johnbunyanandvanityfair

John Bunyan was born in the little village of Elstow in 1628, and he lived a miserable life which hadn’t changed until he got married. After his marriage, he read the books The Plain Man’s Pathway to Heaven and the Practice of Piety his wife had brought with her, which gave fire to his imagination. Finishing reading the two books, John Bunyan went to church frequently and began slowly and painfully to read the Bible. Soon, led by his intense feelings, he becomes an open-air preacher. With his strength and sincerity, John Bunyan was regarded as the leader of an immense congregation. Unfortunately, he was put into prison, and his imprisonment lasted for almost twenty years. His most famous book, the pilgrim’s progress, was probably written when he was in prison. The book was published in 1687, which made him the most famous writer and popular preacher in England.

There’s no doubt what John Bunyan had experienced has a profound effect on his works

In his work, Bunyan informed us that the way to the Celestial City lay through a town in which a great local fair was kept. Every Pilgrim, he told us, must pass through this place, or else they “must needs go out of the world”. The place was called “Vanity Fair”.

From earliest times numerous fairs were held for stated periods throughout Britain, and the most important merchants from all over Europe brought their wares there. The serious buying and selling was accompanied by all sorts of diversions—eating, drinking, and other fleshly pleasures, as well as spectacles of strange animals, acrobats, and other wonders. In Vanity Fair, nothing is hidden away, and it is a ready market in the promotion of the sin.

As we can see, Christian and his companion Faithful had a very low estimate of the world and the world’s goods. When they got to the Vanity Fair, they caused quite a stir, which was on account of three main reasons. The first one was their strange clothes. The pilgrims were clothed with raiment as was diverse from the raiment of any that traded in the fair. Therefore, people in the fair gazed upon them and began to discuss who they were. The second reason was their language. People not only wondered at their apparel, but also could not understand what they said, because the pilgrims and the people in the fair were from different worlds. The third reason was that, the pilgrims paid little attention to the wares in the fair, which amused the merchandisers. When asked what they want to buy, the pilgrims reply “We buy the truth” caused a greater stir in the fair. As a result, they were regarded as madmen and they were beaten. What was worse, after besmeared with dirt, they were put into an iron cage to the gaze of all the inhabitants of that place.

Needless to say, Vanity Fair had no time for such men, as the world has no time for such believers today! Faithfulness was burnt at the stake in Vanity Fair. Only by adhering their principles, could the pilgrims continue their travel.

John Bunyan, as we can see from his work, was not only a great writer, but a gallant fighter, fighting against the immortal thought and actions people owned. His wonderful writing skills and indomitable spirit left us a deep impression.