COMM 380: Media Criticism
Redefining the Archetypal Hero
by Anya Shelton, '20
Major: Communication, Public Relations
While there are many different themes and plots that encircle the fantasy movie genre, there are some patterns that emerge among movies. An archetype is a recurring pattern of images, situations, or symbols that are found in mythology, religion, and art around the world (Barlow np). Therefore, the archetypal hero is the main character of a particular movie that follows the archetypal pattern and his journey is the plot.
Typically, archetypal heroes are men that go on quests in order to prove themselves. At the end of the journey, there is usually some sort of spiritual awakening when they realize that they have changed themselves (Barlow np). Some famous journeys include the story of Odysseus, Hercules, and King Arthur.
Archetypal heroes are usually men because of the idea of traditional gender roles. Men were the ones who were powerful and independent enough to go on large quests while women just sat at home (Barlow np). Recently, women have had a new role in archetypal journeys, but it is only to be the “damsel-in-distress” that men have to rescue. Pan’s Labyrinth takes a unique spin on the archetypal hero pattern because it chooses to have a young female as the hero of the movie, which in turn makes female empowerment the unsung theme of the film.
The movie begins with a simple fairy tale starring a Princess named Moana (Del Toro 2006). Her father is King of the Underworld and she will do anything to escape to the human world. She fails her escape when she is blinded by sunlight, which leads her to turn mortal (Del Toro 2006). The King believes that her soul will make its way back to the Underworld and so he builds a labyrinth around the Underworld to wait for her return (Del Toro 2006). We then shift to fascist Post-Civil War Spain in the 1940s. Ofelia, a young girl fascinated with fairy tales is traveling with her sick pregnant mother to a village to meet her new stepfather, Captain Vidal (Del Toro 2006).
Vidal is rude and doesn’t care for Ofelia; he puts more focus on making sure that her mothers has a son to carry on his legacy (Del Toro 2006). One night, Ofelia wakes up to a large insect who turns into a fairy and leads her to a Labyrinth (Del Toro 2006). When Ofelia reaches the maze, she also meets a faun who is convinced that Ofelia is the reincarnation of Princess Moanna and that it is her destiny to return to the Underworld (Del Toro 2006). Ofelia is presented with a book that describes three tasks that she must complete in order to go back to the Underworld (Del Toro 2006).
As Ofelia sets out on completing the tasks, there is a subplot on Vidal’s doctor and housekeeper smuggling food and medicine to the rebels that are against the Captain (Del Toro 2006). After completing her first task, Ofelia’s mother grows even sicker and she is hesitant to carry out the other two (Del Toro 2006). The faun gives her a mandrake root to heal her mother (Del Toro 2006).
As she continues to complete the tasks, Vidal is fighting the rebels and ends up killing his doctor when he finds out he’s playing for the other side (Del Toro 2006). He angrily rushes into the room to check on his wife and discovers the mandrake root (Del Toro 2006). He furiously tells Ofelia that magic doesn’t exist and rips the mandrake from her mother, who then collapses without the mandrake (Del Toro 2006).
She ends up dying but not after giving birth to a healthy son to Vidal’s delight (Del Toro 2006). Among the chaos, the faun visits Ofelia again and tells her her last chance to prove herself is to take her new brother to the Labyrinth (Del Toro 2006). When she brings him, the faun springs on her that he needs the blood of an innocent to open the Labyrinth (Del Toro 2006). Ofelia refuses but before she can say anything else, Vidal finds her and takes the baby and shoots her in the stomach (Del Toro 2006). Vidal leaves the labyrinth with the baby only to get shot by a group of armed rebels (Del Toro 2006).
Ofelia is a unique archetypal hero of the story because she does not have the “normal” qualities to be considered a hero. For one thing, she is only ten years old which in terms of society means that she is considered powerless (Gramstad 18).
Additionally, there is no room for her to advance in post-Civil War Spanish society as a woman (Granstad 18). Finally, she is not independent. Captain Vidal is very dominant to both Ofelia and her mother and is emotionally abusive because he does not give either of them support and instead constrains them from being able to do anything. However, Ofelia is able to push all of her internal hardships aside and go and complete her journey. There are many different parts of the movie that embody the archetypal hero journey.
The first sign is the “call to adventure” which is the beginning of the path. Ofelia’s call is when she meets the fairy during the night to lead her to the Labyrinth (Del Toro 2006). At the labyrinth, she meets the faun who can be considered her “mentor” figure during the story. Although the faun is more objective towards Ofelia, he does give her the initial book that explains her tasks and gives her a mandrake root to help her mom (Del Toro 2006). Ofelia “crosses” the threshold” or steps into her journey when she accepts the book from the faun and begins her first task.
The first two tasks can be considered the tests during the journey in which she grows stronger and realizes her true potential. Another “test” can be when she finds allies in Vidal’s Doctor and Housekeeper and keeps the secret that they are helping the rebels. The “inner cave” part of the journey is the most vulnerable that the hero is; where they fail a part of the journey. This is where Ofelia fails her second task and the faun tells her that she cannot complete the rest of the journey.
Then, her mother dies after the destruction of the mandrake (Del Toro 2006). Ofelia is lost, with the only person in her life the evil Captain. Instead of giving up, she bravely flees the estate with her brother to complete the final task. This part is the “Seizing the sword” part of the journey in which we see how far the hero has come in order to gain the strength to complete the journey.
The “Resurrection” part of the journey is the final awakening that the hero has. By refusing to sacrifice her own brother to enter to the Underworld, Ofelia shows that she is truly kind-hearted enough to be let in which is turn means she passes the final test. She has finally reached immortality and is allowed to be reunited with her parents as a Princess (Del Toro 2006).
Female empowerment is a popular theme that has become more popular in movies starting in the 21st century (Tolentino np). Since more women are going to films, “women’s empowerment” has been able to become more marketable as women are more likely to relate to a female lead and display more emotion during their journey (Tolentino np). This idea can relate to The Social Learning Theory.
We as a society watch movies in order to create a set of “rules” on how the world should operate (Hanson 40). This regulates behavior on and off screen (Hanson 40). As more women are watching movies with strong female leads, this can lead to more women adopting feminist beliefs into their lifestyle. This can lead to more movies coming out with female heroine leads. There are a few parts of the journey that emphasize the theme of female empowerment.
First, the movie is littered with references to over exaggerated masculinity and misogyny. Vidal, the antagonist of the film, doesn’t acknowledge Ofelia or her mother as humans, instead, he views them as just objects for his own growth. His only priority is for her mother to have a son to carry on his legacy. Ofelia’s independence during the movie also symbolizes empowerment. Vidal constantly chastises her for believing in fairy tales, yet she sticks to her beliefs until the end of the movie and is in turn rewarded.
Another aspect of the journey is the role of the mentor. The faun does not actively help her complete any of the tasks. She is able to complete all three tasks by herself, without any advice from her “mentor figure” which also makes her more powerful and independent.
Finally, the resolution at the end of the movie is that Ofelia becomes a “princess”. In this sense, the term “princess” can be synonymous to “hero” since she has now completed all of her tasks. However, using a term that is more feminine than “hero” gives the movie its last kick to show people that princesses can be considered heroes too.
In conclusion, if I could sum up Pan’s Labyrinth is a hashtag, it would be #StrengthHasNoGender. This hashtag was created by Brawny for women’s history month that celebrates strong women from all backgrounds (Tolentino np).
While I was watching this movie, this hashtag kept coming up in my mind as the overall message of Ofelia’s character. While I was watching the movie, I never considered Ofelia as just a “kid”. Instead, I thought of her as a young woman that was capable of escaping an abusive stepfather by going on a heroic journey to be reunited with her parents. I believe that this movie reminds us that heroes can come in all ages and from both genders, and I hope that the film industry continues to break those boundaries in the future.
Works Cited
Del Toro, G. (Director). (2006 ). Pan's labyrinth. Mexico: Telecino Cinema .
Grandstead , T. (1999). The Female Hero . Feminist interpretations of ayn rand , 1(12), 12-27.
Hanson, R. E. (2011). Mass communication: Living in a media world. Washington, DC: CQ
Press.
Tolentino, J. (2016, April 12). How Empowerment Became Something For Women To Buy . New York Times .
A Romanticized Criticism of Catholicism
by Christine Figliozzi, '20
Major: Communication, Media Production & Criticism
On the surface, this is a traditional bildungsroman story. Right from the beginning the protagonist, a little girl named Ofelia is faced with mortality. We learn of her birth father’s death and her mother’s illness. She is constantly surrounded by death and decay and must navigate her way through the real world and underworld with nothing but her innocence. Upon further examination, we learn that there is much more at work and an intricate web being weaved. Del Toro’s Pan’s Labyrinth uses elements of the romanticism movement to depict his disdain for the Catholic church.
The romanticism period was a time of revolution and change. It was a time where liberalism and radicalism was of the utmost importance. It embraced emotion and individualism and the importance of nature. Those who were on a quest of heroism were revered as they were going to better society. Their quests and goals were often unattainable, yet noble. “The new movement stressed nature and narrative in literature and philosophy; embracing narrative led to a revival of folk tales and primitive native tongues, which in turn reinforced nationalism” (Smith, 2016). These things that encapsulate what romanticism is, are displayed with careful attention in Pan’s Labyrinth.
This story begins in 1944, a tumultuous time in Spain,
as Spanish Maquis are fighting the Francoist regime.
The Spanish war against fascism and the
Catholic churches response was something that
deeply troubled Del Toro (Snider, 2016). This issue
is confronted in the very beginning of the film, where
we are introduced to the war and those involved.
One of the main elements of romanticism is,
“the revolt against classic standards and rigorous law,”
and was “intensified by political turmoil” (Young, 1933).
Del Toro mentions in an interview that the Pale Man
is symbolic of the Catholic Church, representing,
“fascism and the church eating the children when they
have a perversely abundant banquet in front
of them” (Snider, 2016). This links to romanticism in
that it is a depiction of Del Toro’s revolt against the Catholic church and its traditions.
We meet Ofelia when she is at a very emotional time in her life. She is coping with the death of her father while simultaneously trying to adapt to a new life with a stepfather and ailing mother. At this time, Ofelia is open wither her mother about her feelings, expressing that she wished her mother had not gotten remarried and that she does not like her new life. All while embracing her inner emotions, she embarks on a quest for immortality alone. This is also a typical feature of romanticism. Ofelia faces this ‘me against the world’ situation in a quest for mortality. She embraces the component of individualism to deal with her own immediate reality (King, 1962).
This quest for immortality that Ofelia faces alone is also a criticism of the Catholic church. One of the main principles of Catholicism is that you are never alone; God is always present. However, Ofelia faces this journey alone. Her mother, too sick and too preoccupied with appeasing her new husband. Her new stepfather, too preoccupied with the war and blinded by corruption, much like the Catholic church at the time.
Her quest begins when she is met with a fairy in the woods who calls upon her at night and brings her into the Labyrinth. It is in the labyrinth where she meets the Faun, who gives her the Book of Crossroads that tells her future and gives her the tasks she must complete to achieve immortality. It is here where two important elements of romanticism come into play. The first being the faun. In Roman and Greek mythology, a faun is a god of nature. “The Romantics used nature’s lens to discover the beauty and then see the transcendent truth in it” (Smith, 2016). Ofelia describes the faun of being made of and smelling like earth. This creature is meant to be half goat and half human. In this depiction, he is half goat and half earth, keeping the gates of the underworld. This is one of the many examples of Del Toro utilizing nature to create a romanticized world.
The second element at work here is Ofelia’s quest itself. The quest for immortality. It is an admirable goal to achieve, but it is also an unrealistic one. She is on a quest that is destined to be incomplete. However, her quest is a noble one. She seeks to find truth and realization that could potentially make her world a better place, not just for herself, but for her mother as well. Her Del Toro is challenging the church’s perspective on death and immortality. Per the church, there is a life beyond this one where one lives in solidarity with God. Ofelia defies all constraints of the natural world and achieves her goal of immortality, however, her afterlife continues in the underworld, instead of heaven. Here Del Toro is expressing revolt against the hope of all Catholics. Having Ofelia find immortality in what essentially is hell, is Del Toro saying that there is no hope or salvation left within the church.
During the Spanish war against fascism, the Catholic church acted as a participant in aiding fascist ideas. The idea behind referencing the romanticism movement, s to criticize in a meaningful and artistic way. These examples show how Del Toro uses romanticized ideas to criticize the Catholic church, which in and of itself is reminiscent of the romantic revolution.
References
Del Torro, G. (Director). (2006). Pan's Labyrinth [Video file]. Esperanto Films.
King, E. (1962). What Is Spanish Romanticism? Studies in Romanticism, 2(1), 1-11. doi:10.2307/25599568
Smith, C. R. (2016). Constructing a Neo-Romantic Rhetorical Theory. Western Journal Of Communication, 80(2), 220-237. doi:10.1080/10570314.2015.1137102
Snider, D. E. (2016). 14 Fantastical Facts About Pan's Labyrinth. =http://mentalfloss.com/article/79882/14-fantastical-facts-about-pans-labyrinth
Young, B. (1933). ROMANTICISM IN SPAIN WITH SPECIAL REFERENCE TO THE DRAMA. Modern Language Journal, 17(4), 275