We have arrived at the last post in our Judges series. Today, we are talking about Samson, whose story can be found in Judges 13-16. While often seen as the most wicked of the judges, I hope we’ll see today how we can use Samson’s example to write redemption arcs for our own protagonists.

First, let’s talk about what a redemption arc actually is. In our Plots and Character Arcs series, we’ve been talking about the Positive Change Arc—when a character starts out believing the Lie, and comes to believe the Truth.

The redemption arc is just a particular kind of Positive Change Arc. Typically, the MC is extremely flawed, and is generally in a position that draws disdain or pity from others. They may be plagued by symptoms such as guilt and shame, though some characters with redemption arcs are full of pride and arrogance. At the end of a redemption arc, the character will recognize their faults and gain redemption—often performing brave, sacrificial acts during the Climax. Sometimes, that sacrificial act may end in death, thus bringing full completion to the redemption arc.

This kind of arc can be used it for any type of character, including the protagonist, a supporting character, or even the antagonist.

Now let’s take a look at some tips we can use to create a good redemption arc:

1. Symptoms

This is a Positive Change Arc, so those symptoms should be present. And in a redemption arc, they will often be emphasized more than usual… your character needs to seem very irredeemable. The way that this irredeemability manifests itself can be anything, ranging from having an arrogant, unlikable personality, to possessing guilt from an evil deed they did in their past.

The movie, “The Redemption of Henry Myers” is a great example of a redemption arc. The main character, Henry, is an outlaw who’s made a lot of bad choices in his life—and the consequences of those choices are about to come back on him. Henry’s main symptom is guilt over his past actions… especially one particular crime. Along with the guilt, Henry has a sense of despair. As he says at one point during the movie, “There’s no hope for good in my life.”

In our example from Judges, Samson’s main flaw is selfishness. Pretty much everything he does is for himself, which leads to one bad choice after the other. Even when his choices begin hurting those around him, he continues to behave selfishly. This self-centeredness manifests itself in outright rebellion—even towards God Himself. He’s also a showoff and quite prideful, which stems from his selfishness.

2. The Lie

The Lie is a must-have for any Positive Change Arc, but especially for a redemption arc. After all, the only thing keeping the character from redemption is the Lie. For many redemption stories, the Lie will be some kind of misconception about redemption… who can have it, how to get it, where it comes from, etc. However, that isn’t always the case. Some characters in a redemption arc may not even consider redemption until something finally forces them to face their misdeeds.

Henry’s Lie is that he can never be redeemed. This directly causes his symptoms of guilt and hopelessness. Throughout the movie, he seems to be wandering around almost aimlessly, searching for answers. But it’s only once he realizes that redemption comes freely from God that he finally gains it.

Samson’s Lie is that he can do whatever he wants. The entire story is literally him acting on a whim and reacting without control to what the other characters do. He doesn’t seem to care about the effects of his choices, nor does he appear to desire any kind of redemption. He’s too wrapped up in himself to really care—until his eventual capture forces him to consider how selfish he’s been.

3. The Want

In a redemption arc, this Want can still have quite a range. Again, it may have something to do with redemption, but not always. Sometimes, the Want is redemption itself, and the character must first gain the Need (aka realizing their need for redemption, recognizing that redemption comes from God, etc.) before receiving it. Other times, the Need is redemption, while the Want is something completely different. But no matter what it is, your character is going to pursue the Want vehemently.

Henry’s Want is peace, but he doesn’t realize that he can’t get that until he gains redemption (his Need). Since his Lie is that he can never get redemption, he’s stuck in a never-ending loop until he finally rids himself of the Lie, thus paving the way for redemption and true peace.

Samson’s Want is… well, whatever he wants. He doesn’t seem to have much direction in his life, and he just sort of does whatever he feels like at the moment. This comes from a mindset of following your heart instead of letting God’s truth guide you. It’s an unsteady way of life, which Samson soon finds out. It’s only once he faces his mistakes that he sees his Need—redemption.

4. Potential

While we’ve been focusing mainly on the character’s misbeliefs and flaws, there is another side to things. Since God originally created us as perfect beings that were meant to glorify Him, each of us has the potential to fulfill that design.

Now, that does not mean that we have some small bit of goodness in us that will impress God. What it means is that each of us has talents and strengths that can be used for either good or evil. We cannot use them for good on our own, but when God redeems us and gives us a new heart, we are then free to use our talents as He intended them to be used… for His glory.

That is why every character—whether they’re in a redemption arc or not—should have this potential inside of them. If, in the end, the character still isn’t redeemed (like in a negative arc), then readers are saddened and sobered by such a waste of potential. If the character does get redeemed (like in a redemption arc), readers will be able to see them using their gifts for good.

Henry has much potential in his life. A strong-yet-sometimes-tender personality, an able body, and handy skills are just some of the gifts he possesses. While we see him using these for evil at the beginning of the movie, he slowly progresses. However, he doesn’t truly do good from the heart until he is redeemed.

Samson, too, has potential, though it’s a bit more hidden. Often, with the more arrogant, self-centered redemption arcs, readers find it harder to recognize the character’s talents and strengths. Samson’s greatest gift is—of course—his impressive strength, and he also has a lot of bravery and daring.

5. Struggle

As with any Positive Change Arc, the character will start out believing the Lie, and end believing the Truth. But along the way, we find this battle inside the character. They’ve begun to see the Truth, yet they’re still trying to cling to that old Lie. This provides great internal conflict and also shows them that they must let go of the Lie forever before they can believe the Truth.

Henry’s struggle is quite evident. Even during the bank robbery at the beginning, we see him trying to stop a man from getting shot—all the while helping with the robbery. Throughout the movie, he continues to struggle with this idea of redemption. As the Truth becomes clearer and clearer, he only becomes more confused. That is, until he throws off his Lie once and for all.

Samson appears to have less of a struggle. In fact, up until the Third Plot Point and Climax, we really don’t see him considering the Truth all that much. However, since the story is told in 3^rd Person Objective (a very limited point of view), we aren’t told what’s going on in Samson’s mind. It’s definitely possible that, as his choices continued to have bad consequences, he slowly began to consider the Truth. But, either way, he never fully rid himself of the Lie until the end, when the Truth stops him right in his tracks.

6. Sacrifice—and redemption

This is, of course, the crowning piece of the redemption arc. The character has already rejected the Lie and embraced the Truth, thus gaining redemption. However, they have yet to demonstrate this new-found redemption… until the Climax.

Pretty much every redemption arc I can think of involves some kind of sacrificial choice. And, since the character now believes the Truth, they choose sacrifice—often ending in serious loss or even death for themselves.

It’s dramatic, yes, but it’s an amazing way to show how the character has changed. They’ve already gained redemption in the eyes of God, and, through this sacrificial Climatic Moment, they display this redemption to the world. This redeems their character in the minds of observers and supporting characters once and for all.

Henry shows his redemption when he pushes Marilyn out of the way, taking a bullet for her. This seals in her and Will’s minds that he truly has changed. It isn’t just an act—he really has been redeemed.

Samson’s outward redemption comes in the last scene. He’s been captured, blinded, and humiliated by the Philistines, and, at some point during this time, he humbled himself before God. Now, he finds himself in between two pillars holding up the building in which three thousand Philistines are partying. He does exactly what knows he must, finally using his God-given gift of strength for good. And I think it’s fitting that the Bible says, “So the dead which he slew in his death were more than they which he slew in his life.”

Here are several more redemption arcs for you to consider:

1. Will Reynolds (“Beyond the Mask”)

2. Long John Silver (“Treasure Planet”)

3. Carlos (“Do You Believe?”)

4. Mirage (“The Incredibles”)

5. Sydney Carton (“A Tale of Two Cities”)

6. Goob (“Meet the Robinsons”)

7. Martin (“The Treasure of the Secret Cove”)

(Note: I chose these example arcs from different styles of stories, with the characters serving different roles. This is so you can look to them no matter what kind of story or character you’re writing.)

And that is all for our last post in the Judges series! I hope you will continue to study this amazing book on your own. God’s Word is so rich and deep that we will never be able to fully mine its depths, so keep reading to learn more.

Comment below your favorite redemption arc story or character, and let me know if you have a future Bible Analyses post suggestion!