The Forerunner · Theme
Love and Sacrifice
How The Forerunner develops Love and Sacrifice.
Love is portrayed as a force that bridles desires and demands purity, as in the poem 'Love,' and in 'The Last Watch,' where the Forerunner's love is disguised as hate to protect others, ultimately leading to personal shame and transformation.
Where it surfaces
- Love
The chapter personifies love as a lordly hand that bridles desires, and the speaker is willing to starve and perish rather than accept what love has not blessed.
- Tyranny
The She-Dragon's prophecy of wedding and birth implies a cycle of love leading to sacrifice and death.
- The Dying Man and the Vulture
The dying man's memories of a beloved face and voice hold him back, and he ultimately gives himself to the vulture with love.
- The Last Watch
The Forerunner's love is so great that he sacrifices his own reputation and comfort, enduring mockery and crucifixion for the sake of awakening others.