Christian, Pilgrim's Progress

One of the most obvious themes in The Pilgrim's Progress is that of the pilgrimage or journey. Bunyan writes the allegory entirely as a journey. Christian's temporal journey moves from the City of Destruction to the City of Zion. However, the more significant journey is the one that happens inside a pilgrim. This happens when the person realizes the blessing of their election and changes his or her life to devote it to the Gospel. Ultimately, Christian must "cross the river," or die trying and join the Father in Heaven, which the ultimate achievement of the journey. However, before arriving at this point, he must face many obstacles along the way.