Christy | Themes & Symbolism

Christy Significant Topics

The themes in Christy concern themselves not only with these social issues but with matters of personal religious growth and maturity in the lives of the characters. One of the themes of the novel is the need for people to come to terms with the presence and meaning of death in human life. The ability to accept death as a natural part of life and glimpse its meaning in God's plan is seen as a reflection of the level of an individual's spiritual maturity. Different characters in the novel attain various levels of awareness of what the inevitable event of death can mean in the life of a Christian. For instance, to Fairlight Spencer, a woman burdened by fears and superstition, death represents complete annihilation symbolized by a terrifying shadow. The young minister David Grantland acknowledges the Christian belief in immortality but is hard-pressed to defend his beliefs with vigor...
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