Sin And Salvation

This dissertation intends to explicate the ideal of salvation reflected in Evelyn Waugh's Brideshead Revisited by tracing the sin-suffering-salvation journeys of three characters in this novel in a bid to provide an insight into the ideal of salvation.In Christianity, Sin includes Original Sin and Actual Sin. Original Sin consists of Peccatum Originale Originans, and Peccatum Originale Originatum. The former refers to the fact that Adam and Eve commit sin and thus impair all human nature, and the latter refers to the fact that the first parents have begun to be guilty. The Actual Sin is an act which is regarded as a transgression of the divine law, an offence against God; and a violation (esp. willful or deliberate) of some religious or moral principle. All in all, either Original Sin or Actual Sin, man challenges God's authority by their free will and reason, which is the essence of sin. In Waugh's Brideshead Revisited, Lord Marchmain betrays his wife and abandons his God, and by chance of war he escapes to Italy and lives there for dozens of years with his mistress, Cara. Sebastian escapes from his family, religion and God by way of alcoholism. Julia marries a pagan and later has lived adulterously with Charles. Lord Marchmain, Sebastian and Julia, without exception, all go against God's will, commit sins and become the "children of devil".The Christians deem that all mankind is subject to suffering in this life resulting from the fall of man. In fact, suffering is a necessary and transitory component in the outworking of God's eternal purpose. In Brideshead Revisited, in exhibition of his characters' suffering, Waugh seems to borrow elements from some characters in the Bible. Lord Marchmain, like the inhabitants of Sodom and Gomorrah, is suffering God's "punishment of eternal fire" because of his sins. He is exiled, reviled, sick and lonely. Sebastian, similar to the prodigal son, experiences suffering from his sinfullife. He makes his soul broken, life uneasy, health worse, and capabilities lost. Julia, resembling Hosea, on her way to understanding God's suffering, undergoes several sufferings caused by her wrong choice. She herself is isolated, her family is broken, her child is stillborn and her love is disillusionedFrom the Christian point of view, we may see that the salvation history comprises all the human history, for world history derives from the fallen state of human beings. However, the merciful God does not want to see His people suffer so long a time. For this reason, He sends His son, Jesus Christ, to become a human, and by suffering pain and death on the cross Christ takes upon the punishment that humans deserve. The Christians hold a belief that if they believe in Jesus Christ and experience the suffering a Christian shall undertake, surely they will go beyond their fallen state, surpass their sufferings and become immortal. In Brideshead Revisited, the three "children of devil" finally all respond to "the twitch upon the thread". lx>rd Marchmain, while he is dying, again accepts the priest's preaching and by the sign of the cross regains his belief and realizes his salvation. Sebastian is like something of a sinner in the desert, through suffering becoming holy. He enters a monastery in Tunis to be a sort of under-porter. Julia also gives up her sinned mode of existence, and returns to believe in God.This dissertation reflects on the religious theme and journeys to salvation. Not until the very last moment does I^ord Marchmain accept religious ritual. Sebastian escapes his family and shirks all his responsibilities becoming an under-porter like a hermit. Julia, for the sake of religion, rejects her beautiful love. All these salvations, as for ordinary people, are hardly understandable, and also questionable. Although Waugh makes efforts to express "the operation of divine grace on a group of diverse but closely connected characters," Waugh's depiction of the fates of all the Marchmain members accounts for the fact that religion and God can not really savethe disintegration of the Marchmain family; on the contrary, their religion and God seems to be responsible for the misfortunes and fall of these family members.Jesus Christ makes man believe that they are of both flesh and soul: half of emperor, and half of God. When Jesus Christ says: "Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor's, and to God the things that are God's," he does not only tactfully deal with difficulties created by the Pharisees, but, actually he is indicating a kind of value tropism—from in to out of worldly affairs, and from utility to ideal, and a type of new, Christian-like life attitude. Therefore, this dissertation contends that, in a society full of material lusts, we may use this kind of Christian-like life attitude for reference, establish a kind of true and eternal life value despite of the social and idealistic changes, and actively keep an area of pure land in heart!...