Pinocchio and Christian Parallels

There are several passages in chapter 15 that seem almost like direct quotes from the Bible. It is interested to compare them side by side:

Pinocchio: When the assassins try to attack Pinocchio: "and drawing out two very long horrible knives sharpened like razors, zack zack, they let him have two blows in the small of the back."
Bible: The passage above is similar to a passage from John describing wounds inflicted on Jesus by the Roman Centurion: "one of the soldiers pierced his side with a spear." (John 19:34)

P: When the assassins try to decide on the best method to kill the puppet: "'I get it,' said one of them then: 'We have to hang him. Let's hang him!' 'Let's hang him!' repeated the other."
B: "When the chief priests and the officers saw him, they cried out, 'Crucify him, crucify him!'" (John 19:6)

P: The assassins then hung Pinocchio from the Big Oak Tree.
B: The Cross that Jesus was crucified on shows parallel to the Tree of Life.

P: "Little by little his eyes grew dim; and although he felt death approaching, he nonetheless still continued to hope that at any moment some compassionate soul would pass by and help him. But when, after waiting and waiting, he saw that nobody showed up, absolutely nobody, then he remembered his poor father again... and almost at death's door, he stuttered, 'Oh, dear father!... if only you were here!' And he had no breath to say anything else. He closed his eyes, opened his mouth, stretched out his legs, and, after giving a great shudder, he remained there as though frozen stiff."
B: "Now from the sixth hour, there was darkness over all the land until the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour, Jesus cried with a loud voice, "My God, My God, why hast thou forsaken me?... And Jesus cried again with a loud voice and yielded up his spirit (Matthew 27:45-49).

There are also other parallels throughout the story:

Geppetto and Joseph:
-They are both "fathers" of their children, not in the biological sense. Pinocchio is made from wood, and Jesus is the son of God.
-Each father figure was a wood-worker in profession.
-Each child was raised in a modest, if not poor, home.

Pinocchio and Jesus as "Savior" figures:
-Pinocchio is certainly no ordinary puppet. He seems to be created with an innate knowledge of certain things. Jesus was also a child with innate knowledge. His worried parents find him one day in temple teaching and conversing with the elders.
-Pinocchio saves his fellow puppets from a fiery death at the hands of the puppet master (Stromboli). He is selfless and offers the sacrifice of his own self to save his friend Harlequin. This selflessness is again displayed when Pinocchio saves his father from the Whale's stomach. He puts his life and all his worldly pleasures behind him for the well-being of his sickly, old father.
-Jesus, in the same manner, entered the world as a man of flesh and went from city to city selflessly performing miracles and healing the sick. The ultimate sacrifice came on the cross when he gave his own life for the forgiveness of all humanity's sins.

Indeed, it seems almost obvious that Collodi directly related his adventures to the stories of Jesus and the Bible. However, there is no evidence from Collodi himself that these were his intentions. At times, Pinocchio strays from being the "Godly," selfless being and becomes a foolish puppet who does not know any better. It is difficult to create a consistent parallel between Pinocchio and Jesus.

Works Cited:

http://www.academyanalyticarts.org/levi.htm
Collodi, Carlo. The Adventures of Pinocchio, University of California Press, 1986