The Theme Of Redemption In The Voyage And Return
Today’s society is saturated with stories. Every day, we see everything from fairy tales to Sci-Fi thrillers to historical biographies. We have entire television channels for documentaries or children's shows, and MPAA ratings are the laxest they have ever been, allowing even younger audiences access to much darker tales. But it isn’t just today’s society that tells stories; all throughout history people have told stories of gods or their ancestors to teach lessons and entertain. Surprisingly, even with this incredible number of stories, each one falls into one of the “Seven Story Types” which ultimately tend to rely on the theme of redemption. This is where we can see another prevalent trait of society: underlying knowledge of the need for
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This one is a bit different, however, because the hero often doesn’t really choose to go on this journey, rather it’s either forced upon them or something they really couldn’t ignore. This journey changes them for the better; then they return home. For example, Toy Story 3 is a well-received Voyage and Return story. With Andy going to college, the toys run away to a daycare, forcing Woody to come with them and try to bring them home. Initially, the toys see the daycare as a fun and freeing place, but as time goes on they see that they’re actually trapped in heartless system. It’s only when Woody returns for them and helps them gain freedom that they can truly be free and understand joy. The movie itself isn’t a religious film, but the religious subtext is fairly obvious when you know what to look for. In fact, there’s even a scene where they’re literally saved from a burning pit. Woody serves as a savior figure who knows what’s best for the toys. However, once the toys start trying to find happiness on their own, they trap themselves in an empty loop of unfulfilled desire. When we as people try to find our happiness in the world rather than God, we end up empty, chasing a happiness we will never find. Psalm 47:4-5 says, “Seek your happiness in the Lord, and he will give you your heart's desire. Give yourself to the Lord; trust in him, and he will help you.” This is why we must put our faith in our savior and trust that he knows what’s best for our lives and what will truly bring us happiness. This doesn’t mean we will necessarily get what we think we need, but we will get what we truly need in
This one is a bit different, however, because the hero often doesn’t really choose to go on this journey, rather it’s either forced upon them or something they really couldn’t ignore. This journey changes them for the better; then they return home. For example, Toy Story 3 is a well-received Voyage and Return story. With Andy going to college, the toys run away to a daycare, forcing Woody to come with them and try to bring them home. Initially, the toys see the daycare as a fun and freeing place, but as time goes on they see that they’re actually trapped in heartless system. It’s only when Woody returns for them and helps them gain freedom that they can truly be free and understand joy. The movie itself isn’t a religious film, but the religious subtext is fairly obvious when you know what to look for. In fact, there’s even a scene where they’re literally saved from a burning pit. Woody serves as a savior figure who knows what’s best for the toys. However, once the toys start trying to find happiness on their own, they trap themselves in an empty loop of unfulfilled desire. When we as people try to find our happiness in the world rather than God, we end up empty, chasing a happiness we will never find. Psalm 47:4-5 says, “Seek your happiness in the Lord, and he will give you your heart's desire. Give yourself to the Lord; trust in him, and he will help you.” This is why we must put our faith in our savior and trust that he knows what’s best for our lives and what will truly bring us happiness. This doesn’t mean we will necessarily get what we think we need, but we will get what we truly need in