Edward Rus Image Analysis

The image I chose to analyze for this assignment is the album art for The Dear Hunter’s album, Act IV: Rebirth in Reprise. The first thing I wish to draw attention to is the figure in the middle. This character is known as the Pimp and the Priest throughout the story told by the band, yet this is the first time people get a glimpse at what he looks like. On the surface level, the reason he is dressed like a plague doctor, besides to hide his identity while in his criminal proceedings, is because the idea that sin is a sickness, and that he, as the doctor of faith, otherwise known as a priest, can help cure it. The deeper level of this has much to do with the fact that through his dealings, and manipulations of religious institutions, and abuse of his own political power, he causes much of the sin that happens. This deeper level analysis shows that he dresses as a plague doctor not because he seeks to cure spiritual disease, but rather because he profits off of it, and as the imagery of these types of doctors makes you think, causes it. The other thing to be analyzed in this album art is the fact that due to the perspective of the picture, the protagonist must circumvent or pass the pimp and the priest to reach the “shining city” at the end of the path. This can both be viewed as a literal obstacle, in that the P&P is simply blocking the characters advancement, or it could also be viewed on that aforementioned, deeper level as the prevention of the characters internal development as a result of the P&P’s involvement. The main character can’t get past the dark forest of his own mind due to the damage caused by this figure, and therefore cannot reach the metaphorical mental state of being in the shining city.