The Pilgrim's Regress

Lewis describes Mr. Vertue, one of the narrative’s main supporting characters, as “about of an age with John, or a little older” (36), signaling Vertue as a kind of counterpart to John—a parallel that continues throughout the story. Vertue’s name (like the majority of the characters in Lewis’s allegory) directly reflects his defining characteristic: virtue. However, Lewis marks his adherence to virtue by an extreme asceticism and a harsh, almost punitive approach to morality. After barely recovering from losing the ability to see and speak, he still insists on continuing his journey despite his weakness. His commitment to the rules, which he interprets with an unforgiving strictness, leads him to reject any compromises or comforts. He believes that true obedience to the rules requires extreme self-denial and suffering and insists that one should seek to live in this world as little as possible. His disdain for “innocent pleasures” and his view of all earthly existence as a curse highlight his belief that the mortal self naturally rejects the rules (159), positioning the mortal self and the spiritual as inherently in conflict. This outlook aligns with a Puritanical view of virtue, emphasizing the need to reject any pleasure to achieve moral purity. However, his outlook changes when he faces the hot dragon near the end of the story. When the dragon’s fire burns him, it also removes his self-imposed moral constraints and gives him a clear perspective on the ways in which his previous beliefs were misguided. Following this epiphany, he and John both cross the brook. Ultimately, Vertue’s character transformation from someone with a rigid, ascetic view of morality into one with a more humble, human understanding reflects Lewis’s belief in the importance of grace, redemption, and the limitations of human efforts to achieve moral perfection.

In The Pilgrim’s Regress, an allegorical story about the Christian faith, Lewis positions the Landlord as the symbolic representation of God. As such, the Landlord impacts the story less as an actual character and more as an overarching, abstract presence shaping John’s quest. John’s perception of the Landlord shifts over the course of the narrative, directly reflecting his place on his journey. Lewis establishes the Landlord as a distant and somewhat foreboding figure from the outset. He is the creator and ruler of the land, issuing rules that the inhabitants, including John, are expected to follow. This portrayal aligns with the traditional Christian view of God as a sovereign, law-giving deity. However, Lewis’s initial depiction of the Landlord reflects John’s misunderstanding and fear—he sees the Landlord as harsh and oppressive, concerned only with the enforcement of arbitrary rules. However, John’s understanding begins to evolve when he speaks to Wisdom and History. He begins to view the rules as manifestations of a rational and benevolent order established by the Landlord and the decisions and risks he takes in working with free tenants rather than slaves as acts of profound love. He starts to believe that the Landlord’s intentions, though often mysterious and challenging, ultimately serve the good of his tenants.

Mother Kirk is a supporting character in the story representing the Christian Church. Her name, “Kirk,” is a Scottish term for “church.” John and Vertue first encounter her as they try to find a way to cross the Grand Canyon—a physical manifestation of the Christian doctrine of original sin. John initially perceives Mother Kirk as a witch due to her tattered dress and appearance. Mother Kirk tells John and Vertue the story of how the Grand Canyon came to be—a retelling of the biblical account of Adam and Eve being cast out of the Garden of Eden in the book of Genesis—depicted by Lewis as a farmer and his wife given land by the Landlord. When John asks Mother Kirk about the Landlord’s rules, he learns that the taste of the forbidden fruit (a mountain apple in Lewis’s retelling) created a craving in the farmer and his wife, which led them to infect the entire land by grafting the fruit onto other trees. Mother Kirk offers to carry John and Vertue across the canyon. However, they must follow her instructions. John refuses, stating, “I must be the captain of my soul and the master of my fate” (89)—a statement that reflects Lewis’s own struggle with submitting to church dogma. Later, when John ultimately confronts his need to submit to God’s will, he returns to Mother Kirk. Upon his arrival, she tells him that this surrender is necessary to reach the Island. Lewis includes a symbolic baptismal scene in which John enters the pool at Mother Kirk’s urging, signifying his surrender and acceptance of the Christian path.

Reason, a supporting character, is the manifestation of rational thought and logic who provides John with the intellectual tools to separate truth from deception. Lewis describes Reason as a very tall woman and “a sun-bright virgin clad in complete steel, with a sword naked in her hand” (69). Lewis positions her as a crucial figure on John’s journey who allows him to dismantle the deceptive arguments of people like the giant, who represents oppressive authority and false doctrine. Reason also appears when John tries to turn back after leaving History’s cave and forces him at sword point to keep going.

Despite her strengths, Lewis suggests that Reason also has limitations, highlighting Lewis’s thematic interest in The Role of Both Reason and Imagination in Faith. In several instances, Reason admits to John that reason alone cannot fully comprehend or convey the mysteries of the divine. She also notes that he will tire from traveling with her after a while. Reason’s acknowledgment of her limits highlights Lewis’s perspective that while reason is vital, it is not the only tool needed to understand the entirety of human experience, particularly in the spiritual realm.

Mr. Wisdom is a supporting character who serves as a mentor for both John and Vertue. He embodies rationality and the pursuit of truth, and his teachings often clarify the nature of reality, the limitations of human perception, and the pitfalls of various ideologies for Lewis’s protagonist. His presence proves crucial as John navigates the confusion and doubt that his interactions with many of the other characters produce. His talks with Wisdom give him a better understanding of his own quest and true desires, confronting the falsehoods and illusions that plague human experience, particularly those propagated by ideologies like rationalism. His teachings serve as a stabilizing force for John on the rest of his journey. However, despite his positive influence, Wisdom is not without his flaws. Mr. Broad describes him as having “a trace of narrow-mindedness” (135). His house is stark, and Lewis depicts his children, all named after different thinkers and philosophers, as resigned and waiting for something that will never come, underscoring Lewis’s Critique of Modern Philosophical and Cultural Trends.