Journey Essay, Research Paper

A journey on a river often has symbolic meaning, and in the movie ?Black Robe,? this classic scene of a river journey is no different. A river journey can represent a change in one?s life, maybe not only a physical change, but also a mental and spiritual change. Traveling from one part of a river to another part is like traveling from one state of mind to another state, a passage into something new and different. A journey can be a series of adventures and ordeals that test the characters, culminating in a climactic confrontation. A river can be seen as symbolic of life, but also can be seen as ending in death as the river ends in the sea. Father Laforgue is one who experiences these symbolic characteristics of the river while traveling along through the wilderness. He is not untouched by this journey, but he himself changes, having suffered through many ordeals.

Father Laforgue arrives in the wilderness of Canada from the civilization of France motivated by matters of religious belief to convert the Native Americans into Christians and to allow them passage to paradise. He was driven by a burning faith and an absolute certainty that he was doing the right thing, therefore he is willing to undertake the task of living in a strange and different world with people whom also were completely alien to him.

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