Justification
An
example for 1987:
Mrs. Connin is going to
take Harry toa a religious healing at the river with a preacher named Bevil.
An
example for 1988:
Harry reflects on how he is glad that he has been able to leave his own
home with this babysitter and has discovered that "he had been made by a
carpenter named Jesus Christ," a name he thought was a curse because of
the way it was used in his household. Mrs. Connin gave him a children's book
about Jesus’ life to look at and to be able to understand.
An example for 1989:
They arrive at the river, where Bevil the preacher begins to speak. He
tells the people that if they have come just to be healed and to "leave
your pain in the river," then they have come for the wrong reasons and not
for Jesus.
An example for 1990:
Mrs. Connin tells the preacher, Bevil, that she has brought a boy from town
who has not been baptized. He dunks Harry in the water, baptizing him.
An example for1991:
Mrs. Connin calls out to the preacher saying that they need to pray for the
boy's mother, who is sick. But, when Bevel asks Harry what his mother suffers
from, he answers, "She has a hangover."
An example for 1992:
Then
the preacher shouted, ''Listen to what I got to say, you people! There ain't
but one river and that's the River of Life, made out of Jesus' Blood. That's the river you have to lay your pain
in, in the River of Faith, in the River of Life, in the River of Love, in the
rich red river of Jesus' Blood, you people!''
An example 1993:
The preacher tells Harry before baptism ''You won't be
the same again,'' the preacher said. “You'll count.” Meaning he will be a part of the faith and be
able to be invited and go to the Kingdom of God.
An example for 1994:
When Mrs. Connin returns to the house to drop off Harry
she gets in an arugument with the boy’s mother saying “he Baptized this child
this morning!''His mother sat straight up. “Well the nerve!'' she
muttered.“Furthermore,'' Mrs. Connin said, ''he’s a healer and he prayed for
you to be healed.'' ''Healed!'' she almost shouted. “Healed of what for Christ's sake?'' “Of your
affliction,'' Mrs. Connin said angrily. This shows justification of sinner and
wicked.
An example for 1995:
Harry leaves the house to returns to the
spot where he had been baptized the day before, and goes into the river, aiming
to find the Kingdom of Christ and drowns. Harry saw the tastelessness and
dissatisfaction of life in the physical world compared to life with Christ and
with the ignorance of a child; he left his parents to join the Father who
welcomed him with open arms.
Grace
An example for 1996:
The people come to the river for a favor to be healed of
their problems and sickness like cancer or a disorder that makes an old women’s arms flap and her head
wobble for thirteen years. The preacher
talks about “Listen,''
he sang, “I read in Mark about an unclean man, I read in Luke about a blind
man, I read in John about a dead man! Oh
you people hear! All these things he talks about are favors.
An example for 1997:
The preacher, Bevil, doing the
baptizing is participating in the life of God by curing the sick and cleansing
the sinners as well as preaching the word of God as well as the Kingdom of Heaven.
An example for 1998:
When the preacher is talking to the people he tells them
about these stories that the same blood that makes this River red, made that
leper clean, made that blind man stares, made that dead man leap! The people with trouble, “lay it in that
River of Blood, lay it in that River of Pain, and watch it move away toward the
Kingdom of Christ.''
An example for 1999:
When the preacher baptizes the boy he says “If I baptize
you, you'll be able to go to the Kingdom of Christ. You'll be washed in the river of suffering,
son, and you'll go by the deep river of life.
Do you want that?'' This will heal the boy of sin and he agrees to be
baptized.
An example for 2000:
Harry gets the gift of being
knowledge about Jesus and religion as well as be counted, meaning that he will
be able to enter the Kingdom of God. He is also accepted into the religion once
he is baptized.
An example for 2001:
In preparation for Harry to be a part of the
religion he learns about Jesus through a children’s book that Mrs. Connin gives
him to look at and she takes him to the river of healing where they meet the
preacher and listen to him talk before Harry agrees to be baptized.
An example for 2002:
Throughout the story each character
has the freedom of choice such as Harry lying about his name, Mr. Paradise
being skeptical about the preachers miracles as well as Mrs. Connin to get
Harry more involved with religion through baptism. One other example is the
preacher telling people off on why they really come to the river instead of
Jesus.
An example for 2003:
Harry achieves Grace in death, since he chooses to strive
for salvation rather than live in the unreligious household with his parents
who are considered sinners of the story as well as people of no faith.
An example for 2004:
When Harry goes to Mrs.Connin’s
house this is where he learns religion and is informed from what he has been
deprived of. The family that he sees is very religious and has good faith in
Jesus as well as being a model of the Christian life and teachings. Through
being baptized, having books that mention the learning and understanding Christ
as well as visiting the preacher.
An example for 2005:
When
Harry is being babysat by Mrs.Connin he escapes his experience of life and what he know to someone who is educated
in the religion as well as understanding grace through faith. Harry and his
family know nothing of faith and close to the end when Mrs. Connin drops Harry
off she realizes this and what this boy has been robbed of. It is one of the
main reasons Harry fails to
understand Bevil's preaching’s and drowns himself in the River.
