Critical Approaches to Literature: Cultural Studies Criticism

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In order to follow the standards of Cultural Criticism, it is first necessary to analyze the time period in which this story is supposedly taking place. The Gospel of Luke is the fourth book in the New Testament of the Bible. It is also a part of a set of books set aside as The Gospels, supposedly because they are the noted ministry of Jesus Christ. The gospels, Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, were all noted to have been composed during the Roman Empire, between 70 A.D. and 110 C.E. During this time period, following in the birth and death of Jesus Christ, the Jewish Culture was very prominent in the country of Jerusalem. With that being said, comparing the Jewish culture to the actions taken place in the parable follows the standards of the cultural studies criticism. “And the younger of them said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me. And he divided unto them his living, (Luke 15:12, KJV).” In this verse, the youngest son requests his portion of his inheritance. In the Ten Commandments, closely followed in the Jewish and Christian practices, it is specifically stated to honor your parents (Ephesians 6:2). It could be understood that this was a sign of disrespect displayed by the son. It seems as if the youngest son is basically saying to his father, “I can’t wait for you to die, may I have my portion of my inheritance now?” In the Jewish culture, such disrespect could result in the child being banned from the family or even killed:

If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother, and that, when they have chastened him, will not hearken unto them:

19 Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city, and unto the gate of his place;

20 And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard.

21 And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die: so shalt thou put evil away from among you; and all Israel shall hear, and fear, (Deuteronomy 21:18-21).

Instead of following Jewish protocol, the father allows his youngest son to take his portion of his inheritance, in which he irresponsibly misuses.

The definition of the word prodigal given the dictionary is described as spending money or resources freely and recklessly; wastefully extravagant. This term excellently fits this parable, because upon receiving his portion of the inheritance, the youngest son runs off into another country and “…wasted his substance with riotous living, (Luke 15:13, KJV).” After spending all of his inheritance, the country he was in, fell into a great famine. During the both Testaments of the Bible, it was extremely common for there to be famines, or extreme scarcity of food. This made it extremely difficult for the son to survive on. After recognizing this fact, he returned home to apologize to his father. Judging off of the Jewish Culture, after his act of disrespect, it would have been impossible for him to return to his father. In fact, it could be understood that the son being reduced to horrendous living conditions should have been his punishment. But the parable goes in another direction.

“But when he was yet a great way off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him, (Luke 15:20). The father’s reaction to his son’s arrival, being that he was an elderly Jewish man, could have been seen as a distasteful act. After his son attempts to apologize for his betrayal, his father disregards his apology asks for his servants to “Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet, (Luke 15:22, KJV). In the culture, the best robe was worn by the head of the family as well as the ring. By the father requesting that the servant dress his son in the items, it displays his gratitude for his son return. He also instructs his servants to kill the fattest calf so that they may eat it and be merry, saying that is son was lost and is now found.

Once eldest son, who continued to work and be respectful towards his father, understand what is going on, he becomes infuriated. His response is one of jealousy and anger, which could also be seen as a sign of disrespect in the Jewish Culture. But once again, the father does not become upset. He simply explains to his eldest that he knows that he has been here continually being a good servant and son, but that it is their responsibility to be happy that the youngest son has returned home.

Understanding that a parable is written or told to instill a lesson, it is easy to understand that the father’s response, in contrast to the culture that is being portrayed, plays a very significant role in the story. The author of this parable is clearly displaying God’s love through the father. It is commonly taught in Christianity that the youngest son is in fact representing the sinner or the non-Christian and the father is depicting God. With this common interpretation, it is imparted that despite what the sinner deserves, God’s grace and forgiveness is merciful and it makes Him merry when the sinner understands that he cannot win in this life without Christ.

Criticizing literature using the Cultural Studies approach causes for extensive research surrounding the practices and cultural beliefs of the setting of the story. This is to allow the reader to understand what the author was trying to prove or the overall moral of the story. Sometimes looking at how the culture or people are portrayed differently than how they would have been in reality, answers more than the questions that were originally being searched for. In Cultural Criticism, judging the piece of work based off of what the author did wrong is not necessarily a part of the standard. The act of the author falsely portraying a certain culture or group of people is often on intentional to serve a profound purpose; as seen in The Parable of The Prodigal Son. The act of Literary analysis can often seem hectic or broad, but with the help of the different forms of Literary Criticism, we are able to take a step back and organize our thoughts by strategically pinpointing specific ways of viewing a piece of art.

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Works Cited

"BibleGateway." Deuteronomy 21:18-21 - - Bible Gateway. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Mar. 2017.

"BibleGateway." Luke 15:11-32 - - Bible Gateway.