven.

As an allegory, The Great Divorce is a page-turner and belongs on a shelf in every home.

However, be cautious not to approach this book as a pure fantasy with no morals or a factual account of

heaven and hell, for C. S. Lewis never intended his book to be anything besides an allegory with a moral.

In the preface of The Great Divorce, Lewis writes, “This is a fantasy. It has of course… a moral. But the

transmortal conditions are solely an imaginative supposal.” As a genuine fantasy, the action lags, the

plot line is dull, and Lewis seems to be pressing his own spiritual views on a fictional story. If read as a

realistic account, however, many parts of the story seem to contradict Scripture. Simply read this book

with an open mind and remember that this is an allegory, not a factual account.

I would recommend this book to all teenagers and young adults. The allegory would be an

excellent choice for a book study, individual read, or study of Lewis’ works. C. S. Lewis’ personal

approach, profound insights, open interpretation, and allegorical style make this an excellent read. Well

worth your time, The Great Divorce is thought-provoking and inspiring and is filled with