Monsters Inc.

Rona Barrett, an American columnist and businesswoman, once said: "it's ironic, but until you can free those final monsters within the jungle of yourself, your life, your soul is up for grabs". This quote, in essence, is the perfect segue into the lecture topic of God, monsters, and the function of monsters in the Christian tradition. 


Everyone has a different perception of what constitutes something or someone as being a monster or monstrous, respectively. We usually tend to think of monsters as being massive, grotesque figures that serve to terrorize and instill fear in others. Then there are those monsters, which, despite not possessing the physical characteristics of a monster, exude monstrous qualities through their actions or ways of rationalizing their actions. A monster is defined as having an abnormal physical structure or one who deviates from normal behaviour. That being said, despite the negative perceptions of monsters that we have formed from our "monster-in-the-closet" or "monster-under-the-bed" days, I feel that monsters not only reveal who we really are but also serve to give rise to our own failings and troubles. This refers back to the quote at the beginning of this blog which says that there are 'inner monsters' in all of us and until we come to terms with them, our souls will never be free. I feel that we are often times afraid of our 'inner monsters', and it is through monsters in film and on television, that we are made aware of our fears, fear of death, fear of the unknown. Monsters help us to see a life after death - faith. 

The internal life struggle of a monster is depicted in such movies as Frankenstein and the Picture of Dorian Gray, wherein the monsters christian function comes to fruition, albeit, an often times subliminal realization. As an example, vampires are regarded as a symbol for humanity seeking redemption while zombies serve as a symbol for grace. Moreover, monsters are liminal figures, which blur the boundary between life and death. The paradox associated with monsters and their function, lies in Christianity’s tendency to regard monsters as demonic figures, and yet, it is evident from the lecture that the function of monsters has Christian purposes or tendencies. 




Humanity’s fascination with monsters is an embodiment of mankind’s desire to seek redemption and to come to terms with, or believe in, an intangible life after death. Monsters can be regarded as a representation of a fallen humanity that ultimately points to our fragility and to an unknown God.