Textual Analysis Of Edward Scissorhands

Edward Scissorhands is an aptly named film in which a young man with scissors for hands is adopted into a family in the dead heart of suburbia. He reacts with fear but also with a desire to bring his creative hedge-trimming personality into the monotonous world around him. Although initially embraced for being so different, the townspeople are quick to turn on him when events begin to go awry. The critical fact that Edward is a lone man bringing new beauty and imagination into a world of cookie-cutter houses and people screams out the idea that Edward is a Savior-like character. Interestingly, the more perspectives we use to examine the role of Edward in this film the more we can begin to understand how this Edward-Savior metaphor makes sense.

By applying a scriptural, film, filmmaker, worldview, literary or even personal lens when viewing this movie, we can learn more about how Edward acts as a Savior in the movie.
One of the most interesting ways to analyze Edward Scissorhands is by viewing the film through a scriptural lens.

By watching this movie with a theological perspective it is possible to see a parallel between the protagonist Edward, and Jesus. When we examine these similarities we are accessing new themes and messages presented by the director Tim Burton. In particular, we see how Tim Burton represents his image of a Savior through the character Edward. Burton promotes this idea with several distinct similarities between the stories of Edward and Jesus. Firstly, in Edward Scissorhands we are introduced to a suburban world that is in stark contrast to the dark and ominous mansion on top of the nearby hilltop. It is in this dark world that an old, lonely inventor creates Edward, a half man, half robot sentient being. Now, if we view this creation scene through a scriptural lens we can see some similarities to the creation of Jesus. Both the story of Jesus and Edward Scissorhands involve the creation of an otherworldly being who is both innocent and good hearted by someone (ie. the inventor or God) who is high above and isolated from the world below. God, and by parallel, the inventor, belong to a realm far different than that of the ordinary humans

below and therefore both create something that is also far different from ordinary humans themselves. But besides the similarities in how they were both created, we can compare relate other traits and events that Jesus and Edward may have in common. For instance, we see that Edward has a world changing ability to create beautiful hedge art, and by bringing his “otherworldly” imagination and creativity into the dull lives of the suburban characters he breaks off these chains of blandness and conformity. By examining this through a scriptural lens we can see a similarity between Edward’s actions and the way Jesus brought his teachings, and miracles to a world of humans who were trapped in sin. Furthermore, both Jesus and Edward are initially taken in and exalted for their part in helping the world around them but are ultimately betrayed and turned upon by particular groups of people. Where Jesus had Judas, Edward has Jim. Where Jesus is crucified and eventually returns to Heaven, Edward is driven out of town and back to his otherworldly mansion on top of the hill. And lastly, when Jesus leaves the Earth, the Holy Spirit enters the world, whereas when Edward leaves the suburban world, he continues to have an effect by causing the snow to fall on the neighborhood. As evidenced, there are many parallels between the story of Jesus and the story of Edward throughout Edward Scissorhands and all of them contribute to Edward being a Savior-like character in this film.
In addition to the insight gained when viewing Edward Scissorhands with a scriptural lens, when we analyze this film using the film lens we uncover more interesting facets of the movie. For instance, the film lens enables us to analyze the movie’s general concept and genre, which in the case of Edward Scissorhands, reveals more ways the director promoted Edward as a Savior-like character. In particular, this movie reverses the traditional gothic-horror film in that “the dark, forbidding, secret world of the crumbling castle along with its mysterious and otherworldly inhabitant are the source of life and renewal, while the everyday world is empty and bleak” (“The Gothic Imagination,” 2010, p.16). Additionally, where the traditional gothic narrative displays two different worlds coming together by placing ordinary people in extraordinary situations (ie. Traditional horror), Edward Scissorhands places an extraordinary person in a very ordinary place, 1980’s suburbia (“The Gothic Imagination,” 2010, p.16). It is by using this drastic genre reversal, our attention is drawn to Edward and his story and in turn promotes him and his story as someone/something that is special or different from the ordinary, much in the way a Savior is. Therefore, by using a film lens to view Edward Scissorhands we are able to appreciate how flipping the traditional horror genre helps to establish and promote Edward as a Savior-like character for the suburban world that he attempts to integrate into.
Much like we can analyze the effect of the genre and concept by using the film lens, when we use the filmmaker lens we are able to analyze and interpret the films shooting style, sets and editing. In regards to Edward Scissorhands, when we examine this movie through the filmmaker lens we are almost immediately introduced to the stark contrast between Edwards home and the suburban world below. The set used for Edward’s home is dark and dingy and is juxtaposed with the light color palette of the suburban homes and vehicles of the town below and “both are accentuated by their close proximity and obvious difference” (Page, 2006, Kindle Location 1191). By contrasting both worlds Tim Burton accentuates the differences between Edward and the town’s people and by doing so furthers the idea that Edward is otherworldly. When this is coupled with his actions of bringing beauty and creativity to the world, it is impossible to ignore the Savior-like image of his character.
Incidentally, when we further examine the dull, monotonous, and often poisonous suburban world of Edward Scissorhands using a worldview lens we see more of Tim Burton’s opinion on the real world around us which in turn helps to promote the Savior-like characteristics of Edward. Having grown up in a neighborhood resembling that in Edward Scissorhands, Tim Burton clearly has a pessimistic view of suburbia and the nature of the people who live there. Burton has once said “in those kinds of neighbourhoods the only time you’d
ever see the neighbours all together was if there was an accident or something out
front. Then the pull-out-the-lawnchair mob mentality would kick in,” (“The Gothic Imagination,” 2010, p.16) and this is echoed in his film when the townspeople are portrayed as notorious gossipers who are constantly on the hunt for the latest juicy detail. Furthermore, we see three different occasions where people of the suburban town give half-hearted offers to get Edward’s hands fixed with a doctor they know. However, all three offers are never followed through and so the viewer can sense the insincerity that is ever present in the suburban residents (Page, 2006, Kindle Location 1191). This negative worldview of suburban life and the people who live it helps to distinguish how Edward is exactly the opposite. Consequently, by revealing this worldview of the suburban lifestyle, director Tim Burton propagates Edward further into the role of a Savior to the people trapped in this lifestyle.
Similar to the way in which Tim Burton’s negative worldview helps to promote this idea that Edward is a Savior-like character, when we use a literary lens to analyze Edward Scissorhands we see that the tragic story arc also promotes Edward as a Savior. By focusing on the negativity of the suburban world we are able to counterintuitively rationalize Edward as its’ Savior. When watching this movie, as the story progresses we ultimately see the suburban inhabitants turn on Edward and eventually drive him out of the town and back into his old home for the rest of time. Although this initially appears to be a detriment to the idea of Edward having Savior-like capabilities, if we further examine what it means to be a Savior we can see that it was Edward’s actions, not results that make him a Savior-like character. Furthermore, it is the tragic downfall of Edward that brings more attention to the Savior-like effect that Edward had on the town by serving as a parallel to another Savior mentioned earlier, Jesus Christ.
Finally, it is always beneficial to try and relate our own lives to the messages that movies present.

These messages can help us learn and grow into well rounded individuals and this holds true for the central message of Edward Scissorhands. Thus, it is valuable to watch and analyze this film using a personal lens in order to gain personal and introspective growth. In the film, Edward acted as a model of innocence, good nature and most importantly individuality/uniqueness and as such played a role in my developing life by teaching me to aspire to be as good hearted as Edward was but also, more importantly, to embrace my own uniqueness and in turn appreciate how different I was from my peers. By having a message that endorsed creativity and personal differences, Edward Scissorhands may have helped many people become more comfortable with who they were. By having this effect, I can surely say that the character Edward played a Savior-like role in my adolescent life by promoting an idea to be myself as well as encouraging a good-hearted nature to develop within

me.
Evidently, when we watch Edward Scissorhands we can see many aspects that support the idea of Edward being a Savior-like character. By examining the scriptural metaphors using a scriptural lens, we can easily relate Edward to the biblical Savior, Jesus. However, we can also help to support the idea of Edward being a Savior by examining the details of the film itself, through using the film and filmmaker lens. The way the gothic horror genre is flipped in the film and the contrast between Edward’s old home and new, further accentuates how he stands out in a Savior-like aura. Additionally, the negativity that is present when we view the film through the worldview and literary lenses also helps to promote just how good and pure Edward actually is. Furthermore, the innate beauty of Edward’s personality also struck me on a personal level through my adolescence which, when coupled with the supporting ideas from the film itself, has cemented the idea that Edward is indeed a Savior-like character both in the movie realm and in real life.