Lessons in Forgiveness

In Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead, one peers into the perspective of a dying John Ames as he writes a last letter to his son. At the outset, it appears that Ames simply wishes to recount his life, granting his son insight into events and memories he will not have time to personally share with him. However, as his writing progresses from passing thoughts and benign recollections, recurrent subjects and themes appear. By the end of the novel it is apparent that Ames wishes to impart wisdom on his son so that he may fare better with the same struggles and uncertainties Ames reflects upon. Among the lessons Ames shares, none appear as powerfully as his teachings on forgiveness, a topic that haunts him and his family.

The tense relationship between Ames’ grandfather and his father outline the consequences of unforgiveness. Split by the Free Soiler movement in Kansas, the two approach the topic with entirely opposite mentalities. In fact, when Ames’ grandfather leads a sermon justifying the war effort, Ames’ father is so distressed he temporarily joins the Quakers (99). Ames’ father only returns from his self-appointed exile to preserve the health of his ailing mother, not because he forgives his grandfather (194). From other excerpts regarding their interactions, one surmises that their relationship remains uneasy. Ames remarks that neither of them forgave one another for taking the “wrong path,” only agreeing never to openly discuss the conflict (36). Failure to bury the hatchet contributes to one of Ames’ father’s deepest regrets. Looking for his father in Kansas, Ames’ father remarks remorsefully that, “the last words he said to his father were very angry words and there could never be any reconciliation between them in this life,” (10). Stubborn to the end, both men’s inabilities to forgive one another produce an everlasting blemish between father and son, shrouding Ames’ father in grief.

One observes a similar series of failed interactions between Ames’ father and Ames’ older brother Edward after his return from Germany. Rather than a concrete disagreement as was the case between father and grandfather, Ames’ father finds trouble reconciling his spiritual differences with Edward. This issue reveals itself when Edward refuses to say grace claiming, “When I was a child, I thought as a child. Now that I am become a man, I have put away childish things,” (26). Upon hearing this, both of Ames’ parents treat Edward as a corrupting influence, refusing to accept him as he is.  Edward, while less forceful, shares in this conflict by telling a young Ames, “This is a back water—you must be aware of that already.  Leaving here is like waking from a trance,” (26). Moving forward, Ames’ parents essentially disown Edward, and Edward demonstrates no real desire for acceptance. However, Ames’ father eventually forgives Edward and moves to his property on the Gulf Coast (234). He even agrees with some of Edward’s previous remarks by referring to Gilead as a “relic, an archaism,” (235). Stemming from his change of heart, Ames’ father’s experience demonstrates the reward that comes from forgiving.

The most blatant conflict concerning forgiveness revolves around Ames and Jack Boughton. Ames’ battle with Jack derives from a series of past misdeeds, most notably his abandonment of his child and the mother of his child. The fact that Jack never attempts to adopt the child or make things right leads Ames to state, “I don’t forgive him. I wouldn’t know where to start,” (164). This distaste for Boughton persists, unveiling itself steadily as Boughton interacts with Ames’ family.  When Jack first meets his family, Ames’, a man who espouses on the necessity of proper word choice earlier in the novel, first refers to Jack as a “creature,” (92). Even after a few personal meetings with Jack, Ames still writes to his son, “My impulse is strong to warn you against Jack Boughton,” followed later by, “He is not a man of the highest character, be wary of him” (125). This continues until his final discussion with Jack, in which they talk about the family issues tormenting him. Ultimately, Ames puts aside past grudges, offering Jack money and even blessing him on his departure (241). Later, Ames tells old Boughton, “I love him as much as you meant me to,” (244). In this way, Ames’ forgiveness grants him the love of an adult son, something he yearns for but would never have known otherwise.

                Ames does not relay these accounts to his son as a show of character, but to mold his character. He demonstrates that even coming from a preaching background, he still wrestles with the necessity of forgiveness. With his experiences, he hopes that his son will navigate the world a more immediate urgency to forgive others lest he suffer the same pitfalls as his predecessors.