Topic > The idea of ​​apocalypse in Children of Man and Snowpiercer

The word "apocalypse" refers to the destruction or end of the world. It is also a theme that is often explored in science fiction films as it can spark audience interest. At the same time, the apocalypse is an important idea in the Bible, but the details of the end of the world are not mentioned clearly, which makes the topic more mysterious, so science fiction films like to use some biblical elements to explore the idea. to increase the mystery of the films. Children of Men and Snowpiercer are two apocalyptic science fiction films that use biblical elements to talk about the destruction of the world. Children of Men and Snowpiercer both use biblical elements to represent the idea of ​​taking away man's sins and the symbol of Adam and Eve. However, the idea of ​​God's salvation is discussed in different senses in two films. In Children of Men, the protagonist is actually the representative of Jesus who successfully brings salvation to humans, while in Snowpiercer, Wilford is a divine figure who brings destruction to humans instead of salvation. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original EssaySimilarly, Children of Men and Snowpiercer both use some biblical stories to convey the message that the destruction of the world symbolizes an act of purging human sin. Purging sin is an idea originating from the Bible. In the Bible, the idea of ​​the elimination of sin is reflected in the story of the sinful cities of Sodom and Gomorrah. In Genesis the two cities Sodom and Gomorrah are destroyed by fire and brimstone due to their wickedness. The destruction of two sinful cities represents an act of purification from sin. This biblical element is also demonstrated in Children of Men. In the film, the world is full of crises, including pollution, nuclear accidents, social divisions and terrorist attacks, all caused by humans. All these man-made crises lead to the destruction of man. Although the world in the film is not destroyed by fire like Sodom and Gomorrah, the world will be destroyed by human extinction due to severe human infertility. Those crises represent the sin of human beings since they are created by man's selfishness and cruelty. In this sense, this type of destruction also represents the idea of ​​cleansing sin because the world in Children of Men is full of sin. As for Snowpiercer, the movie actually uses the biblical story: “Noah's Ark.” In Genesis the world will be destroyed by a great flood of water, which also indicates the act of purification from the sins of human beings. In the film, the world is destroyed not by water but by ice as humans try to fight global warming through a science project. Destroying nature is seen as a sin of humans since it is actually created by human selfishness. Therefore, ice is a symbol of a great flood of water, which means the cleansing of human sin. Beyond that, Children of Men and Snowpiercer both use the biblical element to explore the symbol of Adam and Eve. Adam and Eve are two characters portrayed in the Bible. In the Bible, after the creation of the earth, Adam is the first human created to dominate the earth, so Eve is also created from one of Adam's ribs to be his wife or companion. They give life to human beings and also bring civilization to the world. In Children of Men humans become sterile for no reason, not a child is born after eighteen years. Because of this, humanity faces the extinction crisis. However, a woman named Kee is pregnant. It's like a miracle given by God as she is the first pregnant woman ineighteen years old. In the film, Kee successfully gives birth to a baby girl. For this reason, Kee serves as a symbol of Eve. In the Bible, Eve is the first woman who gives birth to the first offspring of human beings. Although Kee is not the first to give birth to a child in the earth, she is the one who manages to give birth to human offspring in eighteen years. Since Kee is the symbol of Eve, the little girl is also the symbol of the first offspring after eighteen years, indicating new life or new hope for human beings. In Snowpiercer, the people on the train are the last survivors on earth while other humans are killed by the ice. However, there is a lower class rebellion within the train as the oppressed lower class lives in terrible conditions while the elite live in the front carriage and have the best food and resources. Eventually, the rebels carry out an exploit inside the train, and at the same time, the train crashes into the snow-capped mountain. All the people on the train die except a boy and a girl. Eventually, they exit the train and find that the earth has survived. The girl and boy are the signifiers of Adam and Eve because they are the only humans who can give offspring to the earth. They are like starting human lives, bringing civilization back to the world. On the other hand, Children of Men and Snowpiercer both discuss God's salvation, but express different views regarding the idea of ​​salvation. In the Bible, salvation refers to "liberation from sin and its consequences", Jesus sacrifices his life to bring new hope to human beings. In Children of Men, Theo serves as a representative of Jesus as his name references the Greek word «θεός», which refers to God. For example, there are several shots focused only on Theo's feet, which is a reference to the bathroom of Jesus' feet and sandals. In the film, Theo is the only one to accompany Kee and keep the child safe, indicating that it is like Jesus who can give salvation to humans. In the end, Theo takes Kee to the boat, he sacrifices himself and dies. In this sense, his sacrifice is significant of Jesus' salvation. Like Jesus, Theo successfully gives salvation to humans as he manages to bring Kee and the child to the human project organization, which means he gives a new life or a new light on the crisis of human extinction. As for Snowpiercer, Wilford creates the locomotive and train to save humans from the Ice Age. As mentioned before, the train is like Noah's ark, saving humans from the end of the world. Therefore, Wilford is a divine figure who brings salvation to humans. However, this is not a true salvation as Wilford creates the train out of selfishness and greed. His selfishness and greed may be reflected in his control over the people on the train. Since Wilford is the creator of the train, he is like a God who can dominate humans on the train. He creates a class difference as he intends to possess power and save resources for the rich like him. The rich in the front car can enjoy the best treatment and food, while the poor in the last car live in terrible conditions. The poor are fed protein bars; they are also oppressed and punished by Minister Mason. As a result, class difference contributes to the rebellion of the people of the last machine as they want to fight against the oppression of the rich. It can be seen that it is not a true salvation since Wilford himself is not the chosen one representing God to give salvation to human beings. On the contrary, he is a selfish man who aims to possess divine power by ruling the people on the train. Therefore, Wilford is not a true savior who gives people “deliverance from sin and its consequences.” Instead, it leads to further destruction of human beings due to the..