Faith and Doubt

Throughout the novel, the author explores the relationship between faith and doubt using Trian’s, Cormac’s, and Artt’s individual spiritual journeys. At the start of the novel, the three main characters are collected in a common location: the monastery at Cluain Mhic Nóis. Until Artt, the “Scholar, priest, hermit” arrives at the monastery, Trian’s and Cormac’s understanding of the faith is dictated by the context of the monastery (4). Therefore, when Artt relays his divine vision to them, insisting, “we three have been chosen,” Trian and Cormac feel powerless to resist his “call to arms” (15, 17). Artt is known for his particularly exceptional faith, and his work to carry “the light of the Gospel from Ireland across a pagan-gripped continent” (4). For Artt, faith is synonymous with obedience. Because he believes he has been selected by God to lead others to Christianity...