Sir Thomas More (A Man for All Seasons) and Jack Bauer (24) have a few things in common. Among other things, Sir Thomas is famous for standing up to King Henry VIII regarding the King’s divorce of Catherine of Aragon and marriage to Ann Boleyn. Sir Thomas would not agree that the Pope should annul Henry’s marriage to Catherine and there was no amount of persuasion that could sway him from doing what he thought was right. His firm convictions lead to years of imprisonment, suffering, and finally death by beheading.
That sounds like Jack Bauer to me! I don’t know how many times he disobeyed orders from CTU or the President. He never would have been one of the guys in Vietnam who did wrong things simply because he was told to. No, Jack does wrong things when it’s necessary to do them so he can accomplish the right thing he’s fighting for. He is always able to undo any negative consequences, thanks to the nature of fiction.
Also, it was rumored that Sir Thomas employed violence and torturing while interrogating heretics! Not unlike Jack Bauer at all, unfortunately.
There is always another side to stories, so it pains me to say that Sir Thomas untiringly persecuted the followers of William Tyndale and those who wanted to read the Bible for themselves. That makes me mad.
Okay, we’ll set that aside and go back to what I like about these two men. I love it when Jack Bauer says, “I’m so sorry…” then goes on to deliver a gentle, heartfelt apology. He’s sorry people are hurting. There is no defensiveness, even if he’s the one at fault.
A description of Sir Thomas from 1520 emphasizes his gentleness, lowliness, affability and sadness. He was a Christian lawyer, gentlemanly in his interactions. He said many times that he was “the humble servant of the King.” Self denial. Service. He was so gentle that he spanked his children with no more than a peacock feather (but I bet his wife made up for it).
Okay, I’m done comparing an historical figure to my favorite TV character. “And the Lord did grin.” (Monte Python)
Speed Painting of Jack Bauer:
