Is the seed of the prophet really god?

Biblical symbolism is everywhere in literature. It serves to create allusions between characters and their religious counterparts. Foster lists a set of characteristics for a Christ figure ranging from being 33 years of age to being wounded on the hands, feet, or sides. Not all Christ figures have to follow these rules however. There’s no requirement for the figure to be 33 years old or even male. They also don’t necessarily have to be good. Turning away from literary examples of this, I’ll be focusing on a girl in a city among the clouds.

        

       Living in the clouds seems pretty Christ-like to me but Foster doesn’t include this in his list of determining factors. I say it’s up for debate One of the main characters in Bioshock Infinite is Elizabeth, a girl trapped in the floating city of Columbia. Throughout the game she is often revered as the “Miracle Child,” or most notably, “The seed of the prophet.” She also possesses some amazing powers, able to see the past, present, and future through multi-dimensional portals called tears. The game has a very religious tone but does not scream “Jesus!” in your face. It’s not a biblical tale and Elizabeth isn’t always the good guy. Foster points out that no Christ figure ever meets every criteria because that would make him boring old Jesus. Our Christ figure can shoot guns, stab people with scissors, and even drown a man while still being interpreted as god. 

      I believe it’s safe to assume Ken Levine and his team at Irrational games knew exactly what they were doing when coming up with Elizabeth. If anything can be learned from Foster, it’s that writers almost always know what they’re really saying. Going down the “Check any that apply list,” 4/5 of these things could be attributed to Elizabeth. The main one that can be connected to her is the “Wounded or marked in the hands, feet, or side.” A key factor throughout the game is Elizabeth’s missing pinky. Her pinky is connected to her powers and when she eventually looses her powers it reappears making her “A normal girl with a normal pinky.” Even without her godly powers, she can still be considered a Christ figure.

   

       There are multiple instances of Elizabeth being tempted or, “Accosted by the devil.” It is hard however to determine which one is the most appropriate for the situation. I originally placed Booker DeWitt, her companion for the game, in this role. He is known as the “False Prophet,” throughout Columbia where they believe his sole purpose is to lead the “Lamb of Columbia,” astray. However, a more appropriate example would be Andrew Ryan. He gives Elizabeth the choice to come work for him, where she’ll be treated as a valued employee, or be killed there on the spot. The prospect of not being brutally murdered is very promising even coming from someone we know isn’t to be trusted, but Elizabeth refuses the offer. He isn’t present for long in the game but when he appears, he’s trying to tempt or kill Elizabeth. Booker DeWitt falls more into the “Company of thieves,” category since he steals everything.

     Two other important items on the list are “Good with children,” and “Sacrificing yourself in some way for others.” I’ll try not to go into the entirety of Burial at sea while explaining the connections I found. In a nutshell Elizabeth gave up all of her god-like powers to rescue the orphan Sally after feeling agonizing guilt for leaving her to die. Foster states that agony doesn’t always mean crucifixion. In this case it was the mental torture that drove Elizabeth back. Not only does she willingly sacrifice her powers for this but ultimately sacrifices her life. No one can understand why Elizabeth would do so much for the little sister since many view them as monsters or currency. While a little sister isn’t an entire “Unworthy world,” she is still something unworthy redeemed by Elizabeth.

      The example Foster uses for an unlikely Christ figure is June from “The Bingo Palace.” She managed to affect the lives of those she left behind so profoundly without being an important figure. Similarly, Elizabeth questions whether she’ll be able to make so much as a dent in the predetermined universes she can see. She believes that if the same story is doomed to repeat itself in infinite universes then what hope is there to change it. If you read into the story a little more you realize that without Elizabeth doing all the things in Burial at sea, none of the events from the previous games would’ve taken place. Major battles would never have been fought, major characters would never be introduced, and Sally never would’ve been saved. If that doesn’t sound like something only a god is capable of then I don’t know what is.