Biblical Allusions in Literature

Question 1

What is a summary of the book of Job?

Answer 1

Job was a man who was faithful to God and was very wealthy and blessed. Satan decided to test Job by stripping away basically everything in life from Job, but Job remained faithful to God. The book consists of the words of Job in response to his three friends who give bad advice and God’s response to Job and his friends.

Question 2

Why might an author allude to Job?

Answer 2

Characterize someone as long-suffering, having to endure many hardships; show a character who never wavers despite many unfair struggles, etc.

Question 3

What is a summary of the book of Lamentations?

Answer 3

It is a collection of five chapters which are expressions of extreme grief or sadness due to the fall of Jerusalem, along with various cities, likely written by Jeremiah, who ends it with a plea to God for restoration.

Question 4

Why might an author allude to Lamentations?

Answer 4

To create a sorrowful mood, to add stylistic, poetic elements to their writing, to establish a feeling of great sadness due to destruction, advance theme of grief, etc.

Question 5

What was the Garden of Eden?

Answer 5

The paradise created by God for Adam and Eve to live.

Question 6

Why might an author allude to Eden?

Answer 6

Establish a setting as harmonious, peaceful, a paradise; to show the ideal world to live in, to show a positive relationship between all living things, etc.

Question 7

Summarize the story behind the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil.

Answer 7

This was the only tree in the Garden of Eden that God told Adam and Eve not to eat from.

Question 8

Why might an author allude to the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil?

Answer 8

Advance the theme of temptation, to emphasize the impact of modern-day sins by comparison, to create a weakness in a character, etc.

Question 9

Who was Adam?

Answer 9

The first man and human God created, who succumbed to temptation by eating the forbidden fruit.

Question 10

Why might an author allude to Adam?

Answer 10

To emphasize the roots of humanity, to characterize a male as tempted by his wife/women, to show a character whose mistake changed their life, to represent mankind as a whole, etc.

Question 11

Who was Eve?

Answer 11

The first woman, the wife of Adam who succumbed to temptation from the serpent and tempted her own husband.

Question 12

Why might an author allude to Eve?

Answer 12

Emphasize the theme of temptation, betrayal, to characterize a woman as a temptress or one who falls prey to temptation or is impressionable, to display the “mother of humanity” as the first woman, etc.

Question 13

Describe the significance of the serpent.

Answer 13

The one who tricked/tempted Eve, the devil in disguise, a crafty creature who was cursed because of his actions.

Question 14

Why might an author allude to the serpent?

Answer 14

Characterize as sly, crafty, evil; advance theme of deception, temptation, etc.

Question 15

What is the basic summary of Creation?

Answer 15

God created the earth and the heavens in six days and rested on the seventh. He proclaimed His creation to be good.

Question 16

Why allude to Creation?

Answer 16

Advance the theme of a beginning/fresh start, add a serious tone or theme, to show things starting out as perfect in the beginning, etc.

Question 17

What is a basic summary of Cain and Abel?

Answer 17

Cain was jealous of his brother because Abel’s sacrifice was favored by God, so Cain killed him- the first murder. God cursed him to leave and be a wanderer.

Question 18

Why allude to Cain and Abel?

Answer 18

Characterize someone as angry and jealous, emphasize the horror of murder or theme of betrayal, particularly involving two members of the same “group,” foreshadow a tragic ending, etc.

Question 19

What is the basic summary of the Great Flood?

Answer 19

God was angry with humanity because basically everyone was evil except for a man named Noah, so God sent a flood to destroy all life on earth but spared Noah and his family by having Noah construct an ark and save a pair of each animal.

Question 20

Why allude to the Flood?

Answer 20

Advance theme of cleansing and rebirth, establish a setting, characterize a person as righteous, describe the evil in the world, show God’s wrath, etc.

Question 21

What is the basic summary of the Tower of Babel?

Answer 21

The people of earth all spoke one language, allowing them to begin building a tower to heaven to preserve their legacy. God saw their pride and their idea that they could reach heaven without Him, and He scattered them and put an end to the tower by creating different languages.

Question 22

Why allude to the Tower of Babel?

Answer 22

Advance a theme of pride before the fall, characterize as prideful/arrogant/wanting to be like God, theme of confusion and people dispersing or scattering throughout an area, emphasize the effect of the language barrier or the power of humanity when united, etc.

Question 23

Why allude to Abraham and Isaac?

Answer 23

To establish a father-son relationship, to advance the theme of sacrificing something for the greater good, to show trust in a higher power, show a test of righteousness, characterize someone as faithful, etc.

Question 24

Summarize the story of Abraham and Isaac.

Answer 24

God told Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac to show his faith, and Abraham was just about to follow through and kill his son when God, seeing his faith, told him to spare Isaac.

Question 25

Summarize Sodom and Gomorrah.

Answer 25

They were two evil cities that God was going to destroy, but He spared Lot and his wife. However, they were told not to look back at Sodom, but Lot’s wife disobeyed and was turned to salt.

Question 26

Why allude to Sodom and Gomorrah?

Answer 26

To advance the theme of humanity being punished for its sins, to characterize someone as disobedient, to establish a setting full of evil and discord, etc.

Question 27

Why allude to Moses’ young life?

Answer 27

Establish the background of a character to foreshadow their future leadership, show a character who had no family becoming a leader, advance the theme of righteousness, etc.

Question 28

Why allude to the Ten Commandments?

Answer 28

Characterize the rule followers vs. breakers, to establish a setting within a community that follows certain rules, to establish rules for characters in order to foreshadow a conflict with said rules, etc.

Question 29

Why allude to the Red Sea/Escape from Egypt?

Answer 29

Advance the theme of overcoming the odds thanks to faith, characterize someone as a faithful and strong leader, characterize a person/people as cowardly or unfaithful, to show how faith can have a major impact, etc.

Question 30

Why allude to David and Goliath?

Answer 30

Characterize someone as an underdog or as a brutish person, characterize someone as brave in the face of danger, advance the theme of overcoming impossible odds, create an uneven conflict between a strong character and a weak character, etc.

Question 31

Why allude to Samson and Delilah?

Answer 31

Characterize someone as deceptive or a betrayer, characterize someone as oblivious, strong, or having a reputation for getting involved with bad women, advance the theme of love being blinding or a one-sided relationship, etc.

Question 32

Why allude to Solomon?

Answer 32

Characterize someone as wise, being a good leader, or having good logic/problem-solving skills, foreshadow a tragic downfall to a wise person, advance the theme of wisdom bringing blessings or that wisdom is valuable, etc.

Question 33

Why allude to Psalm 23?

Answer 33

Establish a peaceful, safe haven as the setting, establish a calm mood and a relaxed tone, to contrast a dark setting (valley of death) with the peaceful one, characterize someone as a good, protective, caring person (Good Shepherd), to show blessings/hope in the middle of trial, etc.

Question 34

Why allude to Mary?

Answer 34

Characterize someone as innocent or pure or faithful, to symbolize virginity or purity or commitment, to compare/contrast a mother figure to Mary, etc.

Question 35

Why allude to the birth of Christ?

Answer 35

To identify a certain character as having a special purpose or being the “Chosen One” in a story, to establish a humble setting or show a character from humble beginnings, characterization as powerful or wise, etc.

Question 36

Why allude to Lazarus?

Answer 36

To foreshadow a character receiving a second chance of some sort, to characterize as humble or Christ-like, establish the theme of a resurrection or second-chance, to show a character’s power, etc.

Question 37

Why allude to the Prodigal Son?

Answer 37

To advance the theme of forgiveness, to advance the theme of unexpected or undeserved kindness, to characterize someone as a poor, hasty decision-maker, characterize someone as repentant, etc.

Question 38

Why allude to the Good Samaritan?

Answer 38

To advance theme of unexpected kindness or theme of loving one’s enemy, to characterize someone as compassionate, to cause the reader to change their view about a character, to show that people are not what you might expect, etc.

Question 39

Why allude to or use the literary form of Epistles?

Answer 39

To create a closeness between two characters, to establish a formal or personal connection between two or more characters, to characterize a person according to the contents of their letter, etc.

Question 40

Why allude to the Sermon on the Mount?

Answer 40

To establish a teaching as iconic, foundational, or revolutionary in a story, to characterize someone as wise, to establish a leader or teacher-figure in a story, establish a setting within a learning environment, etc.

Question 41

Why allude to the miracles of walking on water or loaves and fishes?

Answer 41

To establish a character’s power, to cause anticipation to surround a character, to advance the theme of nothing being impossible, etc.

Question 42

Why allude to Judas Iscariot?

Answer 42

To characterize as dishonest, a betrayer, a thief; to foreshadow a betrayal; to establish a possible climax in a story, to advance the theme of betrayal among friends, to foreshadow a character’s suicide, etc.

Question 43

Why allude to the Garden of Gethsemane?

Answer 43

Establish a setting as having spiritual significance, to show a character as being reflective or contemplative, to show a character’s anguish, foreshadow impending death or suffering, advances theme of suffering for the greater good, etc.

Question 44

Why allude to the Crucifixion?

Answer 44

Establish a sorrowful tone/mood, foreshadow a character’s return from death, to advance the theme of sacrificing oneself, to create a climax or turning point in a story, etc.

Question 45

Why allude to Golgotha?

Answer 45

To establish a morbid setting, to foreshadow death, advance the theme of death or grief, establish a forbidding tone/mood, etc.

Question 46

Why allude to the Resurrection?

Answer 46

To establish an elated, restored tone/mood, to characterize someone as powerful or holy, to show the theme of overcoming even the largest hurdles, to show a new beginning, etc.

Question 47

Why allude to doubting Thomas?

Answer 47

Characterize someone as distrustful, doubtful, or skeptical, establish the theme of nothing being impossible or view of “seeing is believing,” exploit a character’s need for physical proof, to show a lack of trust, etc.

Question 48

Why allude to Armageddon?

Answer 48

Establish an apocalyptic setting, create a conflict between good and evil to advance the plot, advance the theme of good triumphing over evil, establish irony by referring to Armageddon for something that is not actually the end of the world, to add dramatic effect, etc.