AK, on "Wall-E - You Found Me."

There are many religious themes evident in WALL-E, but for the purposes of this project I have chosen to focus on one; that of being “found” or “finding” God. WALL-E is a robot who lives in a kind of Hell on earth. He is, as far as we know, the only sentient being left on earth. Everything is continuing as it has for the last 3500 years until a mysterious ship lands on earth, bringing with it another robot; EVE. When WALL-E meets EVE for the first time he is forever changed. Before WALL-E found EVE, his “life” consisted of turning garbage into cubes. When he meets EVE, it is love at first sight and he devotes all of his energy to her. He learns to vocalize his “feelings” and devotes his existence to helping EVE in any way he can, sometimes to the detriment of himself.
            In a way, WALL-E's story parallels that of the story of Saul, who later became the apostle Paul. Saul was not a believer in God and was known for doing evil, destructive things. When Saul is “found” by God he is punished with blindness at first, but God soon reverses his condition and he becomes a changed man, preaching the word of the Lord to whomever will listen. WALL-E is changed when EVE finds him and comes to find a higher purpose just as Saul was changed and found his purpose (to be an apostle) when God found him. Although WALL-E was not a destructive being as Saul was, he was not truly “living” (as much as a robot can be said to live). EVE introduced him to a world he was totally unaware of, and awakened in him feelings of friendship, a desire to do good, and above all, the ability to love. God introduced Saul to Himself and Christ, which lead Saul to devote his life to the teachings of God and to spread His word.
            The song I chose, “You Found Me” by The Fray, is a song about being found by God, albeit “just a little late.” I would argue that WALL-E is more than a robot love story. If we are to read it, being fully attuned to any religious subtext that may be present, we can clearly see that WALL-E is a stand-in for a lost soul, found by God, and taught the proper way to live (that way being for others, and with love). The refrain of “You Found Me” goes “Lost and insecure, you found me, you found me. Lying on the floor, surrounded, surrounded. Why'd you have to wait? Where were you? Where were you? Just a little late. You found me, you found me.” WALL-E was indeed “lost” to the rest of civilization who were out in space. He was also “surrounded” by garbage. I would also argue that “Why'd you have to wait?” and “Just a little late” could refer to the fact that the Axiom was delayed, purposefully, from coming back to earth. Perhaps WALL-E could have been “found” earlier if it were not for Autopilot.        Continuing with this idea, The Fray sings “Where were you when everything was fallin' apart. All my days were spent by the telephone that never rang but all I needed was a call that never came” which could allude to the fact that WALL-E (and Earth for that matter) were ready and waiting for the Axiom to come back all along, but it never came. The Earth and WALL-E were in need of help (one robot could not be expected to clean up the entire planet) but none came. When WALL-E was found, he took it upon himself to help, and he succeeded, just as Saul converted many to what we know today as Christianity.
            A common theme in Christianity is the loss of faith. When EVE goes into stasis after collecting the plant, WALL-E stands by her side for a long time, but eventually he loses faith that she will regain “consciousness” so he goes back to work. This is represented by the lines “I've been callin' for years and years and years and years and you never left me no messages. You never send me no letters. You've got some kind of nerve, taking all I want” and the accompanying clips of WALL-E, trying to get EVE to “wake-up,” and ultimately giving up.
            Viewed through this lens, we can clearly see some of the religious themes embedded in WALL-E. A first he is “lost” on Earth by himself, then “found” by EVE, and ultimately devotes his life to her. Through his devotion to her he not only becomes a better version of himself, but he improves the lives of others. This is a clear parallel to a human being finding God, spreading the Word, and helping others find God. I have demonstrated this parallel through the use of a song with a clear religious overtones, which speaks of finding God, and the frustration that can come with blind faith. The clips I have chosen compliment the song by showing how WALL-E was lost, found, devoted, dejected, and ultimately saved.