The Salvation of Water
In The Great Divorce, C.S. Lewis spends a great deal of time describing nature,
especially in Heaven. Many elements of nature are used as symbols throughout the book. For
example, the tree by the waterfall represents life and growth. The apples of the tree parallel the
fruit of the tree Adam and Eve partook from. The apples also signify good and evil, that the two
cannot be intertwined, for example: the ghosts cannot take the heavenly apples back to Hell.
Although the symbolism of nature is prevalent throughout the entire book, one of the most
persuasive and abiding symbols of nature is water. Of the natural symbols given as metaphors in
the novel, water is the only natural element that is a necessity to life. Because water is requisite
in mortality, the life-giving properties of water ring true to readers as an eternal necessity as well.
In The Great Divorce, water symbolizes baptism, progression toward salvation, the heavenly
characteristics essential to fully comprehend salvation, Christ’s importance as the only means to
salvation, and his role as the giver of eternal life. All of these symbols serve as a metaphor of our
journey toward salvation.
The running river is a metaphor for baptism, an essential step to enter God’s kingdom.
When the narrator reaches the river, he describes it as “so clear that I could count the pebbles at
the bottom” (Lewis 33). This water is clean and pure, a physical representation of the purity and
cleanliness we receive by having our sins forgiven at baptism. The clarity of the water comes
because it is flowing swiftly. This allows the dirt and silt on the bottom to be swept away without
polluting the water. The physical action of baptism by immersion parallels the same process as
all sin is removed, no longer claiming possession of pollution to the spirit. The detailed clarity of
the water in Heaven and its parallel to baptism is important because baptism is an essential
ordinance to obtain salvation. This was taught by Jesus Christ during His life when he told
Nicodemus, “Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom
of God” (John 3:5). The narrator notices the water and recognizes its significance in the eternal
journey toward Heaven.
The river also has solidifying power that makes the narrator better able to endure walking
on the stones along the riverbank, signifying his progression toward salvation. Prior to his
walking in the water, it was painful to walk on the ground in Heaven. However, when he stepped
out of the water, he continued his journey “without much hurt to [his] feet” (Lewis 45). The
same endurance is available through the Holy Spirit. The Savior taught of baptism both by water
and the Spirit, and as part of the baptismal covenant, God promises to allow His Spirit to abide
infinitely. Walking in the water gave the narrator extra endurance he did not have before. Lewis
uses this as an analogy to assert that when we receive the gift of the Holy Ghost, the constancy of
the Spirit makes it easier to endure the difficulties that are inevitable in mortality. As we endure
trials, we naturally grow closer to God and to obtaining His eternal salvation.
Lewis also uses the river as a symbol of continual progression and growth. After baptism,
progression toward salvation continues through endurance to the end. As the narrator steps into
the river, he initially falls flat and gets carried downstream (Lewis 44). However, his reaction to
his fall is noteworthy. He promptly stands and begins walking back up stream toward the
mountains of Heaven (Lewis 44). The narrator experienced pain and physical wounds from his
fall (Lewis 44). Similarly, our wrongdoings can leave our spirits with “some nasty bruises”
(Lewis 44). The narrator’s response to adversity is an analogy about the journey toward
salvation. Lewis argues that eternal life is not a destination we can jump into like a river, but
rather an experience of falling, bruising, repenting, and returning with our feet toward God.
Baptism and endurance are stepping stones in eternal progression: mortal attempt to
ultimately obtain salvation, even though in mortality, at least according to Lewis, we are not able
to fully grasp the concept of salvation. The Great Divorce emphasizes this truth by exposing the
narrator to the river before the waterfall. The river represents our limited mortal capacity for
understanding salvation. It is not until after the river experience that the narrator notices the
massive waterfall, and initially the waterfall is overwhelming and beyond comprehension. The
narrator admits, “On Earth, such a waterfall could not have been perceived at all as a whole; it
was too big” (Lewis 46). The narrator finds its noise almost deafening describing it as loud as
giants “laughing, dancing, singing, [and] roaring” (Lewis 46). Yet, after the initial shock of the
noise and size of the waterfall, the narrator becomes jovial (Lewis 46). Lewis argues that,
although the thought of salvation and eternity seems difficult to understand, there is still a natural
desire to obtain it. The idea of living in the presence of God seems overwhelming, but it also
seems familiar and appealing. Like the river as a precursor to the waterfall, baptism provides a
small taste of salvation on Earth to prepare for the incredible claiming of blessings yet to come.
Lewis also writes about the water in Heaven being undrinkable, not because there is anything
wrong or dangerous about the water, but because the ghosts are not in a physical state to take it
in (Lewis 56). Similarly, during mortality, the expansiveness of eternal life is too big for us to
perceive.
Even though Christ is rarely explicitly mentioned in The Great Divorce, one comment
made by the narrator identifies the waterfall clearly as Christ. When the waterfall begins
speaking, the narrator turns to look at it and sees, “a bright angel who stood, like one crucified,
against the rocks and poured himself perpetually down” (Lewis 49). One of the most significant
and agonizing crucifixions of history was the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. Though perfect,
without any sin, and able to endure all things, the Savior’s hands and feet were pierced with nails
and he hung in scorn from those around. As a crucial moment in the Savior’s Atonement, the
Messiah dove into the deepest depth of despair and sorrow and anguish. He endured every
individual hardship; even experiencing the “very jaws of hell [gaping] open [its] mouth,” he was
able to overcome, because the Son of Man “hath descended below them all” (D&C 122:8). This
complete condescension of the Lord allows Him to lift us up, because there is nothing he has not
descended below. Lewis’ allusion to Christ’s crucifixion claims that Jesus possesses the
capability to help us ascend to salvation because he is the source of it.
The waterfall also illustrates that Christ is the true source of salvation. The waterfall falls
in one enormous mass and pours into the “frothy and pulsating lake” (Lewis 45). It is the entire
source of water for the lake and likely for the river as well. It is the biggest source of water we
get to see in Heaven, drawing a parallel to the Savior’s sacrifice as the largest on Earth. Once
again, Lewis asserts that Christ’s Atonement is the only way to obtain salvation. His Atonement
implores repentance and thrives on forgiveness, the only way to overcome sin and reach the
presence of God. The enormous waterfall, though, is formed from combined droplets of water
pouring down. During His Atonement, the Savior’s blood also fell—drop by drop, from every
pore. It is the infinite size, both as an infinite number of individual drops and an
incomprehensible whole, that make the waterfall, and the Atonement, so crucial to the attainment
eternal life.
C.S. Lewis’ use of the waterfall also represents Jesus Christ as the giver of eternal life.
Throughout scripture, the Savior is referred to as the living waters. He is frequently referred to
with this description by Old Testament prophets. Speaking with the Samaritan woman at the
well, the Savior refers to himself as the living waters (John 4:10). Many properties of the
waterfall exemplify this same title. The use of a waterfall as a focus instead of a stream or pond
is crucial because the water is always moving, a symbol of life. The waterfall also has a voice;
the narrator hears it speak to one of the other ghosts showing that it is alive (Lewis 49). Not only
is the waterfall alive, but it has the power to bestow life. The rocks underneath the waterfall have
many colors (Lewis 46). They are not dull or gray or dead, but colorful, symbolic of the life
given by the touch of the waterfall. The tree next to the plunging waterfall grows with the spray
of water. The tree is filled with thick, green foliage, and golden apples from every branch
because of the life-giving water it receives from the waterfall. The waterfall claims the right to
the bestowal of eternal life—rocks with rich color and trees that are full of vitality. The power
belongs to the waterfall, because the waterfall is life itself with continuous movement and a
voice. Jesus Christ is Life, too. He was resurrected, obtained life over death. As such, Lewis
argues, it is His power to bestow life and salvation in Heaven. He will bring eternal perfection to
everything within His touch.
Through the use of many elements of water in The Great Divorce, Lewis gathers them as
a metaphor of salvation. The river and waterfall each feel incomplete on their own. The clarity
and solidifying power of the river seem insignificant. The narrator’s swift walking to get back up
the river seems inspirational, but not applicable. The waterfall feels unattainable, the life it gives
the tree seems common, and the colorful rocks are but a simple detail. But together they all
present an analogy of the work required to obtain salvation. Lewis asserts that salvation is a
mutual relationship between individuals and Jesus Christ. Mortals will be intrigued with and
desire salvation, and if they realize it, the immense, life-supporting waterfall will provide the
means of getting there. Mortals realize that baptism is essential; endurance is difficult, but
rewarding; life can last eternally and, like the rocks, can come from something typically seen and
plain and boring. The overarching realization that comes from water in C.S. Lewis’ The Great
Divorce is that salvation is attainable, probable, and exquisite.