amy- More Than Just, Pan's Labyrinth (Part II)

Ophelia’s fascination with magic is not the only spiritual theme within the storyline. In fact, the entire film is riddled with thoughts towards the afterlife. I cannot accept that the story “logically” ended sadly. The point is that Ophelia was a more than just a tragic figure murdered by her father. Her life was worth more than mere appearance. Ultimately, each person’s life means much more than it seems. We as a society tend to rank people according to what we believe they have or have not done.
Putting the social implications, I think Ophelia’s sacrifice within the “fairy-tale” aspect is just another example of the greatest love on earth. The Bible says “Greater love than this hath no man, that a man lay down his life for his friends.”Ophelia was able to risk everything for the sake of her brother. I think in the fairy-tale setting it is hard to immerse ourselves into Ophelia’s position. As young adults, we have lost the nobility of youth. It is not that youths are perfect, but they have their own innocent convictions which can be most unmoving. Some adults do not have even a gram of the strength some of these children possess. This is what del Toro is teasing out in Pan’s Labyrinth. In our psychology courses with Doctor Kabat, he spoke of the intuition of children being a strong force in development. Though they cannot put into words why they feel the way they do, some children just get a sense from certain elders. I love how Ophelia kept this intuition and trusted it completely without passively depending on those whom she trusted. Watching Ophelia’s face during her death reveals much about her character. She does not scream or hysterically move about. She seems to almost have a peaceful calm cover her falling body. Her death signifies the rejection of a magical life. The logical world was chaotic, while over it all in Ophelia’s mind, there was perfect order even in death. I love this movie.