Religion is the dominant topic in the film Wise Blood, and many characters have complex relationships with the idea of religion. Sabbath’s fascination with the shrunken man and her imitation of the virgin Mary contains plenty of symbolism. But I’m going to be honest. I don’t have time to unpack all of that. So Hazel Motes’ fear of religion, which most of the film is centered around and which ultimately leads him to mutilate himself, seems like a good place to start when evaluating Wise Blood.
In
the film, Hazel says that he is going to start “the church that the blood of
Jesus don’t foul with redemption” (Wise Blood). Hazel is adamant about his
disbelief in Jesus. But after watching the end of the film, I began to wonder; If
Hazel does not believe in Jesus, then why – after he blinds himself – does he
attempt to imitate the actions of Jesus?
 |
| Hazel Motes in Wise Blood. (I'm sorry in advance for making you stare at this picture). |
I found Hazel’s actions at the end
of the film exceedingly disturbing, but I could not deny that there seem to be parallels
between Hazel’s actions and the events that the Bible speaks of Jesus enduring just
before his death. Hazel wraps barbed wire around his body, and though barbed
wire may not at first seem biblical, the barbed wire is reminiscent of Jesus’
crown of thorns. The bible says “upon Jesus’ already bloodied head, a crown of
thorns was pushed into Him, thus causing exceedingly more blood to flow” (New International
Version, Matthew 27:29). In the film, the barbed wire cutting into Hazel’s skin
leaves a trail of blood on the sheets. This parallel of the flowing of blood seems
to suggest that Hazel spills his blood because he believes that it is the way
to redeem himself.
When I saw Hazel’s blood spilled
across his sheets, I began to think about a quote from Hazel. He says that he
is “peaceful because my blood set me free” (Wise Blood). Hazel’s statement
seems to imply that he believes he has the power to redeem himself just as Jesus
is supposed to have the power to redeem sinners. For someone who claims not to believe
in Jesus, Hazel mimics Jesus in ways that astounded me as disturbing and
desperate attempts at redemption. There is irony in the fact that through grotesque
mutilation, Hazel attempts to become like Jesus, thus bringing himself closer
to God – Something that Hazel has tried to escape for most of his life. In
trying to prove that he doesn’t need Jesus to save him, Hazel becomes a crude
imitation of Jesus, and dies in a small room. Hazel – who wishes to save only
himself from the wrath of Jesus – is a far cry from the Jesus whose blood “is
poured out to forgive the sins of many” (New International Version, Matthew 26:28).
Sources:
The
Bible. New International Version, Biblica, 1978.
Wise
Blood. Directed by John Huston, New Line Cinema, 1979.
Hi Danielle! Your post was very interesting, and I loved how you discussed a new viewpoint of the ending. After reading your post, I totally see the signs about how ironically Hazel mimics Jesus and how he died on the cross. Throughout the entire movie, Hazel tries to get away from Jesus and start a new church with a new symbol of Jesus. However, Christianity and Jesus never leave him in the movie. For instance, did you notice how when Hazel was preaching on top of his car, there was a huge sign behind him that said “JESUS CARES?” However, when Solace Layfield (the false prophet) was preaching on top of his car, there was a “Pepsi-Cola” sign behind him. How ironic is that for Hazel he gets the religious sign and Solace gets a regular soda ad behind him. Another scene that pairs Hazel with mimicking Jesus is the scene when Sabbath comes into the room acting as the Virgin Mary with the shrunken body. Hazel wants nothing to do with Jesus and by Sabbath coming in mimicking Mary and carrying the baby as ‘Jesus,’ this scene gives him a pretty good reason to get mad and destroy the doll by throwing the object out the window.
ReplyDeletehttp://jsr.fsu.edu/wblood.htm
Delete