Even the Bad Guys Can Be Christ Figures

              This chapter immediately got me interested in reading further just because of its strange title; I was curious to see where Foster was going with this idea. The “too” in the title seems to imply that Christ figures appear abundantly, but I initially could not think of any examples I’d ever seen of Christ figures. It seems sort of contradictory; if there is one Christ, how can there be so many Christ figures in literature? Christ figures aren’t meant to mean Christ himself, of course, but it would seem that there would still be a scarcer amount of them.

              Once Foster introduces his list of Christ-like qualities, he makes it known that Christ figures are much easier to spot than you’d think. If you can recognize just a few similarities to Christ, including the ones on this list, you’ve found a Christ figure.

              Despite the similarities to Christ that a character may hold, I think a certain attitude and connotation toward him/her must be present in order for them to truly take on a Christ-like persona. I don’t mean that the character has to be adored by all or looked to with the utmost admiration. The character, however, may be viewed in a different way than the other characters; he should stand out. I suppose you could even say that a Christ-like character is typically “marked for greatness”, although that greatness can be either good or bad.

              Someone who is a humanitarian could be considered a Christ figure, but so could a criminal who has gained a cult-like following. Harriet Tubman was a Christ figure, leading people to “salvation” in the north, and a huge group of people held a great deal of faith and respect in her. She was self-sacrificing (#3 on Foster’s list of Christ qualities) and had “followers” to some extent (#16 on the list). On the other hand, Kim Jong Un, the dictator of North Korea, also has Christ-like qualities. In fact, there’s probably a good chance that he’s even got some Koreans believing that he himself is God. While he doesn’t really fall into any of the categories on Foster’s list (other than having followers), he certainly is treated by North Koreans in a Christ-like manner. From what I know, his picture is displayed everywhere as a constant reminder of his power. He dictates nearly everything his people say and do, and in this way, he “plays God.” Similarly, the “Little Red Books” of quotes from Chinese leader Mao Tse-Tung resembled the portable copies of the New Testament that Christian often carry with them. Furthermore, it was believed by some to be a great offense to Mao Tse-Tung for the book to be damaged in any way.

              All things considered, the greatest factor in being a Christ figure tends to be the person’s following. To be sure, it’s not the only factor, but if a character or person does not have even a small number of “disciples,” it could be difficult for their other Christ-like characteristics to really shine through.