THE PILGRIM’S PROGRESS RESPONSE
TO LITERATURE ORAL PRESENTATION
CHAPTER 4: IN THE VALLEYS OF
HUMILITY AND DEATH.
By: Anna Hart
Christian said, “I will walk in the
strength of the Lord God.” After this,
the creatures in the valley of the
shadow of death drew back and
came no farther. The Lord’s strength
also helps Christian defeat Apollyon.
Fear
Christian says, “Though I
walk through the valley of
the shadow of death, I will
fear no evil; for thou art
with me.” Even though he
has great fears in this
chapter, he finds peace
through God.
Apollyon said, "You go back, and whatever the country
can afford in the way of pay, I will see that you get it."
However, Christian resisted this temptation and the
temptation of leaving the valley of the shadow of death
as Self-love and critic did.
Chapter Summary
I think the main idea from chapter four is that if
you stay faithful in the Lord, He will deliver you and help you.
That after the darkness comes the light. On page 60 it says,
“There came to him a hand of mercy with healing leaves from
the tree of life.” This was God’s mercy helping Christian heal
after he was faithful to Him in the battle with Apollyon. This just
amplifies how the Lord shows his mercy and love to you when
you put all of your faith in Him. Christian had two main
situations in chapter four where he had to put his faith in the
Lord.
Christian exemplified great faith in chapter four. First
he had a battle with Apollyon in the Valley of Humility. There
Apollyon tried to convince him to come back to the city of
destruction. However Christian did not let him persuade his
actions. On page 58 Christian says to Apollyon, “I like His
service, His wages, His servants, His government, His
company, and His country much better than yours and all
you can promise.” Christian defies Apollyon and they have a
battle. Christian does not die, but is fatally wounded. Later
on, Christian travels to the valley of the shadow of death.
Here he is on a narrow path with creatures lurking in the
shadows. He finds strength in prayer and makes it safely
Symbolism in Chapter Four
 Apollyon= The Devil
 Battle With Apollyon= Every Christians struggle
with sin, trying to fight it and resisting the
temptation to sin again and go back to old ways
 Healing leaves from tree of life= God’s love and
mercy
 Self-Love and Critic= Christians who turn from
the Christian ways when life gets too hard.
Cowards.
 Valley of the Shadow of Death= A Christians
struggle. Creatures in the valley represent
people who do not want you to follow the
Christian ways. Filled with discouraging souls.
What does the Narrator see at
the end of the valley of the
shadow of death?
 The narrator saw blood, ashes, bones, and
thousands of mangled bodies of pilgrims who had
gone through the valley. He then realizes that the
cause of these deaths were two giants, Pope and
Pagan. But, Christian could pass safely through for
the giants present conditions were weak. Pagan
had already been dead for many years and Pope
was very old and had grown crazy. I think Bunyan
used this to say that evil creatures grow old and
weary but the strength of the Lord and His
believers never will.
Interpretations Of Chapter 4
 Personally, I think that chapter four was all
about maintaining your faith even when it is
hard. When Christian faces Apollyon he
could have easily gone back with him or
have been killed. But he found faith in the
Lord and fought Apollyon and survived.
Also in the Valley of the Shadow of death,
“Christian’s sword was ineffective; yet he
had another weapon that was always
effective: Effectual fervent prayer. "So the
Lord is where Christian found his strength.
This relates to the Christian walk of faith in
many ways. For example, when Christian
could not find strength in his sword but in
prayer, it symbolizes how sometimes
Christian’s turn to worldly things instead of
God in times of trouble.
The Wilderness
 The emptiness, wandering, and excitement of the
wilderness in the Pilgrim’s progress all represent
one thing, inner struggle. The wandering soul away
from God’s stability. Christian is constantly
wandering through the wilderness as his soul is
wandering as well. At times he is stable and with
God, but sometimes he slips and falls down the path
of destruction. The whole reason for his journey is to
find peace and strength with the Lord. But this does
not come easy. Christian’s path is hard and difficult
both physically and spiritually. But in the end,
Christian stops wandering and finds the Lord and
His city of glory!
Good-will
 Good-will helps Christian at the Wicket
Gate when Beelzebub shoots arrows at
him.
 Good-will represents God because he
is a good judge of people
 He only let Christian through the gate
because Christian was true in spirit.
 Without Good-will, Christian might not
have made it to the Celestial City
because he let him in the gate that
leads to the path and saved Christian
from the arrows.
Essential Questions
1. Why do some people reject God even
though His love is so great?
2. Is it human nature to run away in sight of
danger?
3. What makes the Celestial City worth all of
the struggles to get there?
My Personal Impact
 The Pilgrim’s Progress has taught me
many valuable lessons that will stay with
me for the rest of my life. It has taught
me that even though the Christian walk
can be hard and troubling, in the end it is
worth it. If you stay with the Lord, you
will find strength through Him to carry
you through. The final destination
makes the journey worth it, for if you
stay faithful to the Lord, the prize is
eternal life in Heaven. 
Apollyon
Celestialcity
Christian
Critic
Death
Evil
Faith
Goodwill
Journey
Pagan
Pilgrimsprogress
Pope
Prayer
Selflove
Shadowofdeath
Strength
Struggle
Wicketgate
wilderness