The novel Godhanger by Dick King Smith is widely considered to be an allegorical presentation of the time of Jesus Christ. Smith does this by implementing a plot and characters who share traits with Jesus to portray his life and the impact his life had on others around him. Smith uses a group of animals who, under persecution from the ominous-sounding gamekeeper, find help and guidance in the form of ‘the Skymaster’ who is quite a mysterious character who, upon appearing one day, provides the assistance the others animals need. In essence, Skymaster is the centre of the novel’s allegory as he represents Jesus Christ. This is shown through his having followers (akin to Jesus’ disciples) who discuss his unusual powers and abilities. He is, put succinctly, their saviour and from that perspective, the book’s allegory becomes clear.
In the opening of the novel, Smith begins by describing the novel’s setting: Godhanger Wood. From the perspective of Loftus the raven, Smith describes the wood: “Three hundred metres below, Godhanger Wood lay still in evening sunshine. Gliding silently across the darkening sky, his flight feathers spread like fingertips, Loftus the raven looked down at the massed treetops, the green of their myriad leaves now changing to the reds, golds and browns of autumn” (Smith 1). In doing this, Smith is immediately drawing attention to this very ordinary but exceptionally beautiful natural area and thus, he is demonstrating how wonderful a creation it is with the implication being it was made by God. However, as the book continues, this beautiful area becomes darkened by the horrible gamekeeper who represents the evil of man as he regularly kills and hangs up the animals on display. Skymaster’s role in proceedings becomes clear as he suddenly appears one day – seemingly for the sole purpose of helping the animals become happier and safer. He sets out to teach them about life and death and to actively help them to better understand life’s lessons.
Key comparisons between Skymaster and Jesus Christ are made throughout the novel – some subtle and others are quite blatant but all of which help to develop the on-going metaphor central to the novel. Equally, the gamekeeper’s actions also help to enhance this – particularly his death which represents the banishing of Satan and sin from the lives of the animals (who, consequentially, represent the human race). The novel’s opening pages detail Loftus’ flight path and the other creatures he encounters before the novel’s flow is interrupted in an echo of events in the book: “And at that precise moment the evening’s peace was shattered by the blast of a gunshot. After a heartbeat’s pause came the noise of a second shot, followed by a thin agonising screaming that ceased as suddenly as it has arisen” (Smith 3). This sudden violence is juxtaposed against the peace of the earlier paragraphs – Smith has deliberately done this to draw attention to the fact that not all is right in the woods and it serves to demonstrate the extent to which the sins of man have affected the ability to live peacefully and happily for others.
It is for this reason that Skymaster must enter into events as it is clear that the gamekeeper needs stopping (as the sins of man need curtailing). Skymaster has twelve disciples like Jesus and his goal seems focused entirely on enabling the animals of Godhanger Wood to be able to understand life and death and to greater implement their sense of morals. In one of his first encounters, Skymaster talks to Glyde the owl about a polecat whom he feels is a nasty character and after a brief discussion, Skymaster says: “Perhaps then… you had better try to think better of Rippin the polecat, lest you too become nasty-natured, as you say he is” (Smith 10). In doing this, Smith is using this initial interaction to demonstrate Skymaster’s indomitable love for all creatures – even the ones who cause trouble for the others and who seems not to value the lives of their fellow creatures. This is much like Jesus who preached the importance of loving thy neighbour and who actively sought to help everyone be they a follower, a criminal or a leper. Furthermore, Skymaster’s death is significantly similar to that of Jesus who died for the sins of humanity. In the novel, Skymaster sacrifices his own life to save another’s and in doing so, he makes the ultimate sacrifice in demonstrating his love for his fellow creatures.
In conclusion, Godhanger is an allegorical presentation of the story of Jesus as shown, primarily, through the actions of Skymaster who represents all that is good and holy against the gamekeeper’s representation of sin and the worst of humanity. Their individual deaths represent both the sacrifice which Jesus made when he died for our sins as well as the banishment of sin from the world, respectively. Their actions in life enhance the allegory by echoing the events of Jesus’ life as portrayed in the Bible whilst the other animals represent humanity and Godhanger Wood itself, represents the world in micro-organism form.
References
Smith, Dick King. Godhanger. New York: Crown Publishers, 1999.
“Godhanger.” Goodreads.com. Good Reads. 2011. Web. 25 August 2011.
