The Pilgrim’s Progress is a work by John Bunyan which can very well be debated about its genre as the author has written it in such a way that it be taken as a true account of Christian faiths as well as a very good novel describing how the cases might be. However, we will be considering it as something called a fiction, a novel and we will review it on that basis only because we cannot review something which is within the ambit of someone’s faith. The Pilgrim’s Progress is one of the most-selling works in the history of English publications. It was published in 1678 and since then, it has never gone out of print for a day!

Taking it as a novel lets us have only one major character named Christian which is very allegorical. Other than him, we have a guide, Evangelist, who can be seen allegorically as well. The biggest metaphor in the novel is the burden of Christian which compels him to flee from home and save is soul by reaching heaven. Through his way to heaven, he meets many people who are also allegorically important and many leave him while some of them also help him in reaching his destination.

Seeing it as a novel offers the readers a very gullible plot which keeps the readers engaged until the last. The characterisation, the metaphorical names, the illusionary powers with some of the characters, the stubbornness of Christian to stay on his path to heaven and occasional help from Evangelist – everything makes the readers believe in the power of John Bunyan’s imaginative force which will never let anyone harm Christian in any way.

Admired during the time of Bunyan by the readers, The Pilgrim’s Progress has become a very popular book among the children now. They read it as something interesting and also religiously activated.

As a novel, very light in the plot, this is driven only by the storyline and motif is very simple – achieving what the protagonist thinks is a destination – and this is over! If you haven’t yet read The Pilgrim’s Progress, you must read it.