Pan's Labyrinth Theme

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Jona Smith Pan’s Labyrinth Response Paper The film Pan’s Labyrinth illustrates a multitude of dominant concerns. One such concern is the nature of reality. There seems to be a parallel between the real world reality and the fantasy reality created by Olfelia. Therefore, it allows the audience to question which reality is the real reality. Another main motif would be the constant questioning of authorities. For example, Olfelia was supposed to follow orders from the Fawn, however at one point she did question whether she could trust him or not. Another example would be the doctor not following the Captain’s orders on how to treat the captured enemy. Furthermore, another theme would be time. The Captain always had an…show more content…
It is interesting that Olfelia will be able to exist in a world where time does not matter; because this is something the Captain desires so much. He wants his family name to live on forever, and the only way that he could achieve this goal is by fathering a son; to the Captain, his son is the only way he can defy mortality. In fact he does not even question that his wife might be carrying a girl. When Carmen first came to see the Captain, he felt her belly and confidently believed that it would be a boy. It is clear that he does not even care for his wife’s health; she is just a mediator between him and his son, who he could pass on the inheritance and his name to. In fact, he told the doctor to make sure his son is born with good health, even if that means sacrificing Carmen’s life. Therefore, the Captain lives in a world where every last breath is counted and Olfelia will live in a world where time is not an issue. So there is a difference between “Earth Time” and “Other World Kingdom Time.” The captain would love to be in Olfelia’s position. The concept of eternal living is clearly important to both these characters. In fact, one way the Fawn was motivating Olfelia to complete her three tasks was by telling her that if completed, she would be an immortal…show more content…
For example, Olfelia needed to finish her three tasks before the full moon. The full moon is part of nature’s time. More specifically it is when the moon and the sun are 180 degrees apart. If Olfelia was for any reason not able to complete the tasks by the next full moon, she would never be able to enter the eternal kingdom world. And for her second task, she had to complete it before the sand in an hourglass ran out. Another reference to time would be Olfelia’s mother’s pregnancy. Pregnancy has a timeline of events that occur according to how long the pregnancy has been going on for and is completely natural. During the beginning of the film, Olfelia and her mother are late in meeting the Captain. The reason that they are late in the first place was because Carmen, Olfelia’s mother, was getting sick from the pregnancy. She had to pull over and vomit before getting back into the car. Therefore, the woman’s body and its cycles during pregnancy are another type of time in

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