Epic in A Piligrims Progress by John Bunyan and Heart of...

What is an epic? What does a piece of literature need in order to be considered an epic? An epic is a journey that the protagonist takes in order to find who they are themselves. A Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan and Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad are two pieces of literature in which this appears. However, A Pilgrim’s Progress: Part One is more of a dream journey while Heart of Darkness is an actual physical journey. Both of these novels however follow the standard pattern of an epic in how they are both journey’s in which the person comes to an understanding of themselves which sometimes and sometimes does not end up saving him. A Pilgrim’s Progress: Part One is a novel that follows the structure of an epic in many different ways. For one, as even stated in the novel, Christian’s journey is a dream journey. Another way is how at the beginning of the novel the protagonist Christian has a large burden on his back that he can not take off. Thi s burden causes him to have the conviction that he has many sins and is therefore in need of saving so he goes on a pilgrimage in order to be saved. This follows the epic structure of being a young, naive man who goes on a journey in order to obtain an understanding of himself. Throughout Christian’s journey he faces many challenges but also is helped by various people too. Another part of the epic structure is the young man’s journey through the underworld or hell. This is shown in A Pilgrim’s Progress through Christian’s