Marilynne Robinson's Gilead: Theme Analysis

We should never judge a book by its cover. Although it’s a cliché, the result of quick judgments is never fruitful. Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead also contains the similar theme in the story that tells that judging some people without knowing about them in-depth can cause misunderstanding and eventually regret in an individual for holding such subliminal views. Gilead is an advocate for faith in religion, positivity, and hope. The highlighted relation of Ames and Jack is the central theme of the story to discourage the plantation of negative views regarding anyone before knowing about them properly. The guilt Ames feels after knowing about Jack’s issues with his family and society teaches him a very good lesson for his life which he wants to …show more content…
Jack’s questions of religion directed his disbelief on God and Ames doesn’t like that. He even calls Ames "cagey" (161) signifying his doubt when he explains about predestination and that instance is also not appreciated much by Ames and gets upset. He feels that Jack wants to win the conversation and prove him and his faith in religion wrong.
However, as the truth unravels, Ames feels remorse for misunderstanding Jack in multiple ways. Jack had married a black girl and had also impregnated her. Jack was going through an economic crisis. In addition to that, Jack's wife's family hadn't appreciated their bond. Jack had kept his wife in a rundown hotel and had to pay a lot of money to keep the mouth of the clerk shut about them being an interracial couple. With much difficulty, Jack had got a job, but it didn't last for long. His boss had found out his wife's color and had insulted for marrying a girl from another race. Della, Jack's wife, was sometimes taken by her brothers and her father because Jack didn’t have a job to take care of her. Jack also had to encounter police asking whether his marriage was against the law of cohabitating i.e. a law that prohibited interracial marriage. Ames then