A major difference between Joe Christmas and Jesus is the character of each man. Joe Christmas has been walking along a path filled with debauchery since a very tender age. When he is five years old, he is caught eating toothpaste in a closet while two employees at the orphanage where he lives make love. While this is not his fault, he is still indirectly punished for it, by being sent away to live with the McEachern's. His adopted parents are strict Presbyterians, and Joe literally has the Bible beaten into him by his s

A similarity between the two men is the father figures in their life. As was mentioned before, Jesus is God's Son, but His earthly father figure was Joseph of Nazareth. It is the same with Joe Christmas. He doesn't know anything about his real father, but he does have the male influence of Mr. McEachern, who legally adopts Joe from the orphanage, making him as much of his son as he can. "'He will eat my bread and he will observe my religion,' said [McEachern.] 'Why should he not bear my name?'" (p. 136).

The deaths of Joe Christmas and Jesus Christ were similar in some ways, but they were also very different. One thing that separates Jesus from Joe is the way they greeted death. When Joe finally realized that the end was near, he still made one last desperate attempt to be free. He broke free of the crowd in Jefferson and then ran for his life. Even when the local law enforcement set hound dogs on him, Joe still managed to survive for several days. He probably knew deep down that it was hopeless, but he still took the risk. Jesus, on the other hand, didn't fight fate. He knew that He had to die, and except for once asking God if there was another way (see Luke 22:41, above), He went along with one of the most excruciating deaths imaginable.

tern stepfather. By the time he is a teenager, he cannot stand being forced to have religion, so he frequently sneaks away from his adoptive family's house in the middle of the night. One fateful night, he goes to go to a dance with a prostitute, and ends up killing his stepfather, who has chased him to the school where the dance is being held. From then on, Joe is his own person, going wherever the wind takes him. Jesus, on the other hand, has been holy and perfect since t

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