The Prodigal Son
Repentant wayward heir
The Prodigal Son is a parable from the Gospel of Luke about a young man who demands his inheritance early, squanders it in reckless living, then returns home destitute.
His father welcomes him with celebration rather than condemnation.
The phrase now refers to anyone who returns repentant after a period of wayward behavior or estrangement: The prodigal son finally came home after years of silence.
Prodigal itself means wastefully extravagant, though the parable has shifted emphasis toward the return and forgiveness.
- parableInstructive allegorical narrative
- forgivenessReleasing resentment toward offenders
- fatherMale parent
- homecomingReturning to one's origin
- loving fatherAffectionate male parent
open arms · feast · fatted calf · inheritance · squandered · repentance · wayward · lost · found · lost and found · jealousy · elder brother · robe · ring · embrace · wandering · famine · pigs
- BalletsSwan Lake, The Nutcracker, Nutcracker, Giselle, Sleeping Beauty
- RodinThe Thinker, The Kiss, Balzac, Adam, Eve
- allegoriesallegory, fable, parable, Animal Farm, Pilgrim's Progress