Ofelia lives in a world of fairy stories. She immerses herself in her books, and she
begins to lose a clear line between what is real and what is “make-believe.” The first time she is seen, in fact, she is
turning the page of a book of fairy tales. Ofelia has little regard for rules or
authority, disregarding her mother’s orders to call The Captain “father” and
The Captain’s proper greeting etiquette, all within the first few minutes of
the film. She represents childhood,
freedom of thought, and independence.
The Captain is the opposite.
He lives solidly in the “real world.”
He is practical, efficient, and rigid.
His first shot in the movie is him holding a pocket watch, a symbol for
the demands of life. His life is run by
his pocket watch; rather than happiness at seeing his new wife and daughter,
the first emotion we see from The Captain is irritation that they are running
late. He represents adulthood,
structure, and oppression.
While these things are true, they are not actually
interesting, and are being used only to establish a foundation upon which to
explore the ending of the film.
At the end of the film, The Captain finally catches and
shoots Ofelia in the Labyrinth. Shortly
afterwards, he is shot by revolutionaries.
However, the natures of their deaths are completely different. Ofelia has a vision of the Underworld, to
which she is returning as royalty, while The Captain dies alone, with no one to
remember him. The Captain is informed
before he dies that his only connection to the world, his son, “won’t even know
his name.” He fails to continue to “live”
through others, because, while many people feared him, nobody loved him. On the other hand, Ofelia was loved by many
people, and therefore will continue to impact the lives of those who loved
her. In a way, she continues to live on
through them, regardless of whether or not her vision of returning to the
Underworld is real or not.
If we replace these characters’ names with what they
represent, we can find more meaning in their deaths. The Captain was oppression, so his death
would symbolize the death of oppression in the community. Understandably, nobody mourns his passing, and
are glad to see him gone. They are also
determined not to allow his son to become the same oppressive force as his
father. Ofelia represented freedom, so
her lack-of-death symbolizes how freedom can be temporarily rescinded by
oppression (The Captain shooting her), but is reborn with the death of
oppression (Ofelia being reborn into the Underworld).
If you would like to watch the closing sequence, it begins
at 1:45:40, and continues through the remainder of the film.
Here is a link to an online version (NO PROMISES ABOUT THE CONTENT
OF WEBPAGES, ADS, OR ANYTHING ELSE THAT MIGHT COME UP ALONG WITH THE
MOVIE. THE INTERNET IS A DANGEROUS
PLACE. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED.)
Discussion Questions:
In what ways does Ofelia symbolize freedom? In what ways does The Captain symbolize
oppression?
This movie has, in many ways, a sad ending, considering that
the main character dies at the hands of her stepfather. One of the final shots is of Mercedes crying
over Ofelia’s body. There is also her
vision as she dies, however. Considering
what I said about Ofelia representing freedom, is this really a sad ending, or
a hopeful one?
-Michael Sanders
Ofelia symbolizes freedom in several ways, one of the more prominent being her final task of the labyrinth. When she chooses self-sacrifice over that of her little brother, she symbolizes the freedom to choose even when we think we don't have choice. The Captain symbolizes oppression in murder of innocents, oppression being cruel or unjust acts. Ofelia's death, on the surface, appears to be sad, but really is a hopeful ending. Ofelia's earthly presence was never meant to be permanent, and in her death, she was finally returning to the place she was supposed to be, ridding the world of oppression as she left.
ReplyDeleteOne way Ofelia symbolizes freedom is her obvious disobedience toward not only the Captain, but also the guardian of the labyrinth, Pan. Time and again, Ofelia tends to make her own decisions even if it is against the will of others. When it comes to the Captain, this is usually for the better, as by going into the labyrinth she was able to obtain the mandrake root that would have cured her mother (had it not been destroyed). Disobeying Pan, however, is usually for the worst as this results in her eating from a banquet and awakening the Pale One. In the end, though, we see that freedom is ultimately a good thing, because if she had obeyed Pan at the last moment and killed her brother, she would have not only shed the innocent blood of a child, but been denied access to the afterlife when the Captain inevitably killed her.
ReplyDeleteOfelia symbolizes freedom through the cinematic representation of the supernatural. The unknown nature of the realness of the fairies and other supernatural creatures lends credence to the idea that Ofelia is a free thinker and allows her imagination to blend with the real world. On the other hand, the Captain is always in some way involved with suppressing Ofelia's imaginative products. Carmen's fear of the Captain results in her burning the mandrake root which wherein the distress of Ofelia, ire of the Captain, and the physical stress of bearing a child most likely killed her. In addition, at the end of the movie when Ofelia is trying to help her brother escape from the Captain by fleeing to the Underworld, the Captain does not try to understand the reason why she is conducting what he deems such illogical actions (to gain true freedom) but rather decides to end her ability to attain freedom.
ReplyDeleteThe ending is good because it shows that there is an afterlife and that people who do good in the real world are rewarded with a life of opulence after death.
Ofelia also symbolizes PERSONAL freedom. It feels like the world and reality she came from is, in a way, oppressive of her free nature (not just the Captain). Death, in her case, could have been a personal freedom - she is living what she symbolizes.
ReplyDeleteFreedom can be defined as having the ability to choose for one's self. Ofelia, as was stated, never had much regard for authority especially her stepfather. There is one scene after the first task that shows that she's happy that she "disappointed" the Captain. She chooses to take part in these tasks that will take her away from this world of war and into a world where she's princess. She is a perfect symbol of freedom because everything she does is by her choice. Even her death is her choice in a way. She could have taken some of her brother's blood and been taken to a much better place but she chose to stay in a world she knew would cause her pain. The Captain was the symbol of oppression because at every opportunity he had he tried to stomp out the way that Ofelia behaved. When he found the mandrake under the bed he was repulsed and had Ofelia's mother yell at her and try to fix the problem. He wanted everything to be his way or people were tortured or killed. If not that they were made to live in constant fear, like Mercedes was. She worked as a spy for the rebels but even if she wasn't the Captain made everyone in the household fear him even his wife. When she first arrived she didn't want to get in the wheel chair but one "request" from the Captain and she sat down. He oppresses all because he wants complete control. The ending of the movie is easily described as beautiful. The world that Ofelia so desired was now her's and she could be the free spirit that she aways was. It's sad that Mercedes will stay behind in the bleak world but Mercedes knows that the world is harsh. She sends Ofelia off with a parting gift of the lullaby she sang her before. In a way it showed that even in the harsh world there were little rays of hope. And maybe with Ofelia's death as a sacrifice the hope will grow to make it better.
ReplyDeleteInteresting, Kristel! Do you think the Captain might represent the opposite of Ophelia also in that he doesn't have a choice in the way he leads his life (due to the heritage of his father)?
DeleteI think Kristel puts it brilliantly when she talks about how freedom is opportunity to make a choice. While Ofelia wasn't free necessarily through circumstance, because she was still the child of the Captain, she was free to control the fates that came to her. I do not feel like the freedom is necessarily represented when she chose to take on the tasks, but when she conquered her evils and her own temptations. When she eats the grapes from the monsters table, she has fallen under her own temptation-- this signifies succumbing to her desires. But when she chooses to die for her brother, she chose freedom at the end. We all have our own evils and our own struggles, but we truly become free when we no longer let that evil have control over us. She rose above her evil by choosing to die, and in that sense, she chose to free herself. The ending is a hopeful one that helps set an example for us.
ReplyDeleteapplesauce= Tiffany Jiang
ReplyDeleteOfelia symbolizes the freedom that one may obtain if they continuously do what they believe is right. Throughout the film, Ofelia makes her decisions based on what she believes will benefit others. It is within this selflessness that Ofelia is able to maintain both moral and physical freedom. The captain symbolizes oppression because his motives throughout the film are fueled by the desire to diminish Ofelia. Because the Captain is solely focused on this demise his morality is therefore oppressed.
ReplyDeleteOfelia symbolizes freedom by being able to retaliate against fate and save her little brother. The Captain was an oppressor by trying to control Ofelia's life and use coercion to act upon his own will. Ofelia's death does not symbolize an ending, rather, she becomes the embodiment of hope for others and inspiration for those who witnessed her life.
ReplyDeleteOfelia symbolizes freedom because she chooses to die for her brothers, she chooses to not do what Capitan Vidal is telling her to do, she makes her own decisions despite the fact that she is just a child. Capitan Vidal symbolizes oppression because everyone is afraid of him, he tortures people who oppose him, he kills innocents, etc. I think the ending of the movie is a hopeful one because it shows that Ofelia got what she always wanted even though she had to suffer a lot to get there.
ReplyDeleteThe captain symbolizes oppression in his dictatorial manner. He represents this juggernaut that is capable and willing to do anything to get what he wants. Conversely, Ofelia encapsulates freedom because she is a maverick. (Nonconformist and picks her own door when told to pick another).
ReplyDeletePersonally, the ending is more hopeful than sad because, as you mentioned, it results in the death of oppression and the perpetuation of hope/freedom.
While Ofelia is dying in the real world, she is in the dark and newly orphaned. Contrastingly, in her vision, the setting is illuminated with golden light and she is greeted by both of her parents. If you trust that Ofelia's vision is real, then she will be entering a world that she will be powerful in and leaving one devoid of hope.
ReplyDeleteGreat "presentation", Michael! It would also be interesting to explore how the death of Ophelia might represent the death of innocence.
ReplyDeleteI think Ofelia represents freedom because she is in a different world; she fills her world with fairytales and stories and lets go of the real life problems that surround her. As for The Captain he surrounds himself with a pocket watch that controls his life and he emits the same control onto his family.
ReplyDeleteOfelia symbolizes freedom in the fact that she exemplifies freedom of choice. In her disobedience, or refusal to follow the Captains orders, she finds a world without war. I agree with the example of Ofelia's self sacrifice as her ultimate choice for freedom because it was her choice to stay in a world of pain. The captain undoubtedly symbolizes oppression with his strict adherence to structure, as well as his murderous acts. In all, I agree that the ending was a hopeful one because it symbolizes the end of oppression and the choice of freedom.
ReplyDeleteOfelia symbolizes freedom by virtue of her death in which she achieves her task and gets a chance to be a royalty in the Underworld after the death. The captain is obviously a symbol of oppression which attributes to his characteristic of a dictator among his family.
ReplyDeleteOfelia is a symbol of freedom simply because of the fact she does as she pleases. She choses not to listen to or accept the captain, and despite what others tell her, she knows the labyrinth is real. The captain symbolizes oppression, because he tries to rule over Ofelia's imagination and repress it. He also murders her in the end, in which he also tries to take charge and repress her imagination.
ReplyDeleteOphelia symbolizes freedom relative to Vidal. Vidal is a man trapped in the past, constantly looking at his watch in fear from the decay of time. Ophelia is a new soul in this world, and if she would not have been killed she would have had a life ahead over her. Although she is killed, she becomes freed into eternity and becomes a princess. While Vidal is trapped in a world of time, Ophelia is free and infinite.
ReplyDelete