The Great Divorce

A detailed Summary of The Great Divorce


The Great Divorce, a book written by C.S. Lewis, is known to be one of the most profound works on Christian philosophy. Much of Lewis's work is based on his Christian faith. In this book, he explains the concepts of Heaven and Hell as well as the experiences he went through in his conversion from atheism to Christianity. He also explores some of the issues of the mid-twentieth century and the Catholic Church's teachings on Heaven and Hell.

C.S. Lewis was born in Belfast, Ireland in the late nineteenth century. He received a good education through private education and studying at the University of Oxford. In 1931, Lewis abandoned his atheist views and converted to Christianity. His good friend, J.R.R.Tolkien, encouraged this major step in his life. From that point on, Lewis's work began to share a common theme. His work was not only influenced by his new religion, but also by G.K. Chesterton and Tolkien, who served as his mentors as well. Most of his writings contain a moral lesson as well as a theological theme. Both of these can be found in his book, The Great Divorce.

The Great Divorce is a story in which the author, who is the main character, embarks on a journey through Heaven and Hell on a bus. H


e explains not what Heaven and Hell are like physically, but rather what it means to be in hell or heaven. Lewis states, "Heaven is not a state of mind. Heaven is reality itself" (Divorce 68). In the book, the main character encounters many different characters that he engages in philosophical discussions with. There are also many contrasting themes in this book. The people of hell that are visiting Heaven are described as transparent people, similar to ghosts. The people found in heaven are seen as "bright, solid people" opposed to the phantom appearance of the people who exist in Hell. When the ghosts visit Heaven, they experience many different things. The colors around them are so strong they make the people almost disappear. The people from Hell then realize they are transparent. The grass is sharp and piercing on their feet and the raindrops feel like bullets. The ghosts can not even pick flowers because the stems are too strong for them. Another contrasting theme is the size of Heaven and Hell. Heaven is seen as vast and glorious and Hell is infinitely small and is also described as a "gray town." While in Heaven, the solid people try to explain the grace of God to the transparent people. The ghosts become upset and blame heaven for not accepting them. This shows the sin of pride that

Some common words found in the essay are:
Adams Allen, Lewis Heaven, CS Lewis, Heaven Lewis, Hell Heaven, Heaven Hell, University Oxford, Defender Faith, Hell Blake's, Divorce Divorce, heaven hell, cs lewis, solid people, transparent people, lewis wrote, blake's book, people hell, divorce book, ghost lizard, divorce divorce,

Approximate Word count = 875
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: English

join now Save Paper

Related Essays

  • Free Will in The Great Divorce CS Lewisamp39s message concerning free will is that God helps the oneamp39s willing to convert and that each person that is saved must take the first step towards his ... 791 words
  • Divorce ... the history of divorce may make you feel better about you own scandalous ways.ampquot, Smithsonian, March 1998, v28, n12, p868 Lewis CS, The Great Divorce, 1999 p ... 1552 words
  • Divorce Struggles ... Divorceampquot Now that I have experienced it, I would not change anything for the world. Although it will never be as great as when my parents were together, I ... 401 words
  • Challenges of Divorce ... Although the negative aspects are great there are even greater positive effects to divorce. One rewarding part of having divorced parents is the larger family. ... 530 words
  • kramer vs kramer divorce ... All this has shown that Ted is a great father. ... After the second divorce of her parents, she and her younger brother had to go live with their dad. ... 1504 words

Professional Essays

  • ampquotThe Great Divorceampquot ampamp ampquotWhat Dreams May Comeampquot Th amp39The Great Divorceampquot and ampquotWhat Dreams May Comeamp39 The Great Divorceand What Dreams May Come offer two relatively different versions of the afterlife. ... 2380 words
  • ECONOMIC EFFECTS OF DIVORCE ... Ross 2002 states that, statistically, Oklahoma has one of the highest divorce rates in the country and this rate has not shown a great deal of decrease ... 1469 words
  • Children and Divorce ... In general, it seems as though the children of divorce could contribute a great deal to help us understand how to minimize the negative impacts and use the ... 2123 words
  • ADJUSTMENTS TO DIVORCE ... ampamp Sobolewski, 2001. Given the foregoing, it can be seen that divorce requires a great deal of adjustment. Some elements of this ... 2526 words
  • Concept of the Afterlife ... Lewis, Clive Staples. The Great Divorce. New York: MacMillan, 1946. Matheson, Richard. What Dreams May Come. New York: Tom Doherty, 1978. ... 1163 words
  • Increase in US Divorce Rate ... parties concerned with divorces, and a great deal of societal cost is also involved. Both misery and cost are applicable to those victims of divorce who have ... 1829 words


Saved Paper

Save your papers so you can locate them quickly!

Newest Essays

Testimonials

  • "Thank You So Much!!! You have saved me once again!!!"
    Jack M.
  • "With so many papers to chose from, I was able to get ideas to help me with all of my classes. Thank You!"
    Brian P.
  • "I've used this site for the last 3 years to help me come up with ideas for my papers."
    Sara J.
  • "I use this site every week to help me write my own papers!"
    Rachel W.
  • "I love this site!!!"
    Marie N.
Home Join Now Support
Acceptable Use Policy About us FAQ
All papers are for research and reference purposes only!
© 2002-2009 DirectEssays.com. All Rights Reserved.