Marilynne Robinson, Gilead (2004)
One long episodic letter from father to son, Gilead by Marilynne Robinson received much critical acclaim. It is full of symbolism and I would not have read it, if it were not for one of my classes at school. It has it moments that I enjoyed and the premise of the book is heartwarming. Reverend John Ame’s is writing a letter to his son as a form of biography, a history of both himself and others in the family. It is chronological in the way it moves through events and the symbolic and meaningful messages start when the letter covers a father and son journey to the grand fathers grave. John had things he did not get to say to his own father and the reader sees this section as the point of inspiration for this letter. As is clear this is a family guided by religion with the patriarchal line of the family all being ministers. The year is established as 1956 early in the book but events obviously take place over a period of time.
While well received critically and many listing it as one of the greatest novels ever written, I personally did not find it compelling. This may be partly due to the assignment nature of reading it for class but I just did not find it compelling. I will probably read it again eventually do see if my opinion changes. Nevertheless as I said earlier, there are heartwarming messages as well as deeper philosophical questions. Just the fact that John Ames is having heart complications and wants to ensure he does not leave his son in the same way he felt his relationship with his father ended is inspirational. Following from this the focus of the letter is also John reconciling events with his religious perspective. This is pertinent for many religious individuals and passing some of these lessons and teachings on to his son is laudable. In fact this is one reason why the novel was well received as it is said to be written to try and correct misconceptions of Calvinism and Puritans as well as understanding the lived experience of Christians more generally.
Other topics include the Civil War as well as slavery and the divide between the North and South. The reconciliation and differences of ideas and thought are prevalent throughout. John Ames references the learnings of atheists as well as philosophers as much as religious leaders and the bible. The letter follows his own turmoil and learning and through these seemingly conflicting ideas, he hopes to show his son how a way of life can still be enjoyed while respecting different opinions.
Ultimately, the way this book was referred to in class as well as the key messages that John Ames tries to put across correspond with trying to appreciate beauty and life. John Ames reflects a couple of times on the ability of his second wife to live in such a way. It is also possible that this comes as a result of him seeing his own life slowly coming to an end. The message is being present and his hope with the letter is to have a lasting artefact for his son.
Your mother told you I’m writing your begats, and you seemed very pleased with the idea. Well, then. What should I record for you? I, John Ames, was born in the Year of Our Lord 1880 in the state of Kansas, the son of John Ames and Martha Turner Ames, grandson of John Ames and Margaret Todd Ames. At this writing I have lived seventy-six years, seventy-four of them here in Gilead, Iowa, excepting study at the college and at seminary.
There are meaningful messages in Gilead and ones that are obvious and repeated. There are also relatable themes but the story just was not compelling to me despite both the themes and messages. There are fascinating sections on various aspects of 19th and 20th century American history which are more interesting. It is still a well written story of a family from a small Mid-West town it just lacks a driving plot that grabs my attention. On the other hand, I am aware that plot is not by design the main thrust of this book and therefore given its renown would still recommend it to others. I simply think I did not read the majority of this book in the right mindset or time to truly take from it what Robinson intends.
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