It's hard to find proof for either interpretation, but either provides some important lessons for Christians. Like much of the rest of the Bible, while it is interesting to discuss the different options, I believe it is preferable to focus on what can be learned and applied to our lives. What is practical from the book?
The parable interpretation points to a prophecy concerning Christ. Ultimately, the story is presenting Jonah as a Christological character. His story points to Jesus, with the death symbolized in the belly of a whale, and resurrection coming while being spit up by the whale.
This tends to be what most people focus on, but there are other lessons in the story, that both the parable and historical interpretations should pick up on. The message of ignoring God is one that jumps out right away. We all read the story and laugh at Jonah's stupidity thinking he could hide from God, but how many times do we try to hide from God, or hide our actions or thoughts? We tend to forget that God is all knowing and all powerful, and that impacts every aspect of our lives.
Another lesson is that ultimately God's plan overrules ours. We can see this twice in Jonah's story. First comes when Jonah tries to run from God. Ultimately, he ends up right where God wants him. Second is regarding the story of Nineveh. Here, Jonah plans to watch the city burn into the ground, but ultimately God's plan of forgiveness wins out, no matter the griping of Jonah.
Perhaps the most important message of the book is regarding God's forgiveness. It is a multi-faceted message; one that is extremely hard to nail down, or describe correctly. We can see that God's forgiveness is for anyone, no matter what state of sin they are in, or where they come from, or how long it takes. As long as the heart condition is right, the response is there, and the people are eager, then God is ready to forgive.
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