Lord of Light Themes

Symbols are everywhere, and as human beings, we couldn't get on very well without them. Religions are infused with symbols to help us come to grips with their otherworldly ideas (God as the king, G...

We know what you're thinking: How do you have versions of reality, as in the plural? Isn't there reality and then not reality? And sure, there might be a single reality out there, but here's a ques...

The idea that the rich be getting richer and the poor be getting poorer is nothing new, but Zelazny gives it the celestial treatment in Lord of Light. Zelazny's pantheon of gods has positioned itse...

Lucky for us, Lord of Light deals with all different varieties of freedom and confinement, giving us a pretty thorough look at these ideas in action. Good times. Well, if you're a god, anyway.There...

Right? Obviously this theme was going to be making an appearance, although maybe not in the way you'd expect. Hinduism, Buddhism, and Christianity are all present and accounted for, and we have ple...

Identity is nuts in Lord of Light. You know how so many stories on identity are about finding your true self? Well, this novel is sort of like that… only a little less cut and dry. The question i...

Suffering is an important theme in Buddhism, so when Sam takes on the guise of the Buddha in Lord of Light, his message naturally revolves around the idea of suffering as well. As a result, sufferi...

War is present in many facets of Lord of Light. There's good old-fashioned war—i.e. two sides line up on the battlefield and beat each other senseless. There's social conflict, which is sometimes...