Sophfronia’s answer to “Just finished this and need a little help: 1) still not sure why Mr. Bevins appears with multiple e…” > Likes and Comments
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Oooh. Very interesting thought.
I think that's exactly what the Reverends sin was. He left grace out of the gospel. When he sacrificed himself he must have been at least hoping for grace since he knew he was damned before he came to the bardo.
I read it a little differently - in a way that made the Reverend one of the most touching parts of the book - I thought he knew he was doomed (though not why) and he simply did the right thing by the girl, untangling her, even though it meant he had to face the judgement finally.
I don't think he did anything wrong. I think he was sent back to the Bardo because there had to be someone truly good and pure there to eventually save Willie.
I like your interpretation and it makes sense. He was never more of a sinner than others. The afterlife he saw was the one he believed in and preached about throughout his life. He saw what he expected to see.
(SPOILERS) As for your second question, I think he was to go to a particularly bad hell because he preached that God was not a loving God. The point is made in the novel that we should help ease the suffering of everyone we meet. A minister who does not offer solace to those who are suffering would very much be a sinner. The Reverend was ultimately able to get to the good afterlife because he sacrificed himself for Willy.
I really like that explanation, he was the one part I wasn't entirely sure on but that makes a lot more sense. Perhaps his fear of the afterlife was his biggest sin. Another interpretation I felt was that God knew that he would be needed in the Bardo, and knew that he would be frightened away by what he saw so planned it. So that he could then help Willie (who had died for similar reasons) so the two of them could rescue those other souls too afraid to accept their own mistakes and let go of their regrets.
Yes, agree with the above - and to add: we can ask why the Reverend was the only one to be shown the afterlife but then be sent back. It was precisely his fixation on afterlife that got him sent back to learn he should be responsive to the needs in the world (or the Bardo).
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Cynthia
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Mar 16, 2017 10:37AM
Oooh. Very interesting thought.
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I think that's exactly what the Reverends sin was. He left grace out of the gospel. When he sacrificed himself he must have been at least hoping for grace since he knew he was damned before he came to the bardo.
I read it a little differently - in a way that made the Reverend one of the most touching parts of the book - I thought he knew he was doomed (though not why) and he simply did the right thing by the girl, untangling her, even though it meant he had to face the judgement finally.
I don't think he did anything wrong. I think he was sent back to the Bardo because there had to be someone truly good and pure there to eventually save Willie.
I like your interpretation and it makes sense. He was never more of a sinner than others. The afterlife he saw was the one he believed in and preached about throughout his life. He saw what he expected to see.
(SPOILERS) As for your second question, I think he was to go to a particularly bad hell because he preached that God was not a loving God. The point is made in the novel that we should help ease the suffering of everyone we meet. A minister who does not offer solace to those who are suffering would very much be a sinner. The Reverend was ultimately able to get to the good afterlife because he sacrificed himself for Willy.
I really like that explanation, he was the one part I wasn't entirely sure on but that makes a lot more sense. Perhaps his fear of the afterlife was his biggest sin. Another interpretation I felt was that God knew that he would be needed in the Bardo, and knew that he would be frightened away by what he saw so planned it. So that he could then help Willie (who had died for similar reasons) so the two of them could rescue those other souls too afraid to accept their own mistakes and let go of their regrets.
Yes, agree with the above - and to add: we can ask why the Reverend was the only one to be shown the afterlife but then be sent back. It was precisely his fixation on afterlife that got him sent back to learn he should be responsive to the needs in the world (or the Bardo).
