The Corrupted Christ Figure In The Poisonwood Bible

While reading The Poisonwood Bible by Kingsolver we understand the biblical influence in the Prices family and the overall book, however upon closer examination one finds many biblical allusions. Yet, rather than simply portraying the story and message in an attempt to convey it to the world, it seems as if Kingsolver desires that those who analyze her seemingly complex book through these allusions will understand her characters on a deeper level and experience what they’re going through personally. As read in How to Read Literature Like a Professor’s sixth chapter “... Or The Bible”; biblical allusions are meant to provide in-depth analysis of a story or character. The reason these biblical references are used, according to Thomas C. Foster

In the novel A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines, there are many literary devices in which create significance in the story. One as such, is characterization. “Reverend Mose Ambrose was a short, very dark man whose face and bald head were always shining. He was the plantation church’s pastor. He was not educated, hadn’t gone to any theological school; he had heard the voice and started preaching. He was a simple, devoted believer. He christened babies, baptized youths, visited those who were ill, counseled those who had trouble, preached, and buried the dead” (100-101). By using this rhetorical device the author is descriptive of

In The Poisonwood Bible, written by Barbara Kingsolver, the aspect of biblical allusion is clearly present throughout the majority of the novel. For example, one of the most conspicuous allusions to the Bible is the way that Kingsolver has purposely named some of the main characters in her book after different people and images in the Bible. Kingsolver uses this biblical allusion to develop important themes, events, and characters in her novel. Kingsolver makes references to the Bible by tying in and creating similarities between important events and themes in the Bible and important events and themes in her novel.

Chapter 14 is about how almost everything, in some form, is a Christ figure. The chapter gives a list to relate characters to. The list is 1. crucified, wounds in the hands, feet, side, and head 2. in agony 3. self-sacrificing 4. good with children 5.good with loaves, fishes, water, wine 6. thirty-three years of age when last seen 7. employed as a carpenter 8. known to use humble modes of transportation, feet or donkeys preferred 9. believed to have walked on water 10. often portrayed with arms outstretched 11.

There is strong juxtaposition in The Poisonwood Bible when it comes to American versus Congolese culture. While Mama Mwanza is viewed as equal in the Congo for her disability, Adah is considered an outcast in American society because of her hemiplegia. Ruth May talks about Mama Mwanza’s disability as if it is something strange, yet she reveals that the people living in their village do not look at Mama Mwanza as any different from them. She says that “Why, they just don’t let on, like she was a regular person. Nobody bats their eye when she scoots by on her hands and goes on down to her field or the river to wash clothes with the other ladies that work down there every day.” The phrasing of this implies that the Price family looks at Mama Mwanza

In “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God”, Jonathan Edwards uses many different examples of personification. One personification would be comparing Hell to an open mouth. Another personification is “The world would spew you out” ( Edwards 2). A third personification would be “Christ has thrown the door of mercy wide open” ( Edwards 4). There are many different types of figures of speech in “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God” by Jonathan Edwards.

This story uses metaphor to mention lots Christian symbols and the different actions between religion-religious people and non-religious people.

An obvious example of a Christ figure is in The Footprints of God by Greg Iles. First, the extremely obvious pointer to a Christ like figure is the title, which implies that maybe a character follows in the footsteps of Jesus Christ. The character that I believe is a Christ figure is David Tennant, the main character, for several reasons. First, David suffers from paranoia and narcolepsy and suffering is one of the Christ figure clues. David also goes into a coma, in which everyone thinks he is going to die, on his trip to Jerusalem, but without any signs of life, he wakes up.

Anna, a Disney character, sacrificed herself for her kingdom and sister. She is archetypally used as a christ- like figure in the Disney Movie, Frozen. Authors often connect characters or actions to broader ideas, such as Christ- like figures. In many works of literature, archetypal characters, situations, and symbols are used to understand the motives behind a character's actions or personality. William Golding portrays Simon as a Christ figure archetype in Lord of the Flies, because he was a selfless person, he encountered the devil in the wilderness, and he came to redeem an unworthy world, but was killed by those he wished to save.

Like many other stories despite the novel’s appalling plot, some of the most prominent characters represent a somewhat Christ-like exemplary figure in some given manner. A prime example, for instance, is Psyche’s appearance to

good example. From my chosen work, the Christ was shown as the image of the good

The author portrays these trials not only in Jesus,

Christ figures are portrayed throughout literary works, and they help create a deeper and symbolic understanding in the novel. An example of a Christ figure in literature would be Simon from The Lord of the Flies. Simon is a little boy with epileptic tendencies who becomes stranded on an island with other boys his age after their plane crashes. Some similarities between Simon and Jesus Christ include:

Jesus as a person is played off of His appearance, people did not hang around Him or feel drawn to Him because of His appearance, He was simply accepting and kind. People were so attracted to the way the He spoke and carried Himself that His appearance did not matter to them. This speaks something of society, that if someone is to carry oneself as a man of dignity and riveting speech, carry themselves full of Christ, appearance does not matter. The mission of Jesus is drawn out as one that is more focused on heart than appearance in this chapter, changing once again what society has drawn

Comparing a character to the Christ figure standard has been literary device seen throughout literature's long history. However, are all the characters attached to this epithet worthy of such a comparison? Cordelia from William Shakespeare’s King Lear has been one of these characters that have been perceived to emulate many of the Christ-figure characteristics. Her unconditional love for her father, even in the face of his betrayal, her capacity for forgiving those that had betrayed her, and her ability to sacrifice her personal safety to come to that aid of her father does seem to complete the picture of her emittance into a literary rendition of the Christ- figure. However, there are still many more characteristics that Cordelia embodies such as pride, her willingness to promote violence to achieve goals and the fact that her death did not become a catalyst of great change, that completely goes against the Christ standard. Does this mean that we should discount and ignore those qualities in order to ensure her acceptance as a Christ figure? If we start to question the saintliness of Cordelia, how does that alter the reader's perception of King Lear and his supposed redemption through Cordelia’s death?