Christ-Like Characters in Modern Media by Julia Young

Christ-Like Characters in Modern Media

by Julia Young

In the most recent discussion in class, it was brought up that Simon could potentially mirror Jesus in The Lord of the Flies. To start, like Jesus, Simon was very compassionate and kind. For example, when Piggy's glasses were hit off of his face, Simon gave them back to him... Also, he tried to comfort Ralph when he was in distress by saying, "‘You’ll get back to where you came from…You’ll get back all right. I think so, anyway’” (Golding 111). Another parallel between Simon and Jesus would be his intellectual thoughts and understandings of the real truth. Rather than go along with the other boys and fear a physical monster inhabiting the island, Simon proposed that they themselves were the real beasts, he says, “‘What I mean is…maybe [the beast’s] only us…we could be sort of…’” (Golding 89). However when he begins to receive confused looks and doubt he trails off. Just like Jesus, Simon was seen as almost ludicrous for his views; no one believed him, even though what he preached was true. The most similar aspect between Simon and Jesus, however, would be their moments before death. Before Jesus was crucified, he went through solitary mental suffering at the Garden of Gethsemane. Similarly, before Simon was killed, he was faced with the very horrifying experience with the Lord of the Flies. Furthermore, like Jesus, Simon died trying to save the boys; Jesus died for our sins, and Simon died for theirs.
After making these connections, I wondered if other characters I knew could be considered Christ-like figures... And these are the ones I found:

Mufasa from The Lion King

In The Lion King, Mufasa can be portrayed serving as a Christ-like figure. Right from the start of the film, he consistently shows wisdom and insight on life, which is an an attribute that is often associated with the Messiah. Like Jesus, Mufasa also sacrifices his own life for the sake of others-- in this case he is trampled by a stampede in order to save his son. Furthermore, not only does Mufasa provide life lessons for Simba while he's alive, but he also appears in the sky during Simba's 'teen years' to provide even more insight (shown in the picture above). This scene can also be related to Jesus' resurrection.

Gandalf and Frodo Baggins from The Lord of The Rings

Gandalf can be closely related to Jesus in many ways. Throughout the story of The Lord of The Rings, Gandalf serves as not only a prophet, but also a teacher. He guides the dwarves/elves/men on their journey and brings them together to maintain peace. Also, similar to Christ performing miracles, Gandalf is able to use magic and enacts seemingly miraculous gestures. His death also follows very closely with the conditions of Jesus' crucifixion. When faced with his adversary, Gandalf stands firm and sacrifices himself in order to save everyone else.

Alongside Gandalf, Frodo Baggins can also be considered a Christ-like figure in The Lord of the Rings... but in a completely different way. In the Christian faith, although he himself was sinless, Jesus carried the sins of everyone on his own back, eventually dying for these sins at his crucifixion. In The Lord of the Rings, Frodo is faced with a similar burden: he was the bearer of the ring, which was created by the greed of mankind.

Iron Giant from The Iron Giant

Growing up, The Iron Giant was one of my all-time favorite movies that I watched pretty much every other week. And just now looking at the relationships between this character and Christ, I can really see the connections. To start off, the Iron Giant essentially comes down to Earth to save the state of Maine during a time of war; this can be related to when Jesus is sent to Earth to save mankind. The Iron Giant also shows attributes of gentleness, kindness, and innocence, which mirror many of Jesus' characteristics. And like most of the characters on this list, the Iron Giant's death is a key similarity between this robot and Christ. The Iron Giant sacrifices himself by throwing himself in front of a missile to save his young boy companion. His death can also be said to reflect the sins of mankind, considering he died through nuclear warfare.

Works Cited

Heard, Sam. "10 Greatest Christ Figures In Film." WhatCulture.com. N.p., 07 June 2014. Web. 28 Mar. 2017.

Golding, William. Lord of the flies. Place of publication not identified: Hodder Education, 2016. Print.

Lord of the Flies, a poem by Liz Ukstins

Lord of the Flies

A Poem

by Liz Ukstins

They started off in a ruined civilization

And now are lost at sea

These children created their own nation

Without adults, they can be free

The boys gather at the sound of a conch

A leader is elected

Soon the boys will become raunch

All except one - Piggy is rejected

What is it about Piggy

that causes others to hate?

Is it his pygmy

or slightly larger weight?

He only wants to help

and always gets shot down

He is see as a useless whelp

Plastered on his face - a frown

Jack simply does not care

and Ralph is too distracted

They may be found ne'er

as they too harshly acted

Who will die and who will live?

That is the question

There will be no peace left to give

and all will end with depression

Will Piggy get murdered

or will he thrive?

Piggy is always unheard

To do his best, he strives

What atrocities are yet to happen?

Will their society become misshapen?

How much time will cease?

Will the hunter become the beast?

What is The Beast?

Beelzebub depicted I'm  Collin de Plancy's dictionnaire in 1825

This same photo is on the cover of The Lord of the Flies

What is The Beast? A rather vague question that can have many different answers. Throughout out the novel The Lord of The Flies by William Golding my personal view has changed drastically. I began thinking that the beast was only the wild imaginations of the littluns (the smaller children on the island) getting the best of them in a foreign place. At this time I felt very little of a threat from The Beast. As the story progressed and the children became more barbaric, I came up with the conclusion that instead of being the wild imaginations, I now believed that the Beast was the self conscious fear of all the children and what they were becoming. This was backed up numerous times, such as Jack shuddering at the image of gore going through his head after his first kill. Even Simon agreed that maybe the beast was real, and it was them. On the topic of Simon, I would like to transition into what my new views of the book are. I now view the book to be an allusion to the biblical stories of heaven and hell with Simon being a figure of holy stature as an angel, or even the great prophet Jesus Christ. Further into the story, the boys begin to form separate tribes. One with the hunters, and the other with the other boys. Simon happened to accidentally witness a pig hunt of the hunter tribe and saw the brutality, and the enjoyment of the other boys. He then witnessed them saw off the head of the pig and hoist it onto a stake. This became the Lord of the Flies. The Lord of the Flies is also the name of one of the seven princes of Hell Beelzebub. Simon witnessed this and it broke him. This part of the book showed that god is no longer with these boys for they have become too menacing and barbaric for even him to protect. This was the point of no return for the boys. Going back to the Lord of the Flies he mentions that he IS The Beast which got me thinking that the Beast was Satan who has taken control of the island and in this case, Hell wins over Heaven as soon as Simon is murdered. I believe that The Beast is Satan because Satan is able to transform to fit the best fear for his victim or victims in this case. He was at first the creepers, then a giant squid, and then a dead paratrooper atop a mountain who was slouching in a strange position. I believe that these kids are not entirely at fault for their actions solely based on the reason that Satan is discreetly trying to corrupt the kids, and he is succeeding.

What is The Beast?
By Luke Romano

Caitlin Scarpa

The Maze Runner summary and review

*WARNING SPOILERS*

The Maze runner, by James Dashner, is a book about a young man named Thomas who is thrown into a confusing world full of unfamiliar people and monstrous creatures.  These people are all boys of around the same age, and they all have no memory of who they really are; all they know is their name.  All of these young men were placed into a giant maze full of terrifying creatures, called Grievers, and they have to find a way to get out.  The only way out is through the maze.  The Grievers: giant slug like creatures with mechanical spikes jutting out in every direction, are what's keeping them from escaping.  The maze doors open every morning and the grievers leave, but every night the maze doors close and the grievers come out to play with anyone who didn’t make it to the door in time.  The only ones who are brave enough to go in the maze are “the runners.”  The runners are the people who run through the maze and try to track its movements to find a way out.  The maze itself moves every night and forms a new shape, making it harder to track and map out.  The boys aren't making any new progress until Thomas shows up, and everything changes.

The book The Maze Runner was heavily inspired by The Lord of the Flies, which we are going to read later in the year, so there will most likely be many similarities.  The boys who are sent to the maze were sent there by a government group called WICKED.  WICKED is trying to study them to find a cure for a disease, called the Flare, which is plaguing the rest of the world, making them into zombie like creatures.  Almost all of the boys in the maze are immune to the disease, which is why they are being studied, they want to see what makes them immune and try to replicate it in others. Every month, one boy is sent into the maze by WICKED, and when Thomas shows up, the whole maze starts to change.  Only a few days after Thomas arrives, a girl, named Teresa, is dropped off by WICKED, she is the only female to ever be sent to this maze.  This is what triggers the “end of the trials.”  The whole maze is sent into dire situations and deadly circumstances.  All of the kids are now facing the clock to find a way out of the maze, and Thomas is the only one who has been able to make any progress in the escape.  

Thomas gets help from a few other people trapped in the Maze including, Minho, Newt, Alby, Chuck, Frypan, and Teresa.  With all of their separate strengths and abilities, they are able to solve the puzzle and find a way out.  

The book series is full of adventure and excitement that really keeps you on the edge of your seat. There are five books in the series so far, The Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials, The Death Cure, The Kill Order, and The Fever code. All of the books help to elaborate on the story and really make the world feel real.  The Kill Order and The Fever Code are both Prequels, which help to shine some light on what the world is facing and why WICKED is experimenting on children to cure the disease. It also helps to give different points of view for the story, and what different people living in the world might think of WICKED and what they are doing.   The Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials, and The Death Cure are all part of the main story, following Thomas and his friends through the trails and their escape from WICKED.   While reading the books myself, I came to love the characters and the story, which fascinated me and made me want to keep reading.  As with any good book, this one contains lots of very happy and very sad moments which send the reader on a roller coaster of emotions, which only makes the reader more immersed in the story.

Even though the book series was phenomenal, the movies were disappointing for anyone who is a fan of the books, for various reasons.  Many scenes and events of the story were cut out in order to make it have more action scenes, which ruined elements of the story.  If this series seems interesting to you, then I suggest giving the books a try first, and holding off on the movies until later.  I would suggest this book to anyone who is a fan of non-stop adventure, suspense, mystery, and action.  

Work Cited

Dashner, James. The maze runner. New York: Delacorte Press, 2009. Print.