All Good Things Must Come to an End

Have you ever experienced something so amazing that you just feel like you need to go back and experience it again to really appreciate it? The book The Pillars of the Earth is one of those experiences for me. With its masterful imagery and complex plot and characters this book was a pleasure to both read and analyze. With the end of the book everything seemed to be resolved in the city of Kingsbridge. The evil William Hamleigh had been hanged for killing Archbishop Thomas Becket, Tommy, Aliena's son, had become Earl of Shiring, and Prior Philip of Kingsbridge had become the new bishop in place of Waleran Bigod. With all this conflict resolution, how could Ken Follett have enough to write a sequel with? The sequel I'm refering to is called World Without End, and I'm considering reading it for my next independent book.
The way Kent Follett writes is really amazing because he is able to meld multiple storylines, characters, and themes together to make a complete novel that is both complex and is able to communicate life's simplest lessons: love, trust, courage, honor, and faith. I would recommend this great story to anyone and everyone willing to look past the daunting length and have the same experience I did.

Like a Rollercoaster

In the latest section there have been many ups and downs in the building of the Kingsbridge cathedral. As a result of the burning of the town Prior Philip has lost faith in God's will to have the cathedral built. He, the Aliena, and all the townspeople lost something in the massacre by William Hamleigh. Tom Builder, one of Philip's closest friends, was murdered by the Earl of Shiring himself. Aliena, one of the biggest wool merchants in the county, had all her wool burned and her hair as well. Not a single family in the town was free of a loss, a husband, a wife, a child. With the burning of the fleece fair dame a huge loss of money as well. All these factors, lack of interest, lack of workers, and lack of money, contributed to the decision to suspend construction.

A similar set of obstacles forced the suspension of construction on Cologne Cathedral in the 16th century. Frederick Barbarossa, the Holy Roman Emperor, took the remains of the Three Wise Men from Milan. The emperor decided to build a church to house these momentous Biblical relics, and chose to have a cathedral built in Cologne, in what is now Germany. It was started shortly after the relics were brought from Milan in 1164, but was stopped in the 16th century. This was due to lack of interest in the cathedral, and also lack of money, similar to Kingsbridge in the story.

In the case of Cologne Cathedral building was restarted in the 19th century. This was due to a rediscovered interest in medieval times. The rest of the church--nearly half--was finished in a record 38 years (1842-1880). Kingsbridge Cathedral also began to start rebuilding after more money began to come in and interest of people and workers was renewed. In the story, however, things weren't as smooth as in Cologne. There were other events such as a worker's strike and political pressures that stood in the way of Kingsbridge's dream of becoming a cathedral town.

Like a Rollercoaster

Here is an Animoto about the hardships Kingsbridge faces for the cathedral. It was cut a little short, so bear with me.

Like a Rollercoaster

Here is an Animoto that describes the history of the Cologne Cathedral.

Endless Obstacles

Throughout this story each of the main charcters suffer many losses and setbacks. For most, these inconvenient events all have to do with the building of the cathedral in Kingsbridge. When King Stephen had given the rights to mine in the Shiring quarry to the Kingsbridge monastery, William Hamleigh, the Earl of Shiring wasn't happy. When he got the chance William went to the quarry and ran all the monastery's stonecutters out, killing five people. He then went on to have the Kingsbridge market shut down because they didn't have a license. William Hamleigh is the antagonist of every main in thstory. He has no redeeming qualities and all he can think about is himself and how to make others miserable. Prior Philip even has to travel into a battle area to obtain a market license from the new Empress Maud. At the end of this section William storms into the Kingsbridge market and terrorizes the people, burning the town and even killing Tom Builder, the master mason in charge of the cathedral's construction. This event was both very surprising and very sad for me. Tom Builder has been one of the main protagonists from the beginning of the book. The author was able to make him seem strong, kind, and fair, even when he made mistakes. For Prior Philip all these occurences caused by William Hamleigh have lost him friends, the safety of his people, and the progress on the cathedral multiple times. Each time Philip perseveres and finds a way to keep on going.



This video I have taken shows the solemn life of monks as well as a beautiful cathedral they perform services in.





Monks are calm and do not readily fight others, but in the story Prior Philip becomes very angry with those who do evil deeds and can become more agitated than is really acceptable for a Benedictine monk. In the story, however, his level of intensity is needed both to help the monastery come out of years of neglect and ineptidtude, and also to fight against all odds to finish building the cathedral at Kingsbridge. Without his excitable traits Prior Philip would never be able to accomplish his goals.



I have also found a website that gives information about the building and history behind medieval cathedrals. The cathedral at Kingsbridge in the book does not actually exist, but there are real cathedrals, such as the Wells Cathedral which has a rich history (follow this link to the website).

From the beginning of the story to the end there have been many relationships, some which change, and some which stay the same. One person that has remained the same in all her relationships is Ellen. She loves Tom, loves her son, is a mother to Martha, and loathes Alfred, all of which she has made known, and will not budge on. She is a person who sticks to her guns and has the will power to do what she wants no matter how things turn out. One person who has really changed all her relationships is Aliena. Richard, Aliena's brother, started out as someone she needed to protect and aid on his way in life. Now that they are older, Richard has become more independent and both siblings see each other more financially than emotionally. Richard is another expense to Aliena, and Aliena is just a source of money for Richard. They both work tirelessly to fulfill their promise to their father and regain the Earldom of Shiring, but while Richard has made this his life's goal, Aliena views this task as a burden. Aliena also loathes William Hamleigh, but she is no longer afraid of him, as she once was. As for Jack, Aliena doesn't know what to think. She loves him, but knows that nothing good can come of her affections. She confuses Jack incessantly with her constantly changing attitude towards him. Aliena still respects Prior Philip as well, as she has since she first met him in Winchester, but now she treats him more as an equal, for in the wool industry they are, and that is all Aliena can think about, gaining money to help Richard regain his rightful place.

The Road to New Life

The next section in this book has been one full of loss, hope, and endless turmoil. Tom Builder, as I predicted, found work at Kingsbridge, but the reason was not entirely what I had anticipated. At the end of the first section Philip had become prior of Kingsbridge, and one of the top things on his list of changes was to repair the worn down cathedral. When Tom and his family (Martha, Alfred, Ellen, and Jack) arrive at the priory the are given food and a place to sleep for the night, as is customary hospitality at a monastery. Ellen's son, Jack, decided he would not go back to being a hungry homeless child and had to find a way for Tom to be guarunteed a job. When the rest of his family fell asleep Jack crept out of their guesthouse and snuck into the cathedral. He made his way to the roof, and set a fire! Soon afterwards jack was out of the burning building and all the monks had awoken. They all organized under Philip's instruction and went about saving valuables, books, and the remains of their patron saint, Adolphus. The devastated monks escape the fire unharmed, but their cathedral has been burned to the ground. Just when all hope is lost, Tom takes charge and starts organizing a clean up. Jack's plan works and Tom is put in charge of rebuilding the cathedral.

The problem for Prior Philip in this agreement was that there was nowhere near enough money to pay for a new cathedral. He could barely makes ends meet as it was. He couldn't even pay Tom for weeks, so the priory owed the mason money right at the start. To try and remedy this problem Philip went to Bishop Waleran Bigod. Bishop Waleran was sympathetic to the plight in Kingsbridge and decided to take Philip to see King Stephen in hopes of recieving some money. Waleran and Philip traveled to the king's court in Winchester where they met another bishop, Henry. Henry was not only the king's bishop, he was the king's brother, so he was a powerful ally for Philip's cause. The three went to the king and proposed that the recently vacated lands of the Earl of Shiring to the Church in order to raise money and to gain stone and timber. The King was open to this idea, but had said he had all but promised the lands of Shiring to the Hamleighs. The king decided to take a day and think about his decision. After the meeting Philip left the palace and explored the city of Winchester. Later on he was called over by a furious Regan Hamleigh, the wife of Percy Hamleigh the soon-to-be Earl of Shiring. She berated the prior for his stupidity at not seeing how the bishops were using him. The bishops wanted the money for themselves to spend on Bishop Waleran's new castle, and were only using the burned down cathedral as an excuse. Philip, after validating Regan's accusations, was angry so he decided to make a deal with the Hamleighs. He would take the quarry and forest needed to provide materials for his cathedral, and the Hamleighs would take all the farm land, the market, and the castle of the Earl. Both sides agreed to this pact and the Hamleighs presented the deal to the king. The next day King Stephen sided with Philip and the Hamleighs over the bishops, and Waleran Bigod developed a hatred for Philip. The cathedral would be built, but now the bishop would forever be its enemy.

When the Earl of Shiring was deposed by the Hamleighs, he was sent to jail for treason. His children and steward, however, remained at the castle trying in some way to live out a semblance of their former life. When the Hamleighs were put in charge of the lands, though, the three had no right to live there anymore. William Hamleigh, accompanied by his groom Walter, traveled to the castle and began to order Aliena, Richard, and Matthew around. The two cruel men then started hurting the two children, and when Matthew tried to help they killed him. After that William and Walter beat Richard and raped Aliena. When the two men had fallen asleep Aliena and Richard went outside and stole the horses William and his groom had arrived on. The two traveled on the road to Winchester to appeal to the king for help. Along the way they lost their horses, were attacked, and were forced to kill a man. Eventually they reached the king's palace and were told he wasn't there. In despair the siblings felt like giving up. Then they were told their father was being held in the nearby jail. They needed a penny to get in, so they befriended a woman named Meg who gave them one. Once inside they talked to their father who made them swear an oath to regain the lands and title he lost. After that they left and never saw him again. Aliena and Richard made their way out to a small town to see if their uncle would take them in, but he turned them away. Instead of relying on others, Aliena decided to take her future into her own hands. She used a pound of silver from her father to buy wool and made her way back to Winchester to sell it. Once there she and Richard befriendedPrior Philip who helped them sell their wool.

There were parts in this section that made me feel emotional: angry, sad, happy. When William and Walter hurt Richard and raped Aliena I felt angry. How can someone do this to another person? The purely sadistic nature of William Hamleigh was too much for me and I truly wanted him to die for what he did. I was very sad when Aliena and Richard were traveling from Shiring to try to make a new life. They were met with such adversity and hardship that I felt for them. When the verder cruelly stole their horses and planned to do even more, Aliena pushed through and continued determinedly towards a brighter future. When Jack was able to burn down the cathedral I was very happy for him and his family. The cathedral being destroyed meant that they would no longer be starving and wandering from town to town. No one was hurt in the fire, and nothing valuable was lost, besides the building, so the benefits greatly outwieghed the negative aspects of Jack's actions. It also gave Philip a chance to see that Waleran Bigod is more of a politician than a bishop and that the priory must be wary of the man. I predict that with the new rights to the quarry and the forest the cathedral will continue to be built without anymore setbacks. Eventually Tom will be paid his dues and all will be well at Kingsbridge. For Aliena and Richard, I think they will begin to have a business buying and selling wool, but it will not be profitable enough because they cannot make very much money per transaction. They will have to switch to a different occupation, that will not work out either because neither of them have any skills. They will eventually have to move to Kingsbridge where they will take advantage of Prior Philip's hospitality. Richard may find work on the cathedral, and that way all the main character's will come together around the momentous construction of God's house in Kingsbbridge.

In the Beginning

The Pillars of the Earth is an international bestseller and has been recommended by many people. It was even on Oprah's Booklist. The author, Kent Follett, has written other bestselling books, such as On Wings of Eagles, but The Pillars of the Earth is his most successful yet. The book is about the time period when gothic cathedrals were just being built. Medieval England is in temporary tranquility after the death of King Henry, but trouble is coming in the foreseeable future. There is controversy over who will take the throne, and a civil war is brewing. The main charcters of this story are a mason named Tom Builder, and a monk named Philip. They both have to deal with the hardships of the times including poverty, politics, and the bad decisions of those in power.

Tom, his pregnant wife Agnes, their daughter Martha, and son Alfred start out wandering from town to town, looking for work. Eventually, as they move through a forest, Agnes needs to stop because her water broke. She is forced to give birth in the middle of the forest in the cold winter air. Tom and the children try everything they can, but Agnes dies while giving birth, although the baby lives. The three remaining family members are forced to leave the boy in the woods because he will die without milk from his mother. Eventually they learn that a monk picked up the baby and brought him to a nearby monastery. Tom leaves the baby there because he knows the monks will tkae good care of his son, and the boy will grow up to become a monk, which most people must pay to have happen for their sons. Tom then finds a woman named Ellen, who he falls in love with and wants to marry. Ellen has a son, Jack, and the two join Tom and his two children. They travel for weeks, and many days have to go without food, for there isno money to buy food with. Eventually Tom finds work at a castle where he is hired to improve the building, work in a quarry, and hopefully earn enough to support his family. Soon after his hiring, however, the castle is attacked and taken by a wealthy family called the Hamleighs. When the battle is over, the Hamleighs control the castle, Earl Bartholemew has surrendered, and Tom is once more out of work. He plans to travel to Kingbridge hoping to find work on the cathedral there. I think Ellen and Tom will try to get married at the Kingsbridge cathedral, but someone there won't let them. It seems that Ellen has been to Kingsbridge priory before, and she had reason to be apprehensive about returning.

Philip is a monk who has live nearly his entire life in monasteries. He is currently running for election to be the Prior of Kingsbridge. This would make him the top ranking monk in the entire county, and would give him the power to reform the declining cathedral and the priory as well. He is the priorof a small cell of Kingsbridge, St-John-in-the-Forest, which was full of undisciplined monks, and had dilapidated old buildings. He immediately set about reforming the small priory and the land around it. Now in just a few short years the cell that was once dependent on Kingsbridge for food was supplying Kingsbridge with food, goods, and more.

I think Philip will become Prior of Kingsbridge because of large support from the monks of Kingsbridge and the support of the bishop's archdeacon, Waleran Bigod. Remigius, the other candidate, will try to rebel and build his own group against Philip after the election is over to try an maintain his power. I also think that Philip and Tom Builder will meet at Kingsbridge because Philip will need people to repair the cathedral there, and that Tom will have a chance to work and to see his son that was left with the monks at the cell called St-John-in-the-Forest. If Tom tells Jonathan, his lost son, that he was left for dead, then the monks found him, how will Jonathan view his father?I think the relationship would be ruined and Tom would never come to know his son. Tom should wait until Jonathan is an adult, then Jonathan will be able to appreciate the pressures put on his father. So far this story has set the stage for complex character relationships, an intricate plot, and has already given a lot of excitement and surprises. It has lived up to the praise of others and my own expectations, and hopefully will continue to develop into a great story.

My Blog

My name is Nathaniel Philip and this is a blog created to inform about and discuss the book The Pillars of the Earth by Kent Follet. I will be addressing certain thoughts, ideas, and events that take place in the book, and will open them up to comment for readers. If you would like to post please remember to keep things appropriate for any other reader.

Here is the schedule I have made to divide up the book into reading sections.

Section 1: beginning (11) - 214
Section 2: 215 - 397
Section 3: 398 - 608
Section 4: 609 - 826
Section 5: 827 - end (983)