Thursday, May 7, 2009
Chapter 14 - Yes, She's a Christ Figure, Too
Apply the criteria on page 119 to a major character in a significant literary work. Try to choose a character that will have many matches. This is a particularly apt tool for analyzing film - for example, Star Wars, Cool Hand Luke, Excalibur, Malcolm X, Braveheart, Spartacus, Gladiator, and Ben Hur.
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There are many Christ figures in modern literature, especially when dealing with fiction of epic battles and wars and the fight between good and evil. Of course the side of the righteous needs a leader, and one that usually resembles Christ. So in turn the side of the wicked or the "dark side" needs a leader as well, one that model Satin. One of the most popular sires of war and adventure and the fight between good and evil is J. R. R. Tolken's The Lord of the Rings trilogy. His Christ figure of choice is a wizard by the name of Gandalf the grey. Lets briefly take a look at Foster's criteria for a Christ figure. A good Christ figure is someone who is self sacrificing, good with children, known to have spent time in the wilderness, confronted the devil, a wise creator of parables, had followers and disciples, and came to bring salvation. Those all fit Gandalf pretty well. When we first meet him in our story, he is traveling into town on a humble wagon. When the children of the town hear that Gandalf is in town they are excited because he is very entertaining with his tricks. Therefore he is good with children. He acts as the leader of the fellowship with the other members who travel with him acting as his disciples. He even sacrifices himself for them. When the fellowship is fleeing from Balrog, a fiery demon, Gandalf tries to buy them time to escape by blocking the path and commanding that Balrog shall not pass. Gandalf calls on higher powers to help him block the demon's blows. When the bridge, which Balrog was standing on, crumbles, he falls down a pit. He manages to hook Gandalf's heel with his whip and force him down as well. To the others in the fellowship believe Gandalf has died, which becomes apparent by their crying and grief. At the bottom though, Gandalf is alive and confronts the demon, which represents death. After defeating death, he himself passes out of life and wanders through a wilderness of time and space. He is then sent back to life, or resurrected, and later appears back to his disciples. This undoubtedly established Gandalf as a Christ figure. This in important in the story because it makes us realize he reason for sacrificing himself and it also makes us more understanding of some other things he does in the book, such as driving out the spirit of evil in a possessed king.
When an author writes a story with characters that support others or play a big role in people live', they try to relate them to Christ. When people read about the characters and compare them to Christ, the importance of the role played by the character is increased greatly. An example of a Christ figure doesn’t have to have all of the same characteristics of Christ himself. They just have to relate. To me, a character that relates tremendously well is Ma Joad from The Grapes of Wrath. The people in this book are obviously going through a hard time. The fact of not having much and traveling all the way across the desert to a place where you don’t know anything about is pretty stressful. It could cause a family to break up or cause people to give up. The one character that represented Christ in the novel was Ma Joad. Now obviously she couldn’t walk on water like Christ did but what she did have in common was a list of things.
1. Ma Joad was a great mom, therefore she was good with children.
2. She was good with all of the cooking essentials such as fish, loaves, water, and wine.
3. Due to her hard work in the kitchen, it talks about how her hands were big, strong, and cracked because of her dedication to the family. The painful cracks in her hands represent her form of being crucified.
4. Her arms were outstretched to help all that needed help because she knew what a lot of people were going through since she was experiencing it herself.
5. When the family is traveling across the desert to get to California they are traveling through the wilderness.
6. She was very forgiving because the California people referred to them as “Oakies” since they were traveling from Oklahoma and she put up with it.
7. After a while of fighting what was happening to them both eternally and externally, she came to redeem an unworthy world and made the best of it.
8. Last but not least, she also, in a way, had twelve disciples. These characters were Pa Joad, Grampa Joad, Granma Joad, Noah Joad, Tom Joad, Rose of Sharon, Rose of Sharon’s baby, Connie Rivers, Al Joad, Uncle John, Ruthie Joad, and Winfield Joad. Not all of these characters were equally devoted to the same things just like Christ’s twelve disciples.
Ma Joad was a very essential character indeed.
Christ figures are displayed throughout literary works all the time and they help create a deeper and symbolic meaning to the story. An example of a Christ figure is in the movie Seven Pounds, where the character Ben Thomas devotes his life to helping others with illnesses. Some similarities that I found Ben shared with Christ include:
1)Ben Thomas is in agony because he regrets causing the accident that killed innocent people.
2)Ben is self-sacrificing because he helps the terminally ill and other people who actually deserve help. He donates bone marrow to a small boy and donates one of his kidneys to and older woman. He also helps a woman get away from her abusive boyfriend and gives her his house so she can be sure that her boyfriend won’t find her. After his death, he gives his eyes to a blind man and donates his heart to a woman who has been suffering from a heart condition all her life.
3)Ben can make any person like him, not only children because he knows how to make them feel better.
4)He is around the age of 33.
5)Ben is a carpenter because he is employed as an engineer and is always fixing things. He rebuilds the woman’s fence and an old time printer machine.
6)He spends a lot of time in the outdoors, on the beach, where he often is seen sitting and contemplating his life and the lives of others.
I can't remember books as well as movies, so I'm doing a movie for an example. I just watched this movie Gran Torino with Clint Eastwood, and I'm convinced Clint is Christ. Clint becomes fond of the family next door and a gang is ruining that families lives. The one son in that family is told by the gang to rob Clint's Gran Torino, but Clint catches him in the act. Later Clint makes the boy do some good services to help the boy mature and develop into a genuine man. Christ is at work. Clint then becomes a protector of the family. He even goes to confession. What can be more christlike then that. Well he does sacrifice his life for the safety of the community. He goes to the gangs house, where cops are hiding and watching. Clint reaches in his pocket and pulls his hand out fast and immediatly is gunned down. The cops fly in and arrest the gang for murdur of an unarmmed citizen. Clint only pulled out his lighter. He sacrificed his life so the gang would be put in jail. The community is safe because of his heroic act. To top it off, he gives his house to the church in his will. Very sad movie, but I give it a thumbs up.
Christ figures can be recognized everywhere in literature. It always seems to me like stories are all about good verses evil, and usually the people on the good side have Christ characteristics. In the book most of us know, Holes, Stanley surprisingly is a Christ figure. It may not seem like it, but he carries many Christ characteristics.
1)He had wounds in his hands from when the shovel cut him.
2)He is in agony when he is walking through the desert dehydrated. Plus, he has to carry Zero up a mountain which is no easy task.
3)He is self-sacrificing when he runs away from the camp to save Zero knowing that he himself will probably die from starvation.
4)Although he is a kid himself, he still is good with children. This is shown when he is patiently helping Zero learn how to read.
5)He does not make create the water and food, but he brings Zero to the water stream and onions when Zero is dehydrated and hungry.
6)He uses humble modes of transportation because he walks all the way up a mountain. Plus his family is poor, so he has to walk to school and other places because he does not have a car.
7)He is known to have spent time in the wilderness, but he was not alone. He was out in the mountain, and everyone thought he was dead because he was out in the wild for so long.
8)He had confrontation with the devil/Warden when he went to the Warden's house.
9)He was last seen before he ran away with thieves, the Warden, Mr. Sir, and Dr. Pendanski. These people wanted to steal the loot.
10)Stanley came back to redeem the unworthy world. This unworthy world was the camp full of kids whom committed felonies and were forced to suffer in the desert to dig holes. When he came back, he freed those kids from the camp.
Stanley like most Christ figures was not exactly like Jesus, but he is the good guy who portrayed Christ like characteristics.
Different types of Christ figures can be found in many literary works. Good and evil, love and hate, right and wrong, seem to be the story lines to most literary works, but it helps when the characters on either side have been given Christ like characteristics, or devil like characteristics. I believe Harry Potter to be a Christ Figure. An unusual connection I thought at first, but he does have many Christ like qualities.
1) The scar on his forehead from Voldemort, and the scar on the back of his hand from Umbridge
2) In agony because his scar bears a connection between him and voldemort. Also has lost many loved ones to voldemort and death eaters such as both his parents, his god father Sirius, and Dumbledore.
3) Good with people in general
4) Had to use humbled ways of transportation to avoid getting caught by death eaters or voldemort
5) Spent time by himself in the forbidden forest where he was confronted by voldemort
6) Voldemort represents the devil and Harry had many confrontations with him, and was tempted constantly to do his bidding
7) Had disciples, Remus, Siruis, Ron, Hermoine, Fred, George, Ginny, Neville, Hagrid, Seamus, Tonks, and Dobby (and not all were equally devoted)
8) Came to redeem the wizarding world
9) Forgiving of the mistakes his friends and family had made
Though Harry is not exactly like Jesus, or in any way perfect, he does represent a Christ like figure throughout his series of novels.
In much of literature, Christ figures are not exactly the most holy of all characters. Take for instance Randle Patrick McMurphy from Ken Kesey’s One Flew Over the Cuckoo Nest. In the beginning of the novel the ward patients are in a world in which they need deliverance whether they know it or not from Nurse Ratched and her crew as well who of which are all part of the horrid Combine. When they least expect it McMurphy shows up and soon he has his ideas of what should happen at the ward. During the course of the novel, Foster’s criteria can be applied to McMurphy in the following:
1.) He has his share of marks, wounds, and scars one of which is a seam that runs across his nose and cheekbone from a fight. He also has a tattoo and a series of marks, cuts, and calluses on his hands that have been hardened by hard labor. Chief Bromden even mentions that dirt is ingrained in his callused hands forming a sort of map.
2.) He is in some sort of agony because he knows he is the only patient at the ward capable of making the ward change.
3.) He sacrifices himself and puts himself in the spotlight as the greatest burden at the ward to bring about change.
4.) McMurphy has many disciples, among them the Chief, Harding, the ward doctor, Big George, Cheswick, Billy Bibbit, Scanlon, Fredrickson, Martini, and most of the Acutes and the Chronics. Not all are equally devoted.
5.) He is around the age of thirty in the book.
6.) He was last seen (as himself) with thieves, the unholy, and partiers.
7.) He created and instilled many thoughts and ideas in the minds of the patients that helped to improve them.
8.) His purpose in the book was to redeem a new life and world for the patients.
9.) He isn’t married.
Also, though he acts in many ways that are opposite from Christ’s views most of his actions lead to lessons and messages that are holy in meaning. And though he does not venture into the wilderness himself, he does take the patients into the outside world (“the wilderness”) and they go deep sea fishing. As everyone knows, the fish is symbolic of Christ and the Christian religion.
There are many Christ figures throughout all of literature. I am going to use Dr. Robert Neville from the Movie, I am Legend. He is the only survivor of a man-made virus in what is left of New York City. There are still “Darkseekers”, infected humans, which inhabit the city and kill any survivors. Neville is a military scientist who is immune to the virus and is trying to find a way to reverse the effects of this virus. Neville is in agony over the death of his wife and little daughter. He has decided to sacrifice himself for the well-being of the rest of the survivors that made it off of the island. Neville’s goal is to save the human race. He conducts experiments on the “Darkseekers” to try and find a cure. He has a woman and her kid show up because they heard his broadcast on the radio. They are with him when he finds the cure. The “Darkseekers” have found his house and are down in his laboratory. There is only a glass wall separating them. The head “Darkseaker” starts slamming against the wall trying to break it so he can kill Neville, the woman, and her child. Neville even tries to convince the “Darkseekers” that he can save them, but they don’t listen. He gives the cure to the woman, and puts her in a cubbyhole in the wall so she will be safe. He then takes out a grenade and when the “Darkseekers” break through the wall, he lets it off. In doing this, Neville kills himself and all of the “Darkseekers” there. This enables the woman and her kid to get out safely and take the cure to a camp where survivors have settled. Neville saved the human race by sacrificing himself. Neville has many similarities to Christ, and this is why I believe he is a Christ figure. He even sacrificed himself to save man-kind, just like Christ did on the cross.
Whether we realize it or not, there are many examples of Christ figures in both literature and film. One particular example is Neo from The Matrix series. Although a science fiction film seems an odd place for a Christ figure, Neo is quite obviously supposed to represent a futuristic one. He has many traits common to that of a Christ figure. One criterion a Christ figure must have dying and being resurrected. Neo displays this when he sacrifices himself to save Morpheus and Trinity from Agent Smith. He is resurrected and flies into the sky. He has gained new powers and can do things like fly and stop bullets which is comparable to Jesus walking on water. Neo has another trait; it is when he faces the devil in the form of Agent Smith. In the last movie he is in agony due to the death of his wife Trinity which is another common trait of Christ figures. Neo is in his mid thirties which is approximately the age Jesus was when he was last seen. Another trait Neo possess is that he had disciples (Morpheus and his crew at first and then all of Zion) and one, Cypher, betrayed him. Neo saved a seemingly unworthy world, The Matrix, much like how Jesus redeemed the world. In the last scene of the final movie Neo is seen in a crucifix-like position "crowned" with a bandage and surrounded by light.
A Christ figure is common in literary works and movies today. The are usually selfless and are only trying to help people and the world. One example of this is Aslan, from The Chronicles of Narnia. Aslan was actually indented to literally represent Christ by the author. Aslan is a selfless character, and is trying to save the world by defeating the White Witch. He and the other children are eventually betrayed by Edmund, who goes to the White Witch. Despite the betrayal, Aslan takes the place of Edmund when he is about to be sacrificed. He does this selflessly for the undeserving Edmund. Aslan even rises from the dead to save the world and defeat the White Witch, just as Christ had risen from the dead. He also has many characteristics that a Christ figure is supposed to have, including self-sacrificing, good with children, forgiving, rose from the dead, and many others. So not only is Aslan a Christ figure, he was actually meant to be portrayed as Christ re-incarnated in a different world.
When analyzing characters, it’s easy to spot Christ figures in every literary work. In Sue Monk Kidd’s The Secret Life of Bees, August Boatwright is the novels Christ figure.
1 - Her 12 disciples are the 6 Daughters of Mary, her three sisters, Deborah Fontanel, Neil and Zachary. Deborah and April, one of the sisters, pass away. When Lily and Rosaleen reach the Boatwright house, August regains her two deceased disciples.
2 - August is self-sacrificing. August is the type of woman that always puts others before herself. She does everything she can to protect May from her depression problems.
3 - When I watched the movie after reading the book, I noticed that August has her arms stretched out quite often. August always welcomes people with open arms.
4 - August is exceptionally good with children. She knows that questioning Lily right away will just scare her. August tells June to wait before questioning Lily because she knows that Lily will tell the truth when she’s ready.
5 - She forgives Lily multiple times throughout the book. She forgives her for spilling honey, lying and running away from home.
6 - She loves to spend time alone in the forest with her bees.
7 - August provides other characters with insightful and motivational words of wisdom.
8 – Last, but not least, August is a Daughter of Mary just as Christ is the son of Mary.
Christ is the ultimate good guy. He’s the greatest epitome of righteousness, love, and mercy. No one can compare with this man of infinite goodness, which is why, of course, so many authors choose to do so. It sounds backwards, but it makes perfect sense: if there is someone who a great percentage of the populace recognize as being as grand, good, and important as Christ is, authors will jump at the opportunity to apply Christ-like qualities in their characterizations. Of course, no one character holds all of the qualities that the Savior has, but having a few of them definitely boosts their figure. To show as an example, I have picked Obi-Wan Kenobi from Star Wars. First of all, Obi-Wan proves that he’s good with children when he adopts Anakin as his apprentice, and he repeats this later by taking on Luke (by then, having grown a good deal older, a ‘child’ in relation to old Ben can include young adults). These are also disciples. He had confrontations with multiple siths (the devil) and was tempted by some of them to join the dark side. After his apprentice Anakin turned to the dark side, Kenobi was in agony (as Christ had been) about Anakin's decision. He also went into hiding after the extermination order, and was in his thirties at the time of his disappearance (Christ 33 years old when he was crucified). Later though, after living in the wilderness for a number of years (with his main modes of transportation being rather humble), he comes to Luke (as if resurrected), and takes him on as an apprentice (like Christ returning and talking with his disciples). Later on, when he knows it’s time for him to go, he lets Vader (who at the time wasn’t any better than the thieves crucified with Jesus, but used to be his apprentice and friend. (Christ said he was betrayed in the house of his friends--the Jews)) kill him, thus showing his self-sacrifice. He doesn’t stay gone though--he still talks to Luke as a force ghost at various times, offering counsel and guidance. Obi-Wan Kenobi was a sure symbol of Christ, and he continued that relation with divinity even after he died.
James- I agree with you that Obi-Wan does possess many of the characteristics of Christ but I personally think that Luke is the true Christ figure. Though Kenobi does encounter many siths and the dark side, I never found Obi-Wan intimidated are persuaded to the dark side. If you have seen the last of the first three movies created then you know that Luke was tempted by Darth Vader (the ultimate devil) to switch over to the dark side in order to protect his friends. Luke also goes about fixing machines and building robots and is so somewhat like a carpenter and Luke was the one who brought the galaxy back to peace after the destruction of the Death Star. Like Kenobi, Luke also spent lots of time in the wilderness, has many disciples and comrades, was in agony over the death of his aunt and uncle as well as when he found out that Darth Vader was his father. Still, while writing this I’ve realized that Luke doesn’t have some of the qualities of Christ because he is lacking in experience which would completely explain why you picked Obi-Wan over Luke because he was around thirty and middle-age in the last of the Star Wars movies, had created his own teachings, and had power even after death. I still believe that Luke is the ultimate Christ figure but that in the movies we see the formation and trials that molded Luke from a young Christ into the all-knowing Jedi that the viewer expects to see later on (originally George Lucas was planning nine different films, three of which would come after Luke destroyed the Death Star and the death of Darth Vader). You gave a very good answer, it's just that since we have to respond to other people's posts and and I thought differently that I disagreed with yours.
There are many people in books, movies, and even reality that have Christ-like characteristic, but some have more then others. An example of a person from a movie is Noah, in The Notebook.
1. self-sacrificing- He takes time to build her dream house, does everything he can to make her happy, and lives with her in the nursing home.
2. Close to the age of 33.
3. Carpenter- He builds the house himself.
4. In agony- He loves her, and has to live without her for many years.
5. Very forgiving- He forgives her for leaving and also her parents for keeping them apart.
6. Known to have spent time alone in the wilderness- Noah rebuilds the dream house in what seems like a vacant area. It’s near the woods and has a pond. He builds this house alone, therefore spends a lot of time alone in the wilderness.
7. Good with children- While Noah is living in the nursing home with his wife their children come to visit. He is a good father and is great with his grandchildren also.
8. Known to use humble modes of transportation- Noah is seen walking a lot in this movie, and is also seen riding a bike.
I never really noticed so many Christ figures in literature or movies until I began to read a lot of peoples responses, it seems like a Christ figure can be found almost anywhere
Scott I really liked your example of a Christ figure. I never really thought about Gandalf as a Christ figure until I read your post and he has almost the entire required criterion.
Chris - I really liked how you made the realization that Clint Eastwood in Gran Turino was a Christ Figure. I think that this is one of the most clear examples of a christ figure. He protects a whole family and eventually gives up his life to keep them safe. Good job on making the connection.
A character that I see as a Christ figure is Dumbledore in the Harry Potter series. In the later books, he is in agony as he helps Harry find and destroy the Horcruxes that Voldemort created. He sacrifices himself to save Harry and aid in getting a Horcrux, which, unfortunately, had already been taken and replaced with a fake. Being the headmaster of Hogwarts, he was good with the students and helped Harry through his ordeals. He may not have taken humble modes of transportation, but he was humble and worried more about others than himself. In most scenes in the movies, he is often seen with his arms open and inviting Harry into a friendly conversation. He was always ready for company. As old as he was, he had been tempted with many things and was the subject of many stories. When he died, he didn't rise again, but his assistance was needed when Harry took his wand. Finally, he forgave nearly everything and had a lot of people that followed him and looked up to him.
Christ figures line many pages of the books we read each day. Often the Christ figure has to deal with temptation from evil. My example would have to be Santa. He may not seem like a very 'Holy' person, but he hits many of the points of being consider a Christ figure.
1) He is very self-sacrificing given that he spends every day of the year to making one day special to all the boys and girls of the world.
2) Santa is great with children. One day each year every child has a moment of gratitude and thanks. Also he brings them presents full of joy. From my own personal experience with my younger siblings it is amazing to watch their faces light up at the fact that they are special enough to receive their wonderful gifts.
3) Employed as a carpenter - however, Santa may not do all the gritty work, but he sure does help out in the work shop.
4) Rein deer and a sleigh. This is one of the most humble forms of transportations. Everyone knows Santa is coming with they hear the sleigh bells.
5) As Jesus had disciples, Santa has his elves. They constantly aid him and help him prepare for the upcoming Christmas.
6) Lastly, Santa is very forgiving. Even though he checks his list twice to see if you’re naughty or nice, he is a very forgiving man. If you follow the rules and are nice to your follow siblings, parents, and friends I can promise you, you won’t end up with a lump of coal in your stocking.
Santa may not be the ideal version of Christ, but he has many astonishing traits.
Hannah,
Yeah, I was thinking about using a few different people from Star Wars, the other one being Anakin (conceived by midiclorians, sort of like how Christ was conceived), but eventually I just decided to go with Obi-Wan. But you're right, Luke is definitely a Christ figure.
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