Christ figure
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A Christ figure is a literary technique that authors use to draw allusions between their characters and the bibilical Jesus Christ. More loosely, the Christ Figure is a spiritual or prophetic character who parallels Jesus, or other spiritual or prophetic figures.
In general, a character should display more than one correspondence with the story of Jesus Christ as depicted in the Bible. For instance, the character might display one or more of the following traits: performance of miracles, manifestation of divine qualities, healing others, display loving kindness and forgiveness, fight for justice, die and rise again. Christ figures are often martyrs, sacrificing themselves for causes larger than themselves. In postmodern literature, the resurrection theme is often abandoned, leaving us with the image of a martyr sacrificing himself for a greater good. It is common to see Christ figures displayed in a manner suggestive of crucifixion as well; this technique is more noticeable in films than in literature.
[edit] Characters
- Simon in William Golding's Lord of the Flies is spiritually sensitive. He likes to go off on his own (as Jesus did, going into the desert), he "wrestles with the devil" in the form of his conversation with the Beast, or Lord of the Flies (the pig's head on a stick), he goes to the mountaintop to find out the revelation that the "beast" is only a dead pilot, and he is martyred for trying to bring the truth to the other boys. Finally, as Simon's dead body is taken by the sea, glowing creatures seem to form a halo around his head.
- Phineas in A Separate Peace.
- Neo in The Matrix Trilogy.
- Andy Dufresne in The Shawshank Redemption.
- Aslan in the Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis.
- The character Ransom in C. S. Lewis's Space Trilogy
- Rand al'Thor in the Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan.
- Rei Ayanami from Neon Genesis Evangelion. While not as transparent, some interpretations of this character pointed out that the three Ayanami's "incarnations" correspond to the idea of Christian Trinity: Rei I is the Father (the progenitor and the base of all others), Rei II is the Son (who gave her life for the sake of humans), and Rei III is the Holy Spirit (who embraces the entire world). Since the incarnation primarily shown in the series is Rei II, she can be overall considered a Christ-figure.
- Jack Bauer in 24.
- James Cole in Twelve Monkeys.
- Gandalf, Frodo Baggins, and Aragorn, in the novel The Lord of the Rings, each figuring an office of Christ as prophet, priest, and king, respectively.
- Jimmy Chitwood in Hoosiers.
- R.P. McMurphy in One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
- Vash the Stampede in Trigun
- Hod Rod/Rodimus Prime in Transformers.
- Superman, more specifically in Superman Returns. "Everyday, I hear people crying for a savior;" Superman's point to Lois Lane on "why the world needs Superman." Late in the film, Superman is stabbed in the side as Jesus was believed to be during the Crucifixion; after casting the Crystal Continent into space, the fatigued Superman strikes a pose almost identical to that of a man being crucified. Superman wakes from coma in what seems the third day by biblical timekeeping, mirroring Jesus' awakening on the third day after crucifixion.
- Sargeant Elias in Platoon. As he dies from being shot by enemy troops, he falls to his knees, looks towards the heavens with his arms outstretched, mimicking Jesus during the Crucifixion.
- Jordan Collier in The 4400 is widely considered to be a Christ-figure after his reappearance in Season 3: he rises from the dead after being shot by Kyle Baldwin, he has a generally wise and forgiving demeanor, knows things that other people cannot understand, and starts a movement that sweeps the world. Even his physical appearance is in keeping with traditional European interpretations of Jesus Christ, with long hair and a full beard.
- Uncle Tom in Uncle Tom's Cabin.
- Arthur Dimmesdale from The Scarlet Letter. In the last scaffold scene when he acknowledges his sin of adultery, Dimmesdale becomes a Christ figure.
- Yoh Asakura of Shaman King by Hiroyuki Takei, is a kind and wise person who rarely loses his temper and never hates. He is quite willing to forgive the misdeeds of others, and acts a saviour for a number of characters, including Tao Ren, who's upbringing had filled him with hatred and destruction, Bokuto no Ryu, who led a gang and was on his way to a life of crime, and Faust VIII from his own madness after the death of his wife. Throughout the amine & manga, Yoh is forced to fight against his brother, Hao, who is determined to cleanse the world and create a paradise for only the most worthy of shamans. During this struggle to protect those who Hao seeks to destroy (specifically humans and weak shamans,) Yoh dies, but later comes back to life and resumes his battle with Hao while the people of Patch Village, including his rivals and the sibblings of his rivals, pray for his success against Hao.
- Fyodor Dostoevsky used characters who had Christlike love for their fellow man. Some examples include Prince Myshkin and Alyosha Karamazov.
- Santiago of "The Old Man and The Sea" by Earnest Hemmingway
