John Donne: Poem analysis » A Hymn to God, my God, in my Sicknesse » Themes in Hymn to God, my God

Death, the final passage

The main theme in Hymn to God, my God is of Death as Friend: a transition from one place to another, or an entry into a sacred space. The geographical images bring this out strongly. Here sickness likely to lead to death focuses attention on the afterlife and gives a map or direction finder to it. Life is a journey, and the process of dying seen as the final passage through to the ultimate destination.