sundayschoollessonthegreatdivorce

3. How does Lewis’ belief that choices cause forks or divergences compare to the notion of each choice being part of a radii of a circle, leading to the center?

4. What does Lewis mean when he says, “Evil can be undone, but it cannot ‘develop’ into good”?

5. Does Lewis intend a moral to be presented in his story?

6. What does Lewis not intend to arouse curiosity about or to guess at?

Chapter 1:

1. At what point in the day had time seemed to pause at the bus queue? What might the significance of this be?

2. Does the main character seem to know where the bus is going?

3. What were some of the reasons people left the line? What did you think of their reasons as a whole?

4. How does the bus and its driver compare (contrast) to everyone else and the town?

Notes:

Lesson 2 (The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis)

Chapter 2 and 3

Questions to consider while reading/listening:

Chapter 2:

What is Lewis’ true impression of the Tousle-Headed Poet? Does your impression agree?
Why was the knives and pistols fight innocuous (or basically harmless)?
Why is the population in grey town so spread out?
Why is the Intelligent Man on the trip? What is his reason based on?
What did the fat, clean-shaven man think of religion?
What happened when light came into the bus?

Chapter 3:

How did the fellow passengers appear once out of the bus? Why do you think they appeared like that?
What did the bus driver reply to the question, “When do we have to go back?”
How did some of the people around the narrator react once off the bus?
What time of day did it seem to be?
What was the narrator’s reaction to the approaching bright group of people? How did others from the bus react? Why do you think they responded this way?

Notes:

Lesson 3 (The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis)

Chapter 4

Questions to consider while reading/listening:

Chapter 4:

Who is the Big Man (Big Ghost) surprised to see? Why?
How would you describe the Big Ghost (what type of man is/was he)?
Why doesn’t “getting our rights” fit in Heaven?
What is meant by the statement, “Then do. Ask at once. Ask for the Bleeding Charity. Everything is here for the asking and nothing can be bought”?
What do you think of the statement, “There are no private affairs”?
What attempts are made to save the character?
What does the character finally choose to do and why?
How would you explain to someone that there is a place in heaven even for a murderer? Does that give everyone a “free pass” for any actions they might take? Would your answer depend on the age of the individual?

Notes:

Lesson 4 (The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis)

Chapter 5

Questions to consider while reading/listening:

Chapter 5:

1.         Who is the major character in this chapter and why was he in Hell?

2.         What is it about ‘honest opinions’ that the ghost just does not seem to get (or want to
            admit)?

3.         When the Spirit said, “You have seen Hell: you are in sight of Heaven. Will you, even
            now, repent and believe?” The Episcopal ghost replied, “I am not sure that I’ve got the
            exact point you’re trying to make.” What was the Spirit saying, and why do you believe
            he was not getting through to the ghost?

4.         What attempts or explanations of truth are made to save the ghost?

5.         What does the ghost finally choose and why?

6.         What lessons can be learned from the ghost’s folly?

7.         One of Lewis’ main points seems to be that there are errors in two directions, and that
            open-mindedness is not the ultimate good. Do you disagree or agree?

Notes:

Lesson 5 (The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis)

Chapter 6

Questions to consider while reading/listening:

Chapter 6

The narrator discusses time passing in terms of hours. How would you guess he determines how much time has passed? Do you feel he is accurate?
How is the waterfall the narrator encounters different from any on Earth?
Why was the bowler-hatted ghost sneaking about prior to nearing the apple tree?
What is the bowler-hatted ghost (Ikey) trying to gather up? Why is he doing this? Describe his efforts and success.
The narrator has mentioned getting bruised several times, and apples fall on the bowler-hatted ghost (Ikey), injuring him. What are the long term results?
What did the bright angel call Ikey, and what did he tell him?
Why do you think didn’t Ikey listen to the bright angel?
What might Lewis’ point be in making the land in Heaven impervious to change by the ghosts?

Notes:

Lesson 6 (The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis)

Chapter 7

Questions to consider while reading/listening:

Chapter 7:

1.         What does the Hard-Bitten Ghost say is propaganda?
            What does he claim is similar about Heaven to all of the other places he has traveled?

2.         What was ‘disappointing’ to the Hard-Bitten Ghost about the Gray Town, or Hell?
            What does this suggest to you about him?

3.         What experiences does the Hard-Bitten Ghost use to deny the assertion that ‘If you stay
            you’ll become acclimated (to Heaven)?’

4.         What “war” do you think the Hard-Bitten Ghost says is supposedly taking place? How
            does the ghost think it could come to an end, but won’t?

5.         How does the Ghost respond when the narrator asks, “What would you like to do if you
            had your choice (between Heaven and the Gray Town?)? Why do you think the Ghost
            responded the way he did?

6.         Why did a great depression come over the narrator? Have you ever had similar
            experiences?

7.         At the end, what did the Hard-Bitten ghost add that made the current land (edge of
            Heaven) sound as if it were not a place of hope but actually one of false promises?

8.         Do you ever feel life presents you with ‘Catch-22’ situations?

9.         How would the Hard-Bitten Ghost have responded to Jesus if he:
            a.         told the man to give up his fears and follow him.
            b.         asked the man to give up his fears and follow him.

Notes:

Lesson 7 (The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis)

Chapter 8

Questions to consider while reading/listening:

Chapter 8:

1.         What concerns the narrator as he sits at the beginning of the chapter?

2.         What is the significance of the statement by the Spirit to the Ghost, “You can lean on me
            all the way. I can’t absolutely carry you, but you need have almost no weight on your
            own feet: and it will hurt less at every step.”

3.         What might the Ghost mean when she says she doesn’t want to go out among those with
            solid bodies because they will see right through her? How can this be connect to shame?

4. What does the Spirit answer to the Ghost’s question, “What are we born for?” How would you interpret the answer?

5.         Why do you believe the Spirit summoned the herd of unicorns? What was the result?

6.         Why didn’t the narrator discover what happened at the end of the “interview”?

7.         The narrator wondered what real battle the unicorns’ actions were mimicking. What
            battle might that be, if any?

Notes:

Lesson 8 (The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis)

Chapter 9

Questions to consider while reading/listening:

Chapter 9:

1.         Who or what Sprit (Teacher) does the narrator encounter?

2.         When the narrator asks if any of the ghosts can or do stay, or do they have a real choice
            and how did they come here, how does the Teacher respond?

3.         Instead of going on an excursion to Heaven, where do some of the damned travel? What
            does this suggest to you about them?

4.         How is it that those who choose Heaven have never been in Hell, even if they were in the
            Grey Town and those that rejected Heaven have always been there (Hell)?

5.         How does the Teacher explain the choice, of the souls who choose to go back to the Grey
            Town?

6.         What did the Teacher give as examples of, “…the subtlest of all snares.” What point was
            he trying to make?

7.         How does the Teacher respond when asked, “Why the Solid People, if so full of love,
            don’t go down to Hell and rescue the ghosts?” Does the reply seem reasonable to you?
            Why or why not?

8.         Even though the complaining woman ghost was not wicked, why was she in the Grey
            Town and not in Heaven? What is the difference between a Grumbler and a Grumble
            with respect to being saved?

9.         The Narrator with the teacher encountered many Ghosts that among other things, tried to
            seduce the Spirits, explain Hell to them, convince them to free themselves and go to Hell,
            rise up and take control of Heaven, to build roads and buildings, convince the Spirits that
            Heaven was a hallucination, went around and tried to frighten the inhabitants of
            Heaven, or to simply journey there to utter their contempt. What does this indicate in
            general about those who continue to refuse or turn away from Heaven?

10.       How could even the “most deeply damned” souls have a better chance of being saved
            than the “lesser damned” who the Narrator witnessed go back?

11.       What misconception about painting in Heaven does the Artist Ghost have? What
            misconception about distinguished/famous people did he have?”

12.       What did the Spirit say that shocked the Artist Ghost such that he wanted to return to the
            Gray Town? What did he intend to do there? Why would you see this as pointless, yet the
            Ghost does not?

Notes:
George MacDonald: Scottish Novelist, Poet and Christian Fantasy writer, Clergyman (1824-1905).

Quote: “I firmly believe people have hitherto been a great deal too much taken up about doctrine and far too little about practice. The word doctrine, as used in the Bible, means teaching of duty, not theory. I preached a sermon about this. We are far too anxious to be definite and to have finished, well-polished, sharp-edged systems — forgetting that the more perfect a theory about the infinite, the surer it is to be wrong, the more impossible it is to be right.”

Lesson 9 (The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis)

Chapter 10

Questions to consider while reading/listening:

Chapter 10:

1. How does the female ghost explain she is willing to forgive Robert? How would you
interpret her answer?

2. Does the female ghost know the She-Spirit (Solid Being) she is talking to? If so, how can
you tell?

3. What did the ghost “go through” with Robert? What was her position as to his life? What
contribution did she make?

4.         When did the ghost cross the line from encouraging and motivation of her spouse to
            making him miserable? What was the ghost apparently blind to? Why was she blind to
            this?

5. What was Robert’s response to his wife’s efforts on his behalf? Is he to blame for his
situation?

6.         The ghost’s conscience is clear, despite the fact that Robert had a nervous breakdown.
          Do you feel she was in denial or truly believed that she was not to blame? Why would
            you say this?

7.         Instead of just meeting Robert, what “fair offer” does she suggest…and who might she be
            referring to as “them” to who she would make the offer?

8.         What true motivations are revealed by the ghost at the end of the chapter?

9.         What happened to the ghost at the end? What did she leave behind? What does that
            indicate to you?

10.       From what was read, what apparently kept the female ghost from Heaven, while her
            husband, Robert, was in Heaven? Why wasn’t the Spirit (Hilda) able to save the ghost?

Notes:

Lesson 10 (The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis)

Chapter 11

Questions to consider while reading/listening:

Chapter 11:

1. What is the relationship of the Ghost and the Bright Spirit who just met at the beginning
of the chapter? Why is the Ghost less than excited to see Reginald (the Bright Spirit)?

2. Who was the Ghost expecting to see? Why wasn’t he there and what is the Ghost’s
attitude about that?

3. What appears to be the impediment stopping Pam (the Ghost) from beginning the process

of entering Heaven?

4. How or why was Pam’s love for her son wrong or improper? What was the result?

5.         How did Pam drive away her husband and her daughter after Michael’s passing?

6.         What statement by Reginald, the Spirit, wilted Pam, the Ghost, the most? Why do you
            feel his words shocked or affected Pam as they did?

7.         What was the flaw or mistaken belief about Love that Pam had?

8.         What did you make of the discussion about feelings and passions and which ones have
            greater potential to become something to turn one away from God?

9.         What does the Flaming Spirit (Angel) offer to do for the lizard sitting on the Ghost’s
            shoulder? How does the Ghost respond, and continue to respond? Why?

10.       When discussing killing the Lizard, why does the Angel say, “I never said it wouldn’t
            hurt you. I said it wouldn’t kill you.” what do you suppose he means?

11.       When the Ghost tries to put the Spirit off, saying basically, maybe some other time, the
            Spirit says, “This moment contains all moments.” What is the Spirit implying?

12.       Why do you suppose the Spirit wouldn’t kill the lizard unless the Ghost expressly told
            him to? What happened when the Spirit finally did kill the lizard?

13.       What wrong comparison did the narrator make between the man’s lust and the woman’s
            love? How did the Teacher explain the difference?

Notes:

Lesson 11 (The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis)

Chapter 12

Questions to consider while reading/listening:

Chapter 12:

1. How did the narrator describe the music he heard (if only he could remember the notes)?
What does this suggest to you?

2.         Who was at the “important” person center of the procession? How did her importance
            different in Heaven that it did on Earth?

3.         Why were all the people following the Lady described as her sons and daughters? Why
            were the animals that traveled in her wake, her beasts?

4.         Describe the Ghost(s) the Lady approaches. What did the narrator at first mistake about
            the pair of Ghosts but then come to realize?

5.         Why do you think it made the narrator shudder to see the Lady in such close proximity to
            the Shade (Ghosts) and to kiss the dwarf?

6.         What is the first thing the Lady says to the Ghost? What might be the significance of that
            action?

7.         Which of the two shades (Ghosts) replies and what does he say? As the conversation
            continues, what does the Narrator realize about the two Ghosts? What does the reply
            suggest about the man?

8.         What does the Tragedian (tall Ghost) focus on when the Lady does not directly answer
            the question, “You miss me?” Why do you feel the Lady responded as she did, and what
            ‘angle’ does the Tragedian take with respect to her answer?

9.         When the Lady explains to Frank (the dwarf Ghost) that there are no miseries here (in
            Heaven), it gets his attention, and he forgets the Tragedian, and then they discuss her
            happiness, he considerers the new idea. What does this suggest about their relationship in
            life?

10.       How does love on Earth compare to the love available in Heaven?

11.       At the end of the chapter, what did the Lady do that went over the Tragedian’s head and
            got past Frank’s (the dwarf’s) defenses and made him grow a little larger.

12.       What did the Lady mean when she said, “It’s ridiculous for that doll to try to be
            impressive about death here. It just won’t work.”

Notes:

Lesson 12 (The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis)

Chapter 13

Questions to consider while reading/listening:
Chapter 13:

1. What was the Dwarf Ghost struggling against at the beginning of the chapter? What did he manage a glimpse of during the initial struggle and why do you think it is important to his reaching heaven?

2. Who did the Tragedian blame for driving him back to Hell? Why do you feel he made this assertion?

3. Who did the Bright Lady continue to address/speak to despite his never answering again? What is the significance of this, if any?

4. What does the Tragedian seize upon to “justify” the choice to abandon Heaven for Hell? What happens as the Tragedian becomes more bold and self-satisfied in his assertion?

5. What was pity meant to do, and how is it sometimes used, according to the Lady? Do you agree?

6. How did the Ghost use pity in life? Was it effective? Why isn’t it effective in Heaven?

7. “Light can swallow up darkness, but darkness not infect the light”…”Come to us, we will not go to you”…”Love and joy are stronger than their opposites” are all assertions of fact the Lady made. How would you interpret them? Do you believe she is accurate in her statements?

8. Where did the Lady say she could not go, and what the Tragedian could not bring to her?

9. What happened to the Tragedian? What was the Lady’s response (and that of those around her)?

10. What is the Teacher’s response to the Narrator saying, “…that the final loss of one soul gives the lie to all of those who are saved.” Who do you agree with?

11. How can pity be used for good or for evil?

12. What does the Teacher show the Narrator, how Hell compares to Heaven, and why the Lady could not enter Hell?

13. Who is the only one from Heaven who can enter Hell?

14. How does the Teacher describe time through which mortals see? Which is a deeper truth, according to the Teacher, Freedom or Predestination? Do you agree?

Notes:

Lesson 13 (The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis)

Chapter 14

Questions to consider while reading/listening:

Chapter 14:

1. After seeing the “chess board” of time, with figures moving on it, what is the Narrator’s concern about the choices he witnessed the ghosts make? What is the Teacher’s response to his concern?

2. Why do you think the Teacher specifically told the Narrator to stress clearly that his vision was a dream and, “I’ll have no Swedenborgs and no Vale Owens among my children.” (What was Lewis’ purpose behind this?)

3. What causes fear in the Narrator at the end, just before he awakens? What might the significance of this be?

Review:

1. What do you believe the central message to The Great Divorce to be?

2. What lessons, thoughts or insights (if any) did CS Lewis provoke or provide with his story?

3. Which of the Ghosts were most memorable or had the greatest impact:

Tousle-Headed Poet that nobody understood
Big Ghost wanting his rights
Episcopal Ghost who was too intellectual and philosophical and wanted to debate the true meaning of God and if Heaven, and what would have happened if Jesus lived to maturity
Bowler-Hatted Ghost/Ikey who tried to collect apples
Hard-Bitten Ghost who said it was all propaganda and up to the management
Complaining/Grumbling Ghost who didn’t want to be seen and could only think about herself
Ghosts who travel to Heaven to seduce, spit on, explain Hell to, or attempt to scare the Angels and Spirits there
Artist Ghost who wanted to meet famous people and be one of them due to his art
Wife Ghost who wanted to take charge of her husband, Robert, again
Mother Ghost/Pam who wants to see and be with her son, Michael
Ghost with a Lizard on his shoulder
Dwarf (Frank) and the Tragedian

4. How can the reading and discussion of this book be of help in assisting others to accept Christ and obtain Heaven and eternal life with him?

Notes:
Emanuel Swedenborg had a prolific career as an inventor and scientist. Then at age fifty-six he claimed that he entered into a new spiritual phase of his life, experiencing first dreams, and later visions of the spiritual world where he talked with angels and spirits, and visited Heaven and Hell. He said that the Lord, God, Jesus Christ directed his theological explanation of the Old and New Testaments, and claimed that he was directed by the Lord to reveal the doctrine of His Second Coming.

Rev. George Vale Owen wrote the script “The Life Beyond the Veil", published in 1920 or 1921, where he was directed by angels/spirits as to what lay beyond death.

End of the 13 week lesson guide

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last updated: 11/08