The Pillars of the Earth

Philip is the moral center of the book, always occupying the middle ground between extremes. His early experiences with the sour religious zealot Peter of Wareham are a microcosm of his abilities as an even-handed and sensible leader. Philip recognizes that Peter’s unforgiving personality is a defense mechanism for a “troubled soul who did not really believe that anyone could possibly care for him” (87). As with many things, Philip’s prescription for this sort of bad behavior is hard work; he makes Peter an almoner.

Through Philip’s eyes, we see that evil is the result of arbitrary authority, and that the guide through such barbarity is adherence to values that can be passed down from one leader to another. Leadership is a pillar, according to the biblical passage Samuel 2:8 from which Follett’s book derives its title: "He raiseth up the poor out of the dust, and lifteth up the beggar from the dunghill, to set them among princes, and to make them inherit the throne of glory: for the pillars of the earth are the lord’s, and he hath set the world upon them." Philip is among these pillars, a God-appointed leader of flocks.