THE PATRIOT

 

THREE STARS - Challenging

 

 

               Understanding that we can be forgiven for our sins is often hard to accept.   Rather than accepting forgiveness as a gift given to a penitent person, shame and guilt can instead plague the person with not only consuming regret but also an increasing fear of retribution for their sins.  This fact is the theological theme upon which writer Robert Rodat (Saving Private Ryan) creates “The Patriot.”

               The central character of this quasi-historical film is Benjamin Martin (Mel Gibson). Beginning the film with a voice-over fear that his sins will come back to cost him more than he can bear, we soon discover that Martin was a hero during the French and Indian wars.  But the incident that brought him fame is the sin that haunts his soul.

               This is often the case with the accolades of war.  Whether fought for freedom or for wanton gain, the blood-lust that can overtake a soldier in the fray of battle is a stain on body and soul.

               Turning to God in an attempt to find forgiveness, Martin’s daily prayers only serve as a reminder of his past and do not provide relief from his guilt or fears.  Misunderstanding the nature of forgiveness and the sufficiency of confession, his prayers portray a religious obsession rather than Christian grace.

               Having been tempered by a loving wife whose death left him to care for their seven children, Martin declares that he will not join in the American Revolution when, in 1776, the South Carolina legislature gives their support.

               Though a man whose principles are that of a patriot, Martin declares that “a parent does not have the luxury of having principles” and he will not leave his children.  Nevertheless his troubled soul is predictably brought into the struggle when his oldest son, Gabriel (Heath Ledger), enlists.

               After serving for several months, Gabriel is to be illegally executed by the British tyrant Col. William Tavington (Jason Isaacs).  When his younger brother Thomas (Gregory Smith) is shot when he tries to intervene, Martin is forced to reveal the temper of his soul.

               Using his two remaining grade school-aged sons as accomplices, Martin ambushes a group of British soldiers and rescues Gabriel.  But what haunts his image both in his own eyes as well as in his sons’, is the repeated hacking of a young soldier’s body long after he is dead.

               This revelation places Martin’s spiritual struggle into context.  As his daily lament has suggested, Benjamin Martin has not been transformed into a man of peace during his years of familial life, but has only been kept from repeating his earlier actions by his domesticity.  When required to use violence to protect his family, his vengeance overtakes him.

               But it is this experience that begins his path toward change.

               Joining his son by enlisting in the service, Gabriel requires that he treats the enemy with justice and civility even in the face of the tremendously barbarous evil of Col. Tavington which has a devastating impact on his life.

               This impact is seen in graphic terms when Gabriel reminds him that his vengeance for the death of his second son Thomas at the hand of Col. Tavington must become secondary to the cause of freedom.  This counsel proves to be prophetic in the testing of Martin’s soul in the days ahead.

               Though “The Patriot” does not explore the political and social implications of war and is excessively realistic in its portrayal of the violence, the spiritual struggles of Benjamin Martin are valuable messages.  While we often reminisce about the American Revolution with patriotic pride, it was the unspeakable pain and sacrifice that these men paid with their lives which reminds us of how fragile our soul really is.

 

(words: 618)

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