A Biblical Reading of Don Draper
Did Dick Whitman die for Don Draper's sins?
Something to keep an eye out for in fiction is if a character’s initials are J.C. (like John Connor in The Terminator franchise and John Coffey in The Green Mile) or if the main character is 33 years old, the age of Jesus Christ at the time of the Crucifixion.
What stood out to me as I started this analytic rewatch of Mad Men is that the first season is very religious. The greatest influence on Mad Men in 1960, besides advertising and history, is The Bible.
Don’s/Dick’s younger brother is named Adam. Abigail Whitman says she is naming him after the first man which shows that she does not see Dick Whitman (born of the prostitute Evangeline) as one of her own.
Don’s Jewish mistress Rachel shares a name with the Biblical figure Rachel — the favorite of Jacob’s two wives. Don wants to leave his wife Betty for her.
In S1 E6 “Babylon,” Sterling Cooper is compared to the Tower of Babel, a structure built by man in disobedience to God and then destroyed by Him.
In the same episode, Joan is dressed similarly to the Whore of Babylon as described in Revelation 17:4. Roger even asks if she likes the pearls he got her.
“And the woman was arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and filthiness of her fornication”
The Bible is the most influential book in Western culture and writers like to let you know that they’ve read it. Intentionally or not, idioms from The Bible such as “salt of the earth” or “scapegoat” appear in the works of writers from any background.
Series creator Matthew Weiner grew up in a Jewish family and Jewish identity is one of the main themes for season one regular Rachel Menken. Christianity, as seen through the majority WASP (White Anglo-Saxon Protestant) characters and Catholic outlier Peggy Olson, is the dominating religion throughout each season. Other beliefs such as Hare Krishna appear for a single episode at most.
Religion is present in the foundational aspects of writing and yes, Don Draper was 33 years old at the start of Mad Men. Just don’t go reading his driver’s license to confirm that, it won’t help.
Does this mean anything though? Is Don Draper a Jesus figure?
Don’s age most likely means nothing as it is never directly stated and takes a lot of digging to figure out. Go looking for religion in anything and you will find it.
The points listed above are clear references to Biblical tales and themes. If I were to go further and say the “three women in Don’s life” represent the Holy Trinity, I’d go insane.
I got excited when I made that comparison and realized this was a slippery slope. Let’s nip this in the bud and not start speaking in tongues.
No, the walking embodiment of the sin of adultery is not Jesus. If you analyze any main character looking for Jesus, you’ll find “a mustard seed that you can grow into a great tree.” Don Draper did die and come back again but he mostly used that opportunity to cheat on his wife rather than spread the good word.
The more apt Biblical comparison for Don Draper is Moses, he even describes his birth as a “baby in a basket.” Both started as nothing and became powerful men in a “faraway land.”
In season 3, we see him as a “baby in a box” arriving to his new family. Not exactly as a prince of Egypt (or I guess of Illinois) though.
Don/Dick’s birth mother is named Evangeline which comes from the Latin word Evangelium meaning “Good News.”
The name of his mother is a translation of “Gospel.” He is, quite literally, a child of the Gospel.
From his birth, Don’s life was defined by religion. This is why he fought against it dominating his story and created a new one.
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