Christ Figure In How To Read Literature Like A Professor

This chapter focuses on the importance of recognizing the symbolic elements of Christ. In the New Testament of the Christian Bible, Jesus Christ, the Son of God, came from Heaven to earth in the form of man to fulfill the Old Testament prophecies of the Messiah. He is believed to have lived a perfect life, free from sin, and to have died on a Roman cross for the sins of the world. Sometimes, writers use their characters to represent Christ in different ways. These symbolic characters are known as Christ figures. Foster includes this chapter in his book, How to Read Literature Like a Professor, to help readers see what a Christ figure is, how they can find them, and why they are important.

First off, what is a Christ figure? Christ figures

Everything there is to know about Jesus and his ministry, can be found in the Scriptures. Even Foster backs this up by saying, “To get the most out of your reading of European and American literatures, knowing something about the Old and New Testaments is essential.” (118) Although, not every author is a Bible scholar; most of them know enough to be able to make a connection. However, if the reader is familiar with the Word, looking for Christ figures might be a simple task. For others, their has to be some sort of guide, in order to for the reader to guess what the author is hinting at. With that being said, a reader should pay close attention to words such as “resurrection,” “redemption,” or “sacrifice.” An author might be using these words to describe a character, or a certain situation. Either way, there is a connection to Christ being made. In The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, Peeta Mellark is a Christ figure because , later in the book, he sacrifices himself to save his competitor, Katniss Everdeen. He becomes severely injured, and has to remain in a cave for three days. The symbolism here is in the word “sacrifice,” and three days is the same amount of time Jesus spent in the tomb before His

They are used to represent Christ in different ways, but what is the reason for this. Jesus Christ is important to the literary world. For thousands of years, the stories written about Him have continued to influence and change the lives of many people. Many authors place Christ figures in their novels to remind people of the hope and peace that is found within Christ. A symbolic message, such as this, is encouraging to those that believe. To the unbelievers, it is a way to draw connections between the Bible and literature. For example, a writer might be trying to get the reader to parallel a character’s sacrifice to the greatest sacrifice of all. However, not every author is looking to give out a spiritual message. Many of them, including movie directors, do it without noticing. Even in Michael Bay’s Transformers, Christ figures show up. Optimus Prime is a Christ figure because his mission is to protect the people of Earth from the evil Decepticons. Optimus is also joined by his fellow Autobots, which seem to resemble the disciples of Christ. To top it off, Optimus sacrifices himself to destroy the Cube, a powerful device that the Decepticons are after. However, a more likely Christ figure candidate would be Atticus Finch. In Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus is a caring father that seems to have all the requirements of a Christ figure. He is a single dad, good with children; he