Religious Allusions
While the film is imbued with a range of religious and philosophical references, Christianity is key in the construction of the narrative and development of the characters. The analogy with Christ is evident from the beginning - Neo is 'the one', the anagram making it obvious that he is the 'saviour' My own personal Jesus Christ'. Neo must suffer and sacrifice to save humanity; he leaves the relative safety and comfort of The Matrix to embark on his journey, he disbelief in his own destiny is signified by the name of his Matrix character 'Thomas' - doubting
Thomas from the Bible and his rejection of Morpheus' demands that he live up to his role as the rescuer of mankind mirrors Jesus' own rejection of his fate 'Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me,' when he prays int he Garden of Gesthemene the night before his crucifixion. The religious resonance heightens the intensity of the movie - Neo IS the saviour of humanity - the world will not survive without his intervention. Jesus is resurrected and so is Neo, through the kiss of true love by Trinity (another religious reference) and it is the resurrection that consolidates and reaffirms his final power. Neo transcends beyond the mortal and breaks the rules of The matrix, because he does not die in real life and is then able to 'see' the world for what it truly is - a computer construct. The inversion of the traditional fairytale where the Prince wakes the sleeping princess adds yet another layer to this film.
Rebirth
The Oracle predicts that Neo might be 'the one' in his 'next life'. Neo is virtually reborn twice in this film - once when he leaves The Matrix and is 'unplugged' from the machines in a scene that is reminiscent of actual childbirth and the second time when he is resurrected by Trinity's kiss. Like Jesus, only the saviour of the world can rise from the dead. Being reborn into knowledge and truth is an element of survival that this film explores, confronting the audience with philosophy, human desires and fears, the idea of responsibility, sacrifice, suffering and faith. Cypher, who, like Judas, betrays his people for material gain prefers materialistic comfort to idealism would probably argue that his actions were to ensure his own survival - he was not emotionally, psychologically or ethically equipped top deal with the reality of life outside The Matrix. He is also 'reborn' back into The Matrix, with no memory of what had transpired before.'Be realistic' is a common phrase, often used to those who tend to avoid unpalatable truths, but this is also a survival mechanism. we deny what we don't want to face. The Matrix brings to the fore al these questions and does not necessarily offer answers. would we chose the blue pill or the red pill? Curiosity might drive us, like Alice, to take the red pill and 'see how deep the rabbit hole goes' but in hindsight, of we could doit over again, what would the decision be?
While the film is imbued with a range of religious and philosophical references, Christianity is key in the construction of the narrative and development of the characters. The analogy with Christ is evident from the beginning - Neo is 'the one', the anagram making it obvious that he is the 'saviour' My own personal Jesus Christ'. Neo must suffer and sacrifice to save humanity; he leaves the relative safety and comfort of The Matrix to embark on his journey, he disbelief in his own destiny is signified by the name of his Matrix character 'Thomas' - doubting
Thomas from the Bible and his rejection of Morpheus' demands that he live up to his role as the rescuer of mankind mirrors Jesus' own rejection of his fate 'Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me,' when he prays int he Garden of Gesthemene the night before his crucifixion. The religious resonance heightens the intensity of the movie - Neo IS the saviour of humanity - the world will not survive without his intervention. Jesus is resurrected and so is Neo, through the kiss of true love by Trinity (another religious reference) and it is the resurrection that consolidates and reaffirms his final power. Neo transcends beyond the mortal and breaks the rules of The matrix, because he does not die in real life and is then able to 'see' the world for what it truly is - a computer construct. The inversion of the traditional fairytale where the Prince wakes the sleeping princess adds yet another layer to this film.
Rebirth
The Oracle predicts that Neo might be 'the one' in his 'next life'. Neo is virtually reborn twice in this film - once when he leaves The Matrix and is 'unplugged' from the machines in a scene that is reminiscent of actual childbirth and the second time when he is resurrected by Trinity's kiss. Like Jesus, only the saviour of the world can rise from the dead. Being reborn into knowledge and truth is an element of survival that this film explores, confronting the audience with philosophy, human desires and fears, the idea of responsibility, sacrifice, suffering and faith. Cypher, who, like Judas, betrays his people for material gain prefers materialistic comfort to idealism would probably argue that his actions were to ensure his own survival - he was not emotionally, psychologically or ethically equipped top deal with the reality of life outside The Matrix. He is also 'reborn' back into The Matrix, with no memory of what had transpired before.'Be realistic' is a common phrase, often used to those who tend to avoid unpalatable truths, but this is also a survival mechanism. we deny what we don't want to face. The Matrix brings to the fore al these questions and does not necessarily offer answers. would we chose the blue pill or the red pill? Curiosity might drive us, like Alice, to take the red pill and 'see how deep the rabbit hole goes' but in hindsight, of we could doit over again, what would the decision be?