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Article: Is God in Charge? Mary Doria Russell's The Sparrow , Deconstruction, and Theodicy.
- Article from:
- Journal of Religion and Popular Culture
- Article date:
- March 22, 2005
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Journal of Religion and Popular Culture. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Martin Warren, Assistant Professor
Department of English, University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN
Abstract
Mary Doria Russell's The Sparrow leads the reader to wrestle with how evil, pain, and suffering are explained in theodicy and thus grapples with "the risks and beauties of religious faith." The sparrow of the novel's title refers to the insignificant sparrow of Matthew 10:29-31 that is observed and known by God in its fall to earth. In this speculative fiction novel, the Jesuits hear beautiful music transmitted from another planet and send a mission to meet God's other children. The meeting ends disastrously. Russell encourages us, through ...