Pilgrim's Progress

Pilgrim’s Progress’s Conflict

Despite both conquering outer symbolic challenges, there is a large distinction between Christiana’s and Christian’s conflict. Christian has many outer squabbles with the sinners around him. Whereas, Christiana battles her emotions and past. Put simply, part one is man vs. man, and part two displays the war between man and self.

Although both part one and two of Pilgrim’s Progress have inner struggles represented by outer obstacles, the audience observes a large difference between Christian’s and Christiana’s conflict. They both confront the sinful side of themselves, but Christiana examines her past and future more than Christian ever does. Her inner struggle is also apparent in how she requires traveling companions and cares much more for them than Christian did for his. She also concerns herself with other’s opinions. Christian is hindered mostly by people along his journey, and must physically fight them. In turn, he conquers inner struggles with external battles. Differently, most of the exterior

self. The first example is the narrative describing her shame at her contempt of her husband. She hates herself for not joining him and saving her children from a more difficult journey. She is disheartened when Mrs. Timorous calls her venture foolish. When she shares her belongings, readers experience her willfulness to keep Mercy as an equal. She is also torn when at the gate. She fears the large dog, but is determined to join Christian. Christiana asks the gate keeper to admit Mercy who cries in fear at the thought of being shut out from the journey. After she and Mercy are saved from the Ill-Favored Ones, she berates herself for not asking for a travel companion from the Lord. Later, Innocent fetches her master, and Christiana’s dialogue expresses embarrassment at her earlier hard-heartedness. On her travel, she confesses to brave heart she wishes she could have saved her