In many of the religious texts we have read, the theme of suffering and sacrifice is very prominent. In “Avvakum’s Autobiography”, Avvakum is able to transcend his human and earthly existence through his journey of being degraded to a subhuman existence. Much of this degradation is expressed through animal and nature motifs, an element we have commonly seen in many Ancient Russian, religious texts. Avvakum is degraded by being naked and forced to walk barefoot on the sharp ground and feed on grass and roots. This suffering physically and spiritually strips Avvakum of everything and he can only turn to God for help and mercy. Avvakum says that “God warmed [him]” in absence of clothing and that he laid there like a dog (133). Through this use of metaphor we are able to see how Avvakum’s suffering and persecution and his degradation to an animal-like existence, brings him closer to the earthly world and to God. 

Yet in his journey, Avvakum also turns to nature such as water (lakes and rivers) to survive, in this way we see this duality in which nature is used to both torture and releive. We see how Avvakum’s time in the wilderness brings almost unbearable hardships but it’s also allows to him to appreciate the wonders of nature. In this way the suffering is humbling and grounding. The vastness of this nature imagery is a way to illustrate the challenges Avvakum faces, evoking images of tall mountains and dense forests. It is the duality of this metaphor that shows how Avvakum’s salvation is achieved by his willingness to be challenged and to suffer for God.  

These motifs are contrasted against the images of the man who is “enslaved by vanity” and does not partake in prayer who is represented as a goat, lynx, and serpent to evoke the image of the devil (136). The use of these animals is to highlight how people who do not engage in prayer consume/indulge then rest without giving thanks. This is a moral warning against excessive indulgence and not reckoning with one’s sins when the final judgement comes. Through his dedication to God, Avvakum’s final years are spent trapped underground, again emphasizing his connection to the earth. Ultimately, Avvakum achieves salvation through his hardships, adherence to his beliefs, and his reverence for nature and the works of God.