The Way/Paths to God

Martin Sheen’s “The Way” follows Thomas Avery, a father who undertakes a pilgrimage called “Camino de Santiago”, following his son’s passing on the same pilgrimage. I chose Thomas’ journey to analyze in the light of Jim Martin’s Paths to God. I believe that Thomas initially follows the Path of Disbelief. Characterized by not finding any appeal in organized religion, it is evident that Thomas follows this path in the beginning of the film. Upon learning of his son’s passing, the pastor seeks to comfort Thomas by asking to pray for him, to which Thomas replies, “what for?” This response shows that Thomas thinks that prayer is a waste of time and inconsequential. Having his life be punctuated with grief, with his wife’s passing and now his son, it can be assumed that any thoughts Thomas might have about God would be laced with resentment for taking his loved ones away. However, with the undertaking of this pilgrimage, Thomas unknowingly goes on a path of exploration. This Path of Exploration, characterized by a search for a religion that fits them, was walked with every step in Thomas pilgrimage. Along the way, he made friends with three other travelers making the walk for their own individual reasons, but all who helped each other reach their common destination. At the end of this journey, Thomas crosses himself at the church, signifying a connection with Christianity. He sees his son smiling at the Church and finds some sort of comfort. As he releases the last of his son’s ashes into the ocean, Thomas’ spiritual journey seems to have come full circle. His reason as to why he went on the pilgrimage in the first place was unknown to him. However, at the end of the challenging journey, he found some sort of closure and better understanding of his son through walking in his shoes. The link to Jim Martin’s Paths to God comes from religion’s role in helping Thomas accept his son’s death.