The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis
Week 4: Chapter 3 — The First Encounters
Read Chapter 3 of The Great Divorce.
Previewing Week 4 of The Great Divorce
Read 3 of 6 discussion questions below. Unlock the complete 16-week guide when you’re ready.
As the Ghosts begin to encounter the Solid People — radiant, joyful souls sent to meet them — we begin to see the pattern that will repeat through the book: every Ghost is offered exactly what it needs, and most refuse it.
Discussion Questions
6 questions1.The Solid People are described as bright, heavy, and joyful — almost overwhelming in their vitality. The Ghosts, by contrast, are querulous, defensive, and self-preoccupied. What does Lewis suggest by making joy and substance go together, while misery and insubstantiality are linked?
2.The Solid People are not strangers — they are former friends, relatives, or acquaintances of the Ghosts. Yet their joy makes the Ghosts uncomfortable rather than welcomed. Why might genuine happiness in another person feel threatening or alienating to someone who has chosen bitterness?
3.The first conversations between Ghosts and Solid People reveal a recurring pattern: the Solid Person offers something real — presence, love, truth — and the Ghost bargains, deflects, or reframes the offer into something it can control. Can you identify this pattern in your own relationship with God or with others who offer you something good?