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A short note about the prodigal son
The Parable of the Prodigal Son." literary analysis
A short note about the prodigal son
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The “Prodigal Son” is much more than a short story. Though seemingly simple and straightforward, it encompasses many important themes and symbols. The three main characters (Father, younger song, older son) all represent one aspect of the religious undertone that is carried throughout the duration of this tale. While the concept of family is prevalent in this story, what is actually more important is the symbol of Jesus and his followers that is communicated through the idea of family. The family embodies the idea of God, sinners, and Pharisees. Each character in the prodigal son represents one of these three symbols, and through the use of the symbols the audience is able to accept the idea of sinning, and layer it with the idea of repentance, in order to maintain the religious foundation this story was built upon.
The first symbol that we see in the story is the younger son. Right away in the first sentence we gather a sense of the type of person he is. He says, “Father give me the portion of goods that falleth to me” (27). “Even though the son would eventually get goods from his father, by asking this question while his father was alive, he is implying that he wishes his father to be dead” (Questions). Soon after he receives his share, the son gathers all of his belongings and takes a journey into a far country. We see the first major symbol of Jesus and a sinner in the quote above. When the father gives his son the money and watches him go, “this is a representation of Jesus letting a sinner go in his own way” (Question). However, the son did not succeed on his own with the giving’s of his father, “There he wasted his substance with riotous living… And he would fain have filled his belly with the husks that the swin...
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...it also highlighted the religious figures to which the three men represent, and the way in which male dominance was important in transmitting the story’s overall message of repentance.
Works Cited
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Fairchild, Mary. "The Prodigal Son." About. N.p., 2011. Web. 4
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Fleischer, Roland. "Rembrandt, Rubens, and the art of their
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"Meaning of the Prodigal Son." Gotquestions. N.p., 2011. Web.
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Another prevalent symbol to me is the idea of sin. In The Ministers Black Veil Hooper just suddenly one day shows up to church wearing a veil. At first the people are sort of angered by it. People soon start to flock to his congregation to view the spectacle, and go so far as to test their '"'courage'"' by seeing who will go and talk to him. I think that the veil could represent sin. In The Ministers Black Veil Hooper was either trying to hide his sin from the people so that they could not judge him, which is god"'"s job, or maybe he was trying to protecting his self from the sins of the people. In the end of The Ministers Black Veil Hooper dies, and sees his congregation all wearing black veils, which would probably hint that maybe it represented the sin in all of us. In The Birthmark Georgiana"'"s birthmark could represent, as some religions believe, the original sin which is bestowed on all by the '"'hand'"' of god. But, unlike Hooper, Georgiana could not help her markings.
Jesus’s Parable of the Prodigal Son, found in the book of Luke, Jesus extols the power of repentance and forgiveness, as the lost son is welcomed back by his father after he repents.
The wise men’s actions which are affected by heavenly interventions (the star and God’s revelation in their dream), disclose the real nature of Jesus in this fragment. Therefore, Jesus is not just the “King of the Jews” but a being of worship and divinity. The wise men represent the people who seek salvation, someone to lean on, and an opportunity to omit sins. On the other hand, King Herod who is not present in the fragment, but mentioned, may represent the people who are interested in finding the truth, but are not doing anything in order find it. King Herod fears that his position as King is compromised, and by that driven fear he deceits the wise men. As a final point, the themes of deceit, the way people are represented and divine interventions play a significant role in this fragment, which will accompany THE NEW TESTAMENT as a
In this story Parable of the Prodigal son the dad kinda shows that he loves the second son more than the first and that he’s picking favorites. I think that every family has their favorite child, but they don’t let none of the other kids know that he or she is the most liked. I don’t think it’s right to pick one kid out of all your kid and say that they 're your favorite. You should love and treat your kids all the same. no matter how much one kid bugs you more than the other. Don’t be the parents who makes it obvious that you have one kid you like more than the rest of your kids. Don’t be like the father who shows it in front of the other kids by giving one kid a bunch of money. “And he said unto him, Thy brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath received him safe and sound” Page 304, Verse
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