Significance of Characters and places in The Pilgrim’s Progress

The Interpreter has an important role. It is represented as a spiritual guide who shelters Christian. The Interpreter instructs Christian in the art of reading religious meanings hidden in everyday objects and events, which he houses in his Significant Rooms.

Christian is the central character of the book and the hero of the pilgrimage. Christian represents just one profound aspect of the human experience. As a protagonist, his role is very important. Through this character, Bunyan shows the ultimate sufferings of human life. Without suffering, we cannot get anything. The writer shows that through suffering and pain, a soul can get salvation. Jesus Christ has sacrificed his life for common people. So, his followers can only get salvation and mercy of God through choosing the path of pain and suffering.

Evangelist is the messenger carrying the Gospel, or word of Christ, to Christian. Evangelist spurs Christian on his journey to the Celestial City. Through this character, writer tries to tell us the message of God. 

Faithful and Hopeful both are important allegorical figures. Through these two characters, the writer wants to say that if we have faith and hope on our own decision and God then we can reach towards our goal. We can be successful. Hopeful saves Christian’s life in the river before the gates to Mount Zion. Christian could have saved his own life for his hope. He had also faith in God. These two things helped him to get salvation. Faith is not just part of religion but every aspect of our daily lives. It means we can make our lives better if we have faith in God. These two things help us to lead a better life in this brutal world.

Despair is a negative quality of human nature. It causes hopelessness or for which there is no hope. A person loses all his hopes and cannot be able to overcome his problems. That is why, writer refers to Despair as a ‘Giant Despair’. It indicates if we cannot overcome this shortcoming, then we will fail.

In the same way Demas is also an important figure. He is a deceiver. He is a gentlemanly figure who tries to entice Christian and Hopeful with silver and dreams of wealth. This stands as a warning to all Christians that they should not love this world. Its system is opposite to God and His rule. This allegory figure carries a message for us that we should not love this world, or the things of this world.

Worldly Wiseman is a person whom Christian encounters early in his journey. It represents the worldly pleasure. If we want to get mercy and blessings of God then we have to leave worldly pleasure.   

Mr. By-ends is a user of religion for personal and social profit. Mr. By-ends accompanies Christian briefly after Christian escapes from Vanity. It represents the contemporary society of writer. Even we can find the presence of this kind of people in our society.

Though each and every character is personified, still they have great role in this whole story. Through these characters, writer gives an image of human beings of this world.