Blue Like Jazz Themes

Christianity is one of the largest religions in world with believers spreading across barriers of language and culture. Christianity can come in many forms with beliefs on different subjects varying wildly, but there is one practice that remains relatively the same: church attendance. The ritual of getting up every Sunday morning and attending a church service including a sermon by a pastor and sometimes a smaller, more focused lesson given during what is called “Sunday School”, is something that is practiced by many faithful Christians across the world and the United States, in particular. Attending church is a practice that is integral to the Christian faith as it is shown in the Bible. It informs and impacts the lives of many believers of

In the movie Blue Like Jazz, church is shown to function as something that does indeed affirm the church as a function of spiritual support and affirmation. Blue Like Jazz depicts the tale of a young man, named Don, who is headed off to college, due to frustration with his religious mother and at the suggestion of his father, he chooses to attend a secular college in place of his originally intended Baptist school. At first glance, church seems to play a small role in the narrative of this film, however upon closer inspection it is clear that church is a driving force behind the actions and beliefs of the main character in the movie. In the beginning, Don’s beliefs are confirmed and established by attendance to his Baptist church on Sunday mornings. He even participates as the pastor’s assistant and helps to teach the younger kids lessons before the sermon. These actions allow him to derive affirmation in his beliefs and his way of life. When he grows frustrated with his mother, he departs to a secular college. Once there, he finds friends that do share his beliefs in faith or Christianity. He is removed from the community that affirms his beliefs and is left without an anchor for reassurance. Due to desires of popularity, Don does not immediately search for a church and begins to fade away from the faith. During the movie, Don comes into contact with Penny, a smart and attractive girl whom Don wishes to earn favor from. After several events, it is revealed to us that Penny is in fact a Christian; she urges Don to return to Church and make up with his mother, thus reconnecting with his community. After much struggle, Don does eventual reconnect with a church and shares a significant experience with the pastor of Penny’s church. Blue Like Jazz uses story-telling and narration to illuminate one aspect of the relationship that Christians share