The Soul as a Tomb, Sack of Dung, or simply Glorious

Catherine Porter

Lewis mentions how three primary groups view the meaning or function of the soul. In his novel The Four Loves, Lewis suggests that for Pagans, the soul is a “Tomb”, for Christians a “Sack of Dung”, and for Neo-Pagans, the soul is “glorious” (101) Lewis does not, however, elaborate on these different groups and the reasons for why they view the soul they way he claims they do. So, I began to think more about this, and believe I came to make some sense of it all. For Pagans, perhaps it would make sense that their view of the soul is a “tomb” or a prison, perhaps because they do not believe in a higher deity whom offers freedom. Instead, the soul is something that is inaccessible; or perhaps something they wish not to be accessed. For Christians, perhaps the soul is viewed as a “sack of dung” because inside it they carry sin and temptation which leads them away from God. However, I still wonder about this idea. While after reading I could see how the soul might be viewed as a “sack of dung” by being a Christian, I also find myself having a positive view towards the soul, knowing that it is God who redeems the “sack of dung” within our hearts and instead giving us a pure soul.