Essay: Symbolism in The Matrix

The Matrix explores and goes deeply into Christian mythology. There are a lot of other illusions and references in the movie, but none as important then Christian mythology. Without getting into any other form of religion or mythology, I will show you the three major examples on why Christian mythology is depicted as the greatest set of illusions. The first illusion of Christian mythology is that Morpheus represents as a father figure to Neo, and Trinity are the three people who are going to save the Matrix, and a set of three people is a major symbol in the bible. Lastly, the most important illusion is the character Neo is known as a savior because he is also known as “The One”. All of these illusions are shown in some form in the bible at one time of another and how these characters represent some of the high power in Christian lore.

In the matrix the person that teaches and mentors Neo, is Morpheus. He acts and is treated as a father figure to everyone but in a stronger sense he shows it more to Neo. He believes that Neo will be “the one” and he will come to save the matrix no matter how much it takes. He acts as the “Godly” figure to the characters because of the father figure role he plays. In the bible God is the father of all humans and teaches everyone the way of life. Once Jesus was born he passed his teaching down to him so that Jesus can carry out his beliefs and way of life to people on Earth. This is same illusion that Morpheus teaches his the people of the matrix before Neo arrived. Once Neo arrived he then taught Neo everything he need to learn about the matrix and the way of life inside the matrix. He teaches Neo this incase anything would happen to him that Neo would be able to carry out his teaches to anyone in the future. Although, Morpheus would be able to teach Neo everything he knows, it would be up to Neo to fulfill his prophecy. Even from the beginning of the movie, Neo trusts Morpheus right away. Morpheus says, “I can guide you, but you must do exactly what I say”. This compares to the way Jesus was taught by God, and the way Jesus would trust his father.

The second illusion would be the way that Neo, Morpheus, and Trinity represent the Holy Trinity. As Neo is represented as Jesus Christ and Morpheus as God, Trinity is the last piece and is shown as The Holy Spirit. Her name Trinity is a major example because she is the last piece of the holy three. Also, the religious meaning to Trinity is “three in one“ as they are all one. If one was missing they would all be missing the last piece to the puzzle in order to save the matrix. She has an impact on both Neo and Morpheus in several ways. Also, Trinity has a relationship that is deep with both major characters. Her relationship with Morpheus is similar to a father-daughter relationship because of how much of Morpheus is a father-like character. Her relationship with Neo is on a much stronger level because of the prophecy that the oracle gave to her. The oracle told her that she would fall in love with a “dead man” and that this “dead man” would become the one. She, as compared to the holy spirit, is the reason why Neo was about to live. The bond that these three share is one of the main reasons why they are compared to the Holy Trinity.

The final and most important symbol of Christian mythology in the matrix is the significance of Neo being resembled as Jesus Christ. Neo is known as “The One” and a “savior” to the people inside of the matrix. As the bible says, Jesus gave up his life for the lives of others. There are two situations where Neo had to sacrifice himself for the greater good of others. There was a time where Morpheus was being held in the matrix and they were going to let him die because they thought it would be impossible to save him. Neo then stepped up and said that he would save him no matter the cost. The other moment where Neo becomes a savor is when he is fighting Agent Smith, who is the “Satan” character of the movie. Agent Smith ends up killing him and Neo ends up being dead for 72 seconds, in comparison to Jesus being dead for 72 hours. Neo is then resurrected by a kiss from Trinity, the “holy spirit”. After Neo is resurrected he is able to become the savor that he is destined to become. Neo also has to become the savoir on his own in a certain way. Morpheus was going to help Neo in every way possible, but only Neo was going to be able to carry out the prophecy alone. These are major symbols that show Neo as a Jesus Christ figure because of the trails and tribulations that he put through in order to be “the one”.

As there are many other minor illusions that is tied into Christianity, the three major ones all deal with Neo, Morpheus, and Trinity in some way. This shows that those three really are illusions of the “Holy Trinity” inside the matrix. Either it’s the way Morpheus in the father figure of the three, how Trinity is the last piece of the puzzle because of the relationships she shares with Neo and Morpheus, or how Neo is the “savior” or the Jesus Christ of the Matrix. These are the major things I have learned as a child growing up going to Catholics schools. The importance of The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit and how important they are in leading a good life. The way that the trio deals with the matrix is the way that the holy spirit deals with the way of living in humans.

My information came from: http://www.ehow.com/how_2291847_find-christian-symbolism-matrix.html