The Inquisitors

These are church officials who seek out heretics and punish them, and they are symbols of the total power wielded by the church during this time.

Good Men and Good Women

Referred to throughout the novel as “bons omes” and “bonas femanas,” these are the “heretics” ruthlessly murdered by the church, and they symbolize a different time in history, in which they were respected rather than hated and feared. Many people were killed by church officials because they offered either reverence or gifts to these people, who would offer a blessing in return.

Dolssa

Dolssa haunts the young friar named Lucien, and she comes to be a symbol to him of “all the would ruin Christendom” (200).

The Crucifix

Botille's mother left a crucifix, and that is a symbol of her mother's love. Botille says it is worth only a little in actual value, but it...