analysis

for anyone who read this: This paper is a mess right now. I really had a hard time gathering my thoughts and trying to put them down on paper, so good luck with the reading...
“Is there such a thing as forgiveness?” This is the question Judy poses to Angel as she wonders if she can be forgiven from her crime of robbing the bank. Angel answers with a casual “ I hope so.” Clearly at this point he is not talking about Judy and her crimes, he is wondering if he can ever be forgiven of all the awful things he had done in his life. Can he right his wrongs by doing good? He doesn’t know, but is hopeful that he can. When July is accused of murder, Angel learns and understands what forgiveness is.
There are a lot of similarities to Angel in this episode and the Story of Jesus Christ found in the Bible. Angel represents Christ. He takes on the sins of all the people in the hotel. When Judy points her finger and puts the blame of the murder on him. He doesn’t say anything at all. He stands there and lets them accuse him of something he is innocent of. He takes their sneering and mocking and accusing. Christ was also falsely accused. He was mocked and beaten and forced to wear a crown of thorns. He never lashed out or tried to direct his accusers attention elsewhere. He just accepted their accusations. Angel takes the blame that was once on Judy and puts it on himself. He is accepting he wrong doing and is willing to suffer the consequences of them, even death (if he could die) so that she can be spared. Christ did the same for our sins. He allowed himself to take on our sins so that we, in the end can be spared.
Angel allows him self to be hung at the hotel in front of all his accusers. He received no fair trial, no trial at all for that matter. Christ willingly allowed himself to be nailed to the cross and hung for all to see as well. Christ received no fair trial, but ultimately Harold knew he was innocent, just as Judy knew Angel was innocent, but they still sent them to their death. Harold and Judy went along with what the people wanted, even though it was causing an innocent man to lose his life.
Both Angel and Christ possessed the power to stop the people who were killing them. Angel, being a vampire could have stopped them with his strength, and Christ could have stopped them with his power, but both chose to go through with it, allowing the natural consequences to take place.
Angel could not really die, for he was already dead. Christ knew he would rise again on the third day and fulfill his prophecy of his resurrection. Both could not die, which may be why they were so willing to allow such awful things to happen to them. Knowing their lives would go on, possibly gave them the strength to continue on.
Christ does rise again on the third day, Angel immediately frees himself from the noose and ultimately leaves the hotel. Because of Christ’s sacrifice of his own live, we can be forgiven of our sins. Because Angel “died” in front of all the hotel stayers, Judy was forgiven of her sins and no one bothered her about her past.
The big difference between these two is that Christ is perfect and has no sins. Angel, clearly, is not perfect and has a lot of work to do. In the beginning of the episode he does not know if forgiveness is possible. By the end, he realizes it is. By taking on the sins of others he knows what it feels like to forgive. When Judy personally asks for his forgiveness, he immediately grants it, and there again he feel that forgives is possible. He also recognizes that to be forgiven we must forgive others and more importantly our selves.
Angel know that he can be forgiven of his past mistakes. He knows he will have a lot of work to do to truly be penitent, but he now knows it is possible. As he makes all his wrongs right, and begins forgiving himself, he can truly find forgiveness for himself and for other and go on living a happy and fulfilling life.