The Message of Papillon’s Escape

One of the most famous scenes in the movie Papillon is Papillon’s escape from Devil’s Island. This scene introduces us to a little-known ocean phenomenon called rip current.

Waves usually move from the ocean toward the shore. However, rip currents flow rapidly from the shore back out to the sea, which is why they’re also known as reverse waves. Sometimes, we hear news reports about people suddenly being swept out to sea from the shore, and this is caused by rip currents.

The Plot of the Movie Papillon

Papillon is a well-known figure, largely thanks to the movie. The 1973 film Papillon, directed by Franklin J. Schaffner, is based on the true story of Henri Charrière, a French convict who managed to escape after several attempts to clear his name from a false murder charge. The word papillon means butterfly in French, a nickname he earned because of the butterfly tattoo on his chest.

In the movie, the conditions of the transport ship carrying Papillon, who was falsely accused of murder, and many other prisoners are horrific. The oppressive heat, malaria infections, and poor living conditions drive some prisoners to suicide. Eventually, the prisoners arrive at a prison where human rights are nonexistent. The environment is filled with brutal violence, hard labor, threats, and despair.

Papillon, unjustly imprisoned, constantly looks for opportunities to escape. Despite several attempts with his fellow inmate Dega, they fail and endure years of beatings, solitary confinement, and starvation. Even though he faces these harsh conditions, Papillon never abandons his dream of freedom and continues to attempt escapes, only to be recaptured and sent back to solitary confinement repeatedly.

As time passes, Papillon, now older and frail, is released from solitary confinement and sent to an island known as the graveyard of prisoners. This place, commonly called “Devil’s Island,” is surrounded by cliffs and raging waves, making escape seemingly impossible. Yet, Papillon never loses hope for freedom, continuously gazing at the turbulent sea.

One day, he throws a coconut sack into the water, but it gets washed back to the island, crashing against the rocks. Undeterred, he watches the waves crashing against the cliffs of Devil’s Island every day, searching for a way to escape. Eventually, he discovers a crucial detail that could work to his advantage: the rip current.

The Rule That Granted Papillon His Freedom

Papillon studies the waves and discovers that they change in a cycle of seven, with the strongest seventh wave creating a rip current that flows in the opposite direction. He realizes he can use this rip current to escape the island.

Papillon shares his discovery with his friend Dega, but Dega, gripped by fear, chooses not to join him. Determined, Papillon jumps off the cliff alone with a sack of coconuts and swims fiercely toward the open sea. In the middle of the ocean, he shouts triumphantly, “Hey, you bastards, I’m still here!” The movie ends with Papillon disappearing into the vast sea, accompanied by the narration: 

“Papillon was free. He lived the rest of his life as a free man. Even the notorious prison of Guiana couldn’t break him.”

In his desperate situation, Papillon discovers the rule of the rip current. He observes the relentless waves crashing against Devil’s Island and identifies this pattern. Using the rip current, he finally manages to escape the island and gain his freedom.

How Is Papillon’s Life Different From Ours?

Now, let us turn our gaze to our own lives. This world is filled with poverty, disease, viruses, and disasters. The constant news of incidents, accidents, and deaths is not much different from the horrible daily life experienced by the prisoners in the movie. Until the end of our lives, we are not free from sighs and suffering. People often lament that our lives are hopeless or a prison with no escape.

What is the cause of such a life for humanity? The Bible answers that it is because of “sin” (Romans 5:12; 6:23). The root of sin did not originate on this earth. It began with the sins our souls committed in heaven before the world was created. The Bible’s records about the king of Tyre and the king of Babylon confirm this. They were originally angels, but they were born into this world as humans as punishment for their sins in heaven (Ezekiel 28:11–17; Isaiah 14:4–15).

These two records serve as a lesson to understand why mankind is born into a life of suffering on this earth (Romans 15:4). To save these humans who sinned in heaven, God also came to this earth in human form (Luke 15:4–7; 19:10; Hebrews 2:14–15).

The apostles, understanding that this earth is a prison for souls who sinned in heaven, referred to the human body as a temporary tent for the soul (2 Corinthians 5:1). As people live on this earth, which is like a prison, they continue to be bound by worries, concerns, and sorrows, unable to break free from the chains of sin. Over time, their frail bodies gradually succumb to disease, poverty, and loneliness. In this fearful and hopeless situation, where can we find the escape to the eternal world of freedom?

The Rule That Brings Freedom From Sin

Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, . . . the law of the Spirit of life set me free from the law of sin and death.

(Romans 8:1–2)

The only law that frees us from sin and death is the law of the Spirit of life. Then, what is the law of the Spirit of life? It is the “new covenant” that God established to remove the sins of mankind (Jeremiah 31:31–34; Matthew 26:17–28; Luke 22:7–20). The new covenant contains the sacrifice of God, who endured the unbearable punishment of the cross and prayed until His sweat became like drops of blood (Mark 14:33–36, 64–65; 15:17–32; Luke 22:41–44). Through the new covenant, established with God’s life on the line, mankind can fully receive forgiveness and freedom from sin.

Understanding the profound love of God contained in the new covenant, the forefathers of faith held firmly to and boldly preach its regulations, such as the Passover and the Sabbath, wherever they went.

The teaching I gave you is the same that I received from the Lord: On the night [of the Passover] when the Lord Jesus was handed over to be killed, he took bread . . . “This is my body; it is for you. Eat this to remember me.” . . . “This cup represents the new agreement from God, . . . Do it to remember me.” This means that every time you eat this bread and drink this cup [wine], you are telling others about the Lord’s death until he comes again.

(1 Corinthians 11:23–26, Easy-to-Read Version)

The church was established on the rock of faith of the apostles of the early Church(Matthew 16:18; Ephesians 2:20). Therefore, the church that follows the truth of the early Church must keep and teach the laws of the new covenant, which frees us from sin, just as the apostles did (2 Corinthians 3:6).

On this isolated planet Earth, we face the waves of a weary life every day. But knowing God’s special regulations and laws that lead to eternal freedom is truly a joyful and astonishing thing (Heb 9:15).

Papillon entrusted himself to the waves and gained his freedom. As God’s children, we should entrust our souls to God’s word. The special law of the new covenant, established by God with love, will guide us to the eternal world of freedom. 

<Reference>

• ‘Papillon’… What is the Worst Sin Committed by Humanity?’, Munhak News, Nov. 23, 2018.
• Tides, Encyclopedia of Korean Culture