The Great Divorce

The Great Divorce (1945) Lewis presents an imaginative theological allegory about heaven, hell, and the human soul’s choices. The unnamed narrator finds himself in a drab, twilight city—hell or purgatory—and joins a bus trip to a bright, solid country on the edge of heaven. There, the “ghosts” from the city meet “solid people” (redeemed souls) who invite them to journey further upward if they will let go of pride, resentment, and selfish desires. Each encounter dramatizes a spiritual obstacle: clinging to sins, false loves, or self-righteousness. Most ghosts refuse, preferring their illusions to the painful surrender of self, but a few begin the hard ascent. The narrator learns that damnation is self-chosen and that heaven’s joy is open to all who accept grace. Drawing on Dante and Milton, Lewis uses vivid images rather than doctrine to explore moral freedom, the nature of sin, and the transformative power of divine love.