Exemplification Essay: Symptism In Part One

In the New Testament, baptism is a symbolic ritual where one is submerged under water after receiving Christ as their savior. The water symbolically washes away their sins and gives them a new birth in Christ (Acts 22:16). Near the end of Part One, John fishes Mary 1’s dead body out of the sea and carries her to the stage as water continues to pour out of her body (76). In this moment John symbolizes Jesus, who tries to fish Mary 1’s lost soul out from the seas of sin. The continuous flow of water from her body represents the sins that have engulfed her life. Her baptism was not done in Christ’s name, but instead took place in the seas of the world. Instead of resulting in a new birth, her baptism results in death. In the final scene of Part …show more content…
In the final scene of the play, the sky turns white to signify that his character has finally learned how “to negotiate the flows of life” and has reached his own restoration without the help of God (Al-Shamma 132). P is obsessed with wind, recording its sound as a gift for Mary 1 when he leaves for combat (156). One night while P is overseas, Mary 1 calls J over because she is frightened by the strong winds blowing outside. After calming her down, J exclaims, “I am just the one who came over to stop the wind” (173). J’s association with calming the wind directly relates him to Jesus. In the book of Mark, a great storm came upon the disciples while Jesus was at sea with them. As the disciples struggled to keep their boat afloat, Jesus continued to sleep throughout the storm. Once they awoke him, Jesus “rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace, be still!’ And the wind ceased and there was a great calm” (Mark 4:39). The wind is also associated with the Holy Spirit, coming in the form of a strong wind when the early Christians first received His presence on the day of Pentecost (Acts