The Great Divorce Literary Elements

Religion, Philosophy of Religion

The story is set in Heaven, after a bus ride from Hell. It is also in some ways set in the author's study as he is dreaming this encounter with the afterlife.

The narrator is the author and he is writing from his own point of view.

The tone is often challenging and the mood thought-provoking and combative.

The Spirits are the protagonists, some of the Ghosts are the antagonists because of their refusal or inability to understand what they are being shown.

There is conflict throughout the book between Ghosts and Spirits as the latter try to convince the former to remain in Heaven. There is also an internal conflict with many of the Ghosts as they feel uncomfortable with their own insignificance in Heaven and do not know if they want to say or not.

The Narrator is overwhelmed by a bright light that is Jesus and falls out of his chair, where he has fallen asleep.

Frank's refusal to repent foreshadows his disappearance from Heaven.

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The author alludes to real-life theologian George MacDonald, of whom he was in great awe.

The imagery is extremely intense and intended to be overwhelming to the reader. Everything that the Narrator experiences in Heaven is an exaggerated form of itself, for example, raindrops are shinier, like diamonds, and the blades of grass feel as though they really do have blades. This hyperbolic imagery enables the reader to almost over-imagine the vision that the Narrator is trying to describe.

Sarah Smith is largely unremarkable and ordinary during her lifetime on Earth but in Heaven is recognized in a far stronger way than others on the journey with her who were more celebrated during their lifetimes.

There is a parallel between the biblical notion of forgiveness and the appearance of the man who murdered another in Heaven.

The Ghosts and The Spirits are the terms used to describe the different characters in the book rather than referring to them by name or description individually all the time.

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