In Godric, Frederick Buechner uses several characters both medieval and modern to not only tell the unusual story of an imperfect saint, but also to describe it through a medieval text and showcase its modernity. comments, evaluations and beliefs about what it means to be holy. Buechner chose Saint Godric as his subject to bring to life the intriguing story and unsolved puzzle of a flawed saint. With his additions, Buechner created empathetic characters in modern and medieval language. Through many episodes in the novel, he uses poetic language to break down his critiques of the times and uses philosophical expression to recreate the past using his current ideas. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get the original essay Buechner's first illustration of this is found in the relationship between Godric and Aedlward. The reader's first introduction to Godric's father is "his name means Keeper of the Blessing." If that's the case, he kept it to himself, that's even more of a shame. I pity Aedlward. ” (Buechner 9), from these lines Buechner shows the reader that Aedlward has been absent from Godric's life and that Godric is showing signs of resentment towards him. In the Catholic religion, it is a commandment to honor one's mother and father and this rule is firmly respected. So the fact that Godric outwardly expresses these feelings towards his father shows Buechner that he is questioning the reader's understanding of being holy. He uses the concept of a father not being part of his firstborn's life to show a contemporary approach uncommon in the Middle Ages. He demonstrates to the reader that being holy can sometimes contradict human emotions. The law of primogeniture has its origins in medieval Europe, and its practices were often respected by families of all castes, including the Godrics. Godric is a semi-fictional life story, told through Buechner's research and artistry. With this in mind, it's possible that Aedlward's character is loosely based on Buechner's own father. Not only is Buechnner the eldest son, but, in Frederick Buecher: Novelist/Theologian of the Lost and Found written by Marjorie and Charles McCoy, they reveal that "Buechner's characters and plots are drenched in tears." There is, for example, the suicide of his own father.” From this it can be assumed that Buechner incorporated his own feeling of being abandoned by his father, or as Godric admits that "fear kept Aedlward away from us, and after God, that which he feared most of all things was an empty stomach. He had good reasons” (Buechner 10). During Buechner's early childhood, his family moved frequently because his father was looking for work, and in 1936, Buechner's father committed suicide by carbon monoxide poisoning, following his belief that he had been a failure. The Catholic religion may say that one should always honor one's parents without speaking out against them, but Buechner portrayed Godric as a medieval but modern character by honoring his father with his understanding. Godric was able to understand that although he wanted his father to be around more, his father feared he would not adequately provide for his family and therefore spent most of his time working. The notion of a father feeling obligated to provide for his family can be rationalized in any time period, modern and medieval. Another illustration of a medieval yet modern approach to sainthood is found through the character of Elric. Like Godric, Elric is a hermit who punishes his bodyto honor Christ or to atone for past sins. He is assailed by voices, demons and seems to believe that the devil is constantly tempting him. It is these demons that distinguish Elric from Godric, who has visions of the Virgin Mary, angels, John the Baptist and even Christ. Through Elric, Buechner shows, as the McCoys say in their work, that "faith always runs the risk of taking itself too seriously; in religious literature or sermons, we can focus too easily on an ideal of God and forget our humanity” (McCoy and McCoy 13). Through Elric's constant visions of demons and death, Buechner is able to illustrate that being holy does not mean you always have to be preoccupied and worried about sin and the devil. Symbolized by his thoughts of demons, Elric shows that he is not ready to face death and as Elric trembles on his deathbed saying: "I'm afraid that in heaven I will miss even the demons » (Buechner 120). Buechner shows the reader an old man. paranoid man who lived his life punishing himself in solitude. Instead of using the gifts of the world to lighten his life, he chose to be haunted by demons, memories and mistakes. This is again unlike Godric who, as the medieval reference book "Reginald of Durham: Live of St. Godric" notes that "on various journeys he visited many shrines of saints, in whose protection he did not want to recommend himself with devotion, more particularly the church of St. Andrew in Scotland where he most often took and paid his vows…, and where St Godric meditated on the life of the Saint with abundant tears. It was then that he began to yearn for solitude and to hold his wares in less esteem than before. Godric chose to live a pious life, although sometimes troubled, by visiting the holy places, unlike Elric who in the end always clings to death and demons because the demons who have haunted him all his life are better than nothingness. At the beginning of the 19th episode, Elric expresses to Godric “My skull is a chapel. Yours too. Thoughts come and go like pious people at mass. But what about hands that itch for gold? What of the feet that burn to wander all the soft and leafy paths leading to Hell, of the absent heart that thirsts for the love of mortal flesh? A man cannot live his life in his skull. ” (Buechner 115) Although spoken by a medieval voice, Buechner uses this phrase as a universal voice understood by those who believe in all kinds of morality. The temptations, desires, or "demons" of life are always present and with Elric's death, Godric was able to understand that a life should not be spent solely worrying about demons. Buechner creates a modern character from a medieval hermit to demonstrate that being holy can also come from praise, and that one does not have to be religious to understand the "itch", the "burn", the “absent heart” (Buechner 115). ) which accompanies the forbidden desires of life. These forbidden desires were also seen through the complicated relationship between Godric and Burcwen. One of the driving tensions of the novel is Godric's relationship with his sister, Burcwen and with this character relationship created by Buechner, the reader turns the pages anticipating the moment when Godric and Burcwen will consummate their feelings for each other. other. However, Buechner uses incest, one of the most established mortal sins and social taboos, as a grotesque image to shatter the reader's pre-established conclusions about love and divergent relationships. Although incest is illegal, with the way Godric talks about his love, Buechner was able to use this atypical relationship to challenge the reader's thinking and traditions of love. When Godric.