Christianity
It cannot be disputed that Twin Peaks is full of Christian symbolism and messages. Lynch himself has suggested as much, cryptically saying that he employs symbolism within his works, but purposefully does not explain his own intentions, as to leave it open to multiple interpretations. (1). I'll primarily delve into Laura's depiction as an angel, BOB as a demonic presence, and the overall battle of good and love versus evil and hate. Pictured here is the angel seen in the White Lodge after Laura's death.
Fire Walk With Me does nothing if not paint Laura as a fallen angel. The first picture shows the painting in Laura's bedroom. She often looks at it while crying or upset, after something traumatic has happened to her. The next photo shows the angel's disappearance, occurring when Laura is raped by BOB and high on cocaine in her efforts to cope.As Laura is realizing that BOB is overpowering her and she does not think she can control it, she quite literally falls from grace and allows herself to once again be submerged in a haze of drugs and sex- resulting in her death. In this case, Laura is a fallen angel burdened by sin and regret, and she is unable to solve her problems.
The final scene of Fire Walk with Me shows Cooper and Laura in the Red Room as we see an angel appear. This leads into a discussion of Heaven and Hell in relation to Twin Peaks. The Red Room (a "waiting room" between this world and the next), while technically in the Black Lodge, is its own separate entity and can move between dimensions in time and space. The Black Lodge is like Hell, a place where only the sinful and the damned reside. Once inside, time is not an object and speech and movement are impaired. The Black Lodge is the main focus of Twin Peaks, whereas the White Lodge is merely mentioned offhand on several occasions, and only shown in this final scene. An angel would not appear in the Black Lodge, much like a pure angel would not be found residing in Hell. So, Laura, angel or not, has found her way to the White Lodge. "But suddenly everything changes. And that possibility of rapid change resonates with the spirit of Christianity. We know, the Bible is full of such moments of sudden bliss." (2) Laura and Cooper experience the angel, and this moves Laura to a state of pure hysteria. She is moving from death to the White Lodge where she can be free of BOB's power. Laura then begins to laugh and cry, realizing that she has escaped BOB by making it to the White Lodge as opposed to the Black Lodge. Laura fights against evil in a way Cooper himself was not able to do. Thus, she is admitted into The White Lodge and greeted by an angel to watch over her.
While BOB is mysterious and somewhat confusing on his own, it is to be assumed that "hidden indiscretions allow BOB influence over his agents." (3). Many Christians view Laura and BOB as opposites, despite how Laura ends up. BOB is wholly evil, only wishing to prey on humans for a vessel to take, and thus bring their soul to The Black Lodge. This sounds pretty Devil-esque, hey? Well, BOB is arguably worse than Satan himself, as BOB was never in God's grace to begin with. However, he acts as an evil force that only desires to break away the good inside of people. He begins this evil journey by using Leland as a vessel to molest and rape his daughter Laura, telling Leland that he only wants to take over the goodness of people. His possession of Leland works to not only make Leland sinful, but strips away Laura's innocence as a result of him molesting her (sounds pretty Catholic, if you ask me...).
"Laura Palmer’s death upon adulthood marks the public tragedy of the death of a sweet and innocent child whom the watcher quickly discovers was not innocent at all. The playing out of the narrative of Twin Peaks then is partly in the inadequacy for Laura Palmer to fulfill the role as sacrificial victim" (4). So angel depictions aside, Laura is an innocent and pure soul who becomes tainted and ultimately damaged by an impure being. Her death acts as a ritual sacrifice, ending her own life as a means to end BOB ruining her, disregarding the fact that her sacrificial death did not completely stop BOB (at least not in the original series). If Laura is deemed to be good in contrast to BOB, we must remember that nobody is lacking sin in Christian terms, yet it is repentance that allows us to remain in God's grace. Laura clearly acts in a sinful manner, doing lines of cocaine every day and sleeping with men all over town, but she is accepted by the angel in The White Lodge as she is wholly good, derived from her decision to end BOB's reign over her. Laura is not acting in a selfish manner to just escape, but she does this in an effort to show BOB that he is not in control of her anymore, thus letting the bad fizzle out to make way for the good inside of her. Christians believe life is a struggle between good and evil and light and dark, something Laura is severely struggling with. "La rédemption du père et la résurrection de la fille, que nous avons déjà évoquées, peuvent maintenant avoir lieu" (The redemption of the father and the resurrection of the daughter, as we have already discussed, can now take place) (5). One article here suggests that Leland as well undergoes a sort of resurrection within the Red Room, as it is shown that BOB "redeems" Leland by lifting him up in the air and taking blood from him, then dumping it on the floor. Leland dies, but his doppelganger remains in the Black Lodge, prompting Cooper to find Laura for him.
"Laura Palmer’s death upon adulthood marks the public tragedy of the death of a sweet and innocent child whom the watcher quickly discovers was not innocent at all. The playing out of the narrative of Twin Peaks then is partly in the inadequacy for Laura Palmer to fulfill the role as sacrificial victim" (4). So angel depictions aside, Laura is an innocent and pure soul who becomes tainted and ultimately damaged by an impure being. Her death acts as a ritual sacrifice, ending her own life as a means to end BOB ruining her, disregarding the fact that her sacrificial death did not completely stop BOB (at least not in the original series). If Laura is deemed to be good in contrast to BOB, we must remember that nobody is lacking sin in Christian terms, yet it is repentance that allows us to remain in God's grace. Laura clearly acts in a sinful manner, doing lines of cocaine every day and sleeping with men all over town, but she is accepted by the angel in The White Lodge as she is wholly good, derived from her decision to end BOB's reign over her. Laura is not acting in a selfish manner to just escape, but she does this in an effort to show BOB that he is not in control of her anymore, thus letting the bad fizzle out to make way for the good inside of her. Christians believe life is a struggle between good and evil and light and dark, something Laura is severely struggling with. "La rédemption du père et la résurrection de la fille, que nous avons déjà évoquées, peuvent maintenant avoir lieu" (The redemption of the father and the resurrection of the daughter, as we have already discussed, can now take place) (5). One article here suggests that Leland as well undergoes a sort of resurrection within the Red Room, as it is shown that BOB "redeems" Leland by lifting him up in the air and taking blood from him, then dumping it on the floor. Leland dies, but his doppelganger remains in the Black Lodge, prompting Cooper to find Laura for him.
Some viewers believe Laura's sacrifice and death mirror the gospel. While Laura does not exactly possess the qualities of Jesus, she certainly makes the entire town shake and mourn for her death, despite what people knew about her. An obvious similarity is Laura's sacrificial death in efforts to stop BOB's terror, thereby inhibiting him from making her commit crimes as her father did. One website argues that Fire Walk with Me acts as the gospels, the first two seasons the Old Testament, and The Return the New Testament. (6) The town of Twin Peaks is at a stand-still after her death, and the first season does a wonderful job at showing how Laura had an influence or impact on everyone from a drug lords on the Canadian Border to reclusive, anxious middle aged men who she brought meals to each week. Fire Walk with Me attempts to reverse what Season 1 instills in regards to Laura's persona. Like Jesus, Laura was misunderstood in her motives during her life. She had few people fully supporting her, and was often betrayed by those she held dearest. The Old Testament would be related to the first two seasons, in the discovery of Laura's demise. The gospels are represented by Fire Walk with Me as we are shown the actual events leading up to her death. The New Testament would correlate with The Return as it shows the expanded, worldly reach of her death. (6) The Old Testament concerns the connection of Israel with God through the acts of Jesus, and relies heavily on sin and morality. The gospels, of course, are the teachings and life of Jesus. And the New Testament documents a multitude of events that occur or are to occur after the death of Jesus. So the connection can be seen, even though it is a clear inversion and different take on the idea of a "chosen one".