Templeton

Snap!

The familiar sound of death rung in Templeton’s ears. The same crack that sent his whole family, brothers and sisters, aunts and uncles, to their wooden graves. Templeton gingerly crawled forward, ears pricked, eyes widened, trying to get a glimpse of the latest victim. It’s Edmund. “I was never very fond of him anyway,” murmured Templeton. Now he was to wait, as he had been after the last few killings. He had been too frightened to pursue the fellow who collected the corpses of his friends and family, although he knew the human who reaped their poor little souls. Caius was the town’s fur trader and dealer, and he had been working on a special pelt, one of mouse skin. As the meaty hands grasped the lifeless body of one of his own, Templeton prepared to pursue the psychotic creature and find out where his brethren had gone. Footsteps thundered, and his heart hammered in his tiny chest. He scurried after the huge leather appendages, hoping to find the source of his misery. He followed Caius in the shadows of his store, dashing through holes in the wall and making sure to avoid any more traps. He entered back of the store, surrounded by coats made of any animal fur imaginable: fox, rabbit, beaver. Then he saw it. A shawl made of tiny brown pelts, stitched together, a quilt of demise. Templeton barely held back a horrified squeak. The skins of his family and friends hung on the wall...it disgusted him.

The opening of a door led Templeton to run to the nearest dark corner, and he watched as an elegant young woman entered the store. She was dressed wealthily, as if she were a princess, but looked extremely distressed. She heaved her purse over her shoulder, and walked up to the counter. “What can I do for you, ma’am?” questioned Caius. “I need some help,” the woman replied. “I need something that will guarantee me a husband, and a rich one at that. Daddy kicked me out with no money, and told me to figure it out. I only have a couple hundred dollars left, so what do you have?” “Well,” Caius leaned over the counter, getting closer to the woman. “I’d be more than happy to let you stay with me…” “How about that one?” the woman said, pointing to the back of the store and ignoring Caius’ attempt at seduction. Caius stood erect, smoothed his balding head, and glanced at the mouseskin coat. “That’ll be about $400, ma’am.” “I’ll take it.” She placed four crisp bills on the counter, and the transaction was completed. The woman put the pelts over her arm, and made to leave the store. Templeton scurried after her.

Days later, the woman, whom Templeton named Corinthia, had found a partner. Templeton had followed day and night after this woman, wearing his family like a prize. He scampered in and out of holes and shadowy corners and never paused unless she did. He had been reduced to nibbling on grass and crumbs, and was thoroughly exhausted. Corinthia had been staying in one place for a few days now, and there was always a ruckus at night. Templeton even had a shoe thrown at him once.

Corinthia had been planning to seek revenge on her father by giving him what seemed like a gift, but what was really something unusual and disgusting. She stared at the coat that was strewn on the floor.

More days passed and Templeton was on the verge of starvation. He had no idea why he was still pursuing Corinthia, and made to leave soon. On his way out, a mouthwatering scent tingled his nostrils. He peered around the room, looking for the source of this delectable smell. He locked his eyes on a piece of a yellow, creamy substance. He dashed towards the treat, unable to resist his famished stomach’s continuous growl. He couldn’t focus on anything except the food and the wood beneath his feet. He went to devour it in one chomp…

Snap!

The woman arrived at her father’s house, accompanied by her new partner, Kent. She had in her hand a few cheeses and crackers, and a mysterious meat Kent or the father had ever seen or tasted before. The father took a bite. “Fantastic!”, the father exclaimed, “although it is in need of a bit of salt.”

Gregor Samsa: Beetlejuice

As I've begun to explore Franz Kafka's short stories, I've come to the conclusion that he does not like the way society is today. His worlds, at least the ones he has depicted in his writing, are bizarre, hostile, and dehumanized, and reflect or rather symbolize modern society's anxiety and alienation. Frequent quarrels within the self give way to skirmishes between characters.

 Kafka's most well-known work, The Metamorphosis, delves into the complex emotions of a family in turmoil. While the family's emotions go from shock to fear to mere sympathy and ultimately alienation, Gregor's mind is still intact and he feels the same for his family. One of the main symbolic structures within the story is, obviously, the theme of metamorphosis. This theme doesn't just apply to Gregor's physical transformation into a bug, but to other family members, namely Grete, the sister. At the beginning, she is just a fragile young girl who clings to her family out of necessity. But by the end of the story, thanks to the new pressure of supporting her family and taking care of Gregor, she has matured in both stature and mind. This is shown through the parent's realization that she has grown into a young woman and that it's about time to find her a husband. The entirety of the family goes through a metamorphosis as well, as their monetary problems become smaller through out the story, and after Gregor dies, they become reinvigorated.

Another reoccurring theme is the limits of sympathy. The family battles sympathy and revulsion towards Gregor's new form. The mother and Grete hold onto a shred of hope that Gregor still has a little bit of humanity within his shell. Grete even becomes his caretaker, and the father shows some sort of compassion by just allowing the others to take care of him. Eventually, however, the stresses of Gregor's presence wear their sympathy thin. Grete and the mother are so revolted by Gregor's appearance that they can't stand to be in the room with him. The fact that Gregor cannot convey his human thoughts only strengthen the family's feeling that he is an actual insect. Ultimately the sister, who has shown the most compassion, decides that it is time for Gregor to go.

The theme of alienation is also apparent throughout this work. The distance created by his appearance  is both physical and emotional. Not only is he alienated from his family in his new body, he is also alienated within. This is so because while he can think as a normal human would, he cannot express his thoughts and soon becomes disconnected from body and mind. Gregor is also alienated from his family by his physical appearance and doesn't even attempt contact, as he hides everytime someone walksin his room. This alienation was foreshadowed by his growing disconnect from his family through his human work.

Kafka shows the disconnect and maturity of not just the family depicted in this story, in all of his other works as well. This is the tragedy of the modern family, in his eyes.

AMC: Christ central

So the formula for a Christ-figure: wounds, self-sacrifice, followers, among many others. One of the most popular TV shows on air currently is headed by a Christ-figure. Now granted, he's not the most ideal candidate, but that's what makes it fun. Rick, the protagonist in The Walking Dead, fits the bill pretty well. Within the first episode, he wakes up in an empty hospital with a giant wound. Now not only does he have a wound, but he wakes up after being in a coma, almost dead. Sounds a lot like the Easter story to me. He was obviously thought to be dead, so when he arrived at his family's camp, everyone freaked out, much like in the biblical story. He has had many confrontations with the "devil and his demons, and possibly even encountered a Judas-like character (his best friend tried to kill him, and slept with his wife). He becomes the leader of his group, much like Jesus, and they look to him in times of moral, mental, and physical stress. He sacrifices himself multiple times for his family, especially his son (self-sacrificing, good with children) and came help people, or at least survive in a zombie-infested world (came to redeem an unworthy world). Basically, everything on the "Christ-figure List" in HtRLLaP includes traits or experiences of Rick.

Another show on AMC is Breaking Bad, the story of a chemistry teacher who is terminally ill and decides to join the drug trade to provide for his family in the coming years. Some would hesitate to call Walt, the protagonist, a Christ-figure. After all, he commits some very unjust crimes such as murder and solicitation of illegal substances. But his motivation is morally solid, because he is committing these sins to support and save his family and friends. He is self-sacrificing, has a death sentence (like Jesus knew his ultimate fate) with cancer, is in constant moral and physical pain, good with children (his son and daughter), spends time in the wilderness (meth lab), and has many confrontations with the "devil", or his boss. He ultimately destroys his "devil" by killing his boss and his followers, much like Jesus attempts to do throughout the Bible. He is constantly in the company of thieves and criminals, and even though he technically is one, he attempts to get rid of his sins and wrongdoings throughout the series. You could even venture to say that he came to redeem an unworthy world, as he eliminates all of his enemies that are making the world (drug trade) violent and fatal. While Walt isn't quite a carpenter, he is involved in another humble field of work that is also Christ-like: teaching. Jesus was a humble worker, as well as a teacher.

Everything is biblical..whether you like it or not

Christianity is one of, if the not the biggest influence on all aspects of Western culture. It was bound to work it's way onto the pages we read. Almost all literature has a biblical reference to be made, whether it was intended or not, and HtRLLaP stressed that fact. Some of the greatest literature of all time has included (and probably unintentionally) Christian figures in parables in their plot. Archetypes such as the lamb, burning bush, rivers, etc. are commonly used to indicate a Christian presence. In William Blake's coinciding poems "The Lamb " and "The Tyger", there are strong Christian indications. In the Lamb the character that is narrating is praising towards God and the "lamb" (Jesus). You could also make an argument in "The Tyger" that the narrator is describing the creation of the Devil by the same God who made the Jesus.

In the book Beloved, there are many biblical references. Probably the most notable one was the one of the the four horsemen who come riding up to her home. In a frenzy, Sethe, the main character, kills her two year old daughter. This might not make any rational sense, but if you dig a little deeper, you might see why it made sense to her. In biblical terms, the four horsemen bring about the Apocalypse. In this book, the fourth horseman carries a rifle. In the Bible, the fourth horseman is Death himself.

One lesser known, but still important, biblical stories is contained within John Steinbeck's East of Eden. This is the story of Cain and Abel, the world's first sons. Cain becomes jealous of Abel, and commits the first murder. In Steinbeck's work, Charles is our Cain and Adam is our Abel. Charles becomes jealous of his brother and attacks him, bur doesn't kill him. Later Adam becomes his biblical counterpart, and has two sons that take up the Cain and Abel roles. Cal and Aron are the sons, with some allusion to the biblical character's name, as Cal represents Cain and Aron represents Abel. Cal also becomes jealous of his brother, and his hurtful actions lead Aron to join the military, leading to his ultimate demise in WWI. Cal's response on his brother's whereabouts also parallels Cain's response. Cal's response is "Am I supposed to look out for him?" while Cain's was "Am I my brother's keeper?"



There are countless other examples throughout all genres of literature. You don't have to be a biblical scholar to pick up on these allusions, but now that I know what to look for, I've started enjoying and understanding literature a lot more throughly than before.