Gilbert's Journey

Sometimes, life falls apart. In these moments the options seem limited. Do you run away, do you stay and push through, or do you do some major soul searching? There are endless options to consider, but in a moment where life seems to be engulfing you, the only clear option is to follow your gut. In the book Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert, that is exactly what she did when her marriage fell apart and she found herself on her bathroom floor. Her gut told her to remove herself from her current situation through travel, so she did. She packed up and went to Rome and India. Throughout her memoir, the details of Gilbert’s journey are laid out along with a breakdown of her internal changes. It is possible to use the essay, “Image and Pilgrimage

Turner’s article explains that a pilgrimage should be, “to intensify the pilgrim’s attachment to his own religion” (Turner, 9). The fact that Gilbert concluded that she needed to pray when she found herself crying on the bathroom floor proves that she needed spiritual change or a miracle even though she did not realize it at the time. According to Turner, a pilgrimage is meant for a person who is looking for healing and spiritual growth. On her bathroom floor, Gilbert prayed a cry for help because of her need for drastic spiritual change. After she had her first talk with God, Gilbert’s began making travel plans. Her urgency made it evident that her journey would be much more that just a

Throughout her time at the Ashram, she grew spiritually and spent time with God through meditation. The meditation and focus on God that took place throughout the journey is the main qualifier for Gilbert’s journey being a pilgrimage. She truly focused on her inner self and her spiritual wellness. In the Turner article they discuss that the embarkment on a pilgrimage usually originates from the “seeking of the material multiplicity of nature, a life source” (Turner 20). A life source is exactly what Gilbert needed and wanted. In her memoir she states, “I was not interested in formulating my views on theology. I was interested only in saving my life” (Gilbert 15). Gilbert found her life source from the things she came to learn about herself and inner