As Bede, the writer, was a devout Christian, he used many references to Christianity in his work. Jesus Christ was considered a shepherd to his flock as he led people out of sinful lives into sin-free lives. Similarly, Caedmon is said to have led people away from their vices and toward the path to heaven through his song. A cowherd was also a person at the bottom of the social ladder. This fact might be meant to imply that through divine grace, even a man from a humble background may change many lives.
The description of human struggles in the form of Ivan Ilyich’s suffering. The idea of realism implies that there is no fantastic or happy endings. Realism is very cynical and down to earth.
