The story In His Steps by Charles Sheldon is based on principles of Christian living. Through the characters, the author surfaces the hypocrisy that has become rampant amongst modern day Christians. The story is dripping rich with character, each of which brings an important lesson worth learning. The theme of the story is Emulating Jesus Character. Throughout the story, different characters try to emulate Jesus character by reaching out to people and living life in service of other people. The book attempts to set the pace for Christian living and to show Christians the possibilities of living a Christ-like life. This paper looks into the characters, setting, plot and the technique used by the author to effectively convey his message.
The character Jack Manning sets the novel going. Unemployed, starved and dirty, Manning wanders into the small town of Raymond hoping to find someone who could offer him a job or extend a helping hand to his unfortunate situation. He is met by cold, frightened glares, suspicion and rejection. Everyone in the town considers him nothing better than a tramp. They have seen many before him. Manning's appearance in the town, however, challenges the church about their perceptions of the less fortunate people, or people who are not like them. He unashamedly challenges the church, "I suppose I don't understand. But what would Jesus do? Is that what you mean by following His steps?" (Sheldon, 08). This question overshadows the entire story as everyone tries to emulate what Jesus would do.