Since Tennyson brings up The Big Guy immediately in the prologue of In Memoriam, we know right away that religion will be on the menu throughout the entire poem. This plays out in several different ways. Tennyson is struggling to make sense of the world and his faith after suffering the loss of his friend. Things just don't make sense like they used to.
He's also struggling against his faith because of nineteenth-century scientific discoveries, like the Theory of Evolution (check out "Themes: Man and the Natural World" for more info on that). Finally, Tennyson is also trying to "justify the ways of God to man," similar to what Milton does in Paradise Lost. If you're a fan of big technical words, that's called "theodicy." (Actually, it's called "theodicy" even if you aren't a fan of big technical words.)
Questions About Religion
- Are you satisfied with Tennyson's acceptance of faith at the end of the poem? Why or why not?
- Where does the speaker seem to most express his doubts about religion as an answer to his existential crisis?
- What does Tennyson mean by "barren faith" in line 2321? How is this different from just regular old faith?
- How is the section about Lazarus thematically important to the poem? What does he represent in relation to Tennyson's loss?
Chew on This
Rediscovering his faith completely solves the speaker's anxiety regarding The Big Picture.
Tennyson ultimately acknowledges that there is immortality, which seems to justify the suffering that God allows in the world.