Life Lessons from Gilead

Marilynne Robinson uses her story Gilead to teach readers that being human and living a fulfilling life does not involve unlimited happiness, a lesson very relevant in America today. According to Psychology Today, many Americans have a wrong idea of what “happiness” truly means and cause themselves emotional distress by chasing this fleeting notion of pure bliss. Being happy all the time just isn’t biologically possible and is not part of being human. Gilead shows us the importance of being accepting of bad times and using these negative experiences to highlight when something truly enjoyable happens through the motifs of light and darkness.

Gilead first mentions light when the narrator and his father are at the graveyard, visiting the narrator’s deceased grandpa. Graveyards are typically not viewed as aesthetically pleasing or beautiful, but this graveyard “was just a patch of ground with a half-fallen fence around it and a gate on a chain weighted with a cowbell” (12), and the narrator describes it as “about the loneliest place you could imagine” (13). The narrator and his father start work diligently before sundown to weed the grass and repair the broken fence in the unmaintained graveyard and finish right before night time.

After he finishes his work, the author is struck by an object in the sky and sees a “full moon rising just as the sun was going down. Each of them standing on its edge, with the most wonderful light between them” (14). He and his father look over the graveyard under this light and his father remarks, “I would never have thought this place could be beautiful. I’m glad to know that” (15). It can be inferred that Gilead is trying to teach its reader to see the “light” and beauty in life even in moments that aren’t necessarily pleasant. The narrator and his father are able to find beauty in a graveyard as it is getting dark outside, a situation where most people would feel fear and discomfort. Marilynne Robinson seems to understand that being human involves both positive and negative experiences, a valuable reminder for the reader.

Gilead also explores “light and darkness” in human nature by examining this duality in its characters, including Edward, the narrator’s brother. While the narrator’s father is a well-respected preacher, a calling that the narrator follows as an adult, religion does not play a part in Edward’s life because he is an atheist. When asked to say a prayer at dinner, he responds, I am afraid I cannot do that in good conscience, sir . . . I have put away childish things” (26). This news crushes the narrator’s father and is at odds with the narrator’s beliefs, but the narrator still believes Edward is a good person and feels confident that his soul will not be dammed. Interestingly, the narrator is also able to find enjoyment by reading a book Edward gave him The Essence of Christianity, written by Feuerbach, a “famous atheist, [but one who is] about as good on the joyful aspects of religion as anybody, and [who] loves the world” (24).

The narrator appears to understand that many people in his life, especially loved ones, will have beliefs or commit actions that are not aligned with his values. However, he still looks for the good in others and understands that part of being human includes hearing other people’s different beliefs. Like how Gilead teaches readers to see the “light” when situations are “dark”, the book also teaches to see the light in others and be tolerant of differences, embracing the parts of others that are good in spite of those differences.

https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/raising-happiness/201412/why-happiness-is-the-wrong-pursuit-0