The famous first words of Bunyan's book are memorably alliterative when read in full context. For now I'm happy to keep a snail's pace in looking at the text. This first phrase "As I walked" is important in a number of ways. Like many timely communications, Bunyan's narrator is in the middle of life, continuing on, active and progressing along. The first person voice is indicative of the authenticity of personal testimony that would have been a chief coin of validity for dissenting Christian seeking belonging in separatist meetings. Although the narrator is far from omniscient, asking questions of some of his characters (Help at Slough of Despond, for example), and unable to penetrate the glory of the Celestial City, this first person narrative looks forward to the authorial stances of the developing literary genre of the novel. Lastly, the narrator walks. We know Bunyan is recorded as riding a horse, but his primary mode of transport as an itinerant tinker were his feet. This common to all pedestrianism puts The Pilgrim's Progress accessibly in the reach of all readers (even if a little strange to 21st century Southern California car drivers!).
I took my 2 year old son on a 3 mile walk/stroller push yesterday morning as he'd woken extra early. We got to face east as the sun rose. It was good to quadruple the length of our regular Sunday trip to the Donut store. It took a lot more time. It was more physically demanding, more up and down (always seems to be more of the latter with a stroller...) More was accomplished, even if ineffably, in our trip together than a quick dash in a car would have granted. Thankful.