The Bentley Symbol in Good Omens

Crowley’s vintage 1926 Bentley symbolizes his love of the mortal world. Like most of the other things Crowley owns, the Bentley is in pristine condition. Even though Crowley is a demon, he takes pride in owning nice, expensive items—they’re what he loves best about the mortal world. And he especially loves the 20th century and its corresponding rise of cars. For Crowley, cars in general—and the Bentley in particular—symbolize the fact that civilization is moving forward in a way that’s increasingly fun and fast-paced. (His Bentley is a stark contrast to the horses and carriages of centuries past, for instance.) In this way, the Bentley encapsulates everything that Crowley loves about the world and the people who have made it what it is. Cars are, to Crowley, a genius invention that could’ve only come from the human mind.

On the day that Armageddon (the end of the world) is supposed to take place, the Bentley comes to symbolize the strength of Crowley’s love for Earth as it is—and his willingness to save it from certain destruction. When he realizes he needs to get to Lower Tadfield as fast as possible, he knows the only way to do so is to drive over the M25, a highway in the shape of an evil sigil. Doing this causes the Bentley to catch fire, so Crowley must use his supernatural powers as a demon to keep the car in one piece and make it to Tadfield air base in time. When he arrives and gives up on keeping the car together, the Bentley is essentially destroyed. In this way, Crowley essentially sacrifices his beloved Bentley for the good of humanity—it’s more important to him to save the world that gave him the Bentley than it is for him to keep his car pristine to the end.

The Bentley Quotes in Good Omens

The Good Omens quotes below all refer to the symbol of The Bentley. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

As they drove past an astonished traffic warden his notebook spontaneously combusted, to Crowley’s amazement.

“I’m pretty certain I didn’t mean to do that,” he said.

Aziraphale blushed.

“That was me,” he said. “I had always thought that your people invented them.”

“Did you? We thought they were yours.”

Related Characters: Aziraphale (speaker), Crowley/Crawly (speaker)

Related Symbols: The Bentley

Page Number and Citation: 43

Explanation and Analysis:

The Bentley Symbol Timeline in Good Omens

The timeline below shows where the symbol The Bentley appears in Good Omens. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...the world with evil). Crowley is currently driving 110 miles per hour in his 1926 Bentley, which he’s owned since he got it new. He’s listening to a Best of Queen... (full context)

...a long time) and sneers that Crowley has “gone native.” Crowley gets out of his Bentley and cheerfully greets the other demons, but Hastur cuts Crowley off and says that they... (full context)

...far away from the graveyard, he rams a tape of Vivaldi’s Four Seasons into the Bentley’s tape player and mutters, “Why me?” The tape plays Queen instead of Vivaldi: the voice... (full context)

Driving away from the hospital in his Bentley, Crowley thinks that he’ll have to start enjoying the world’s pleasures now, while there’s still... (full context)

...meet. Crowley watches a traffic warden put a clamp on the back wheel of his Bentley as Aziraphale remarks that having the Antichrist be born to American parents seems very showy. (full context)

...and suggests that they go somewhere warm, so he and Crowley begin walking toward Crowley’s Bentley. Aziraphale admits that he agrees with Crowley, but he can’t disobey. Crowley says that he... (full context)

...guests, there are Secret Service men and a crew of caterers led by a vintage Bentley. Aziraphale shows up as a magician—he learned sleight of hand in the 1870s and spent... (full context)

...dove from his sleeve. He blows life into the dove and then turns on the Bentley’s radio to check the status of the hell-hound. A demon’s voice comes through the radio... (full context)

As Crowley and Aziraphale drive in the Bentley, they anxiously wonder if someone else is interfering with the Antichrist, and they discuss what... (full context)

...exists inside the human mind. Suddenly, Crowley remembers a scatterbrained nun, and he drives the Bentley 90 miles per hour through London. Aziraphale puts in tape after tape of classical music,... (full context)

Meanwhile, Crowley snaps at Aziraphale as they argue about asking for directions. He slams the Bentley into gear as Aziraphale notes that there’s something odd about this area; he gets the... (full context)

...to remark on her bike’s new features as Crowley drives slowly down the road, the Bentley’s lights now on. He asks if there’s a hospital run by nuns around, but Anathema... (full context)

...was nice, but he liked mushrooms too much.) The book that Aziraphale found in Crowley’s Bentley, The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, is missing from his collection, so he... (full context)

...into Freddie Mercury, but he decides that this is too much. Crowley gets into his Bentley and drives. (full context)

...it will start to rain soon—they know that the building will be a loss. A Bentley skids around the corner, and Crowley leaps out, racing for the bookshop’s door. He enters... (full context)

Meanwhile, Crowley can’t find extra sunglasses in his Bentley. He shoves a Bach tape into the slot, and Freddie Mercury sings to him. Lightning... (full context)

...and suddenly very angry—his superiors Below talk to him like he’s a misbehaving houseplant. The Bentley veers onto the M25, but something about the road now it hurts Crowley’s eyes. He... (full context)

...to Tadfield. He decides that it’s time for drastic measures, so he turns on the Bentley’s lights and drives onto the sidewalk. (full context)

Having been driven down the sidewalk, the Bentley now looks like it’s been in a hundred demolition derbies. All that separates Crowley from... (full context)

...glow is coming from behind his sunglasses. He’s intent on finishing the journey in his Bentley, not that the car looks much like a Bentley (or even a car) anymore. There’s... (full context)

...He doesn’t feel well, since he spent the last 30 miles imagining that the burning Bentley was still a car. As Crowley pats what’s left of the Bentley, the gate starts... (full context)

...as she tries to follow the children. Aziraphale offers his condolences to Crowley about the Bentley. Crowley sniffs—he smells something burning. (full context)

...Aziraphale discuss that things have gone back to the way they were: Crowley found a Bentley parked in front of his flat, and Aziraphale’s bookshop isn’t burnt (though it currently stocks... (full context)

Good Omens

Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

The Bentley Symbol Analysis

The Bentley Quotes in Good Omens

The Bentley Symbol Timeline in Good Omens

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The Bentley Symbol Analysis

The Bentley Quotes in Good Omens

The Bentley Symbol Timeline in Good Omens

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