Christian and Christiana’s paths started off at the same place, but took much different routes based upon their individual statuses. According to Margret Breen in her writing titled “The Sexed Pilgrim’s Progress”, Bunyan sought to show not only a difference between Christian and Christiana, but the superiority that Christian had over Christiana. “Bunyan uses social placement in order to define spiritual status. At times the two are set at extremes; at times they merge together” (Breen 445-6). Both Christian and Christiana share virtually the same outline of Progression in The Pilgrim’s Progress. Based on the existing resentment between his religious beliefs and the City of Destruction’s worldliness, Christian arranges himself far away from
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Margret Thickstun points out that, “Bunyan 's interest shifts from the desperate flight of the sinner to the more leisurely progress of the church-fellowship, ' from the individual to the family, from the male to the female” (Thickstun 439-40). Within the framing device of the dream-vision, which presents the dream as a text to be interpreted, both parts describe that journey literally: each pilgrim leaves the City of Destruction and proceeds on foot toward the Celestial City, but while Christiana also enters at the wicket gate, following the way that Christian travelled before her, her experience of the journey differs radically from his. Christian fled the City of Destruction suddenly and alone; Christiana finds time to pack before she sets out with her four sons and her neighbor Mercy. Her pace is far more relaxed: the course that Christian felt compelled to run in a few brutal days takes Christiana and her family many years. Unlike Christian, who travels through a lonely, confusing, and hostile landscape, Christiana and her family secure Mr. Great-heart to guide and instruct them, are welcomed into several Christian communities with which Christian has no contact, and find themselves in an ever-increasing company of fellow
Margret Thickstun points out that, “Bunyan 's interest shifts from the desperate flight of the sinner to the more leisurely progress of the church-fellowship, ' from the individual to the family, from the male to the female” (Thickstun 439-40). Within the framing device of the dream-vision, which presents the dream as a text to be interpreted, both parts describe that journey literally: each pilgrim leaves the City of Destruction and proceeds on foot toward the Celestial City, but while Christiana also enters at the wicket gate, following the way that Christian travelled before her, her experience of the journey differs radically from his. Christian fled the City of Destruction suddenly and alone; Christiana finds time to pack before she sets out with her four sons and her neighbor Mercy. Her pace is far more relaxed: the course that Christian felt compelled to run in a few brutal days takes Christiana and her family many years. Unlike Christian, who travels through a lonely, confusing, and hostile landscape, Christiana and her family secure Mr. Great-heart to guide and instruct them, are welcomed into several Christian communities with which Christian has no contact, and find themselves in an ever-increasing company of fellow