Maria as a Good Christian

“The Sound of Music” contained many obvious elements of Christianity, and presents the character of Maria as Christian follower. The movie opens with Maria dancing and singing on a mountain which relates to many Christian hymns, such as “Go Tell It on the Mountain,” which encourage you to go to the top of a mountain to spread the good news of the Lord. It is here she sings the title song, only to be interrupted by the ringing of a bell, signifying she is late for mass. As she is studying to become a nun, this could get her in a lot of trouble. As she runs to the convent, the older nuns sing “Maria,” a comical song about her constant misbehaving in the abbey. She is late for every mass, sings in the halls, and wears curlers underneath her wimple. So although she is a good Christian, she is not shaping up to be a very good nun. However, once she leaves the abbey and enters the Von Trapp family household, her spirituality and faith become quite apparent. For example, she prays for every child before she goes to bed, requests to say Grace before every meal, and displays the Christian act of unconditional forgiveness when the children play pranks on her. It is also apparent that she is very self-less and charitable, as she turns down the Captains offer for new dress material, so long as the children get play clothes instead. In fact, the reason she was offered new clothes is that the Captain didn’t approve of the one she had on, and the image that she would project to the children.

Captain von Trapp: It's the dress. You'll have to put on another

one before you meet the children.

Maria: But I don't have another one. When we entered the abbey

our worldly clothes were given to the poor.

Captain von Trapp: What about this one?

Maria: The poor didn't want this one.

Maria also embodies the values of a faithful Christian, as she is law-abiding, faithful and honest. She also proves her undying faith in God in one of the most memorable quotes from the movie, “Where the Lord closes a door, somewhere He opens a window.” She puts her trust in God that he will make everything better again.