After reaching the Goblin city and
escaping the army, our heroes get to the castle. Right before they enter the
next room to face Jareth, Sarah stops them. She tells him that she must face
him alone “because that’s how it’s done.” Her friends hesitantly agree, but say
they will be right outside. They will answer her call if she ever needs them.
When she enters the room, it is a complete jigsaw puzzle of a place. It quotes
the famous Escher painting with stairs coming out all over and leading in every
direction possible.
If the
entire plot of the movie represents and/or takes place in Sarah’s mind, then
let’s get Freudian. It is clear that we have entered her subconscious. The
subconscious is the deepest center of the human mind. It is the darkest, most
mysterious, most complex, and most confusing place we have inside ourselves. The
Escher room is all of these things. It is confusing, one flight of stairs leads
somewhere different. People can run upside down from the stairs on the ceiling.
There are many pathways, but none of them seem to lead anywhere. Jareth could
represent the id- the part of our mind that wants to give in to every impulse
we want to do. Whether it be sexual, like seducing underage girls or violent,
such as kicking our goblin subjects into the air. Toby could represent the
superego, since he reminds Sarah of the responsibility she must accept. Sarah
herself is the ego and must work on balancing both. Only, she has let the id
win at the beginning and now must follow her superego to atone her mistake. If
not, then the id will win and she will become corrupted by her impulses.
A second possible interpretation is that Jareth represents
adulthood and Toby represents childhood. Jareth is definitely the most adult
character. Since, as said before, he connotes glamour, power, and sexuality. Toby
is the youngest character, being only a toddler. Sarah loses Toby to Jareth
(loss of childhood innocence) and must fight to win him back.
However, there is one giant hole in
this theory: Sarah wants to stay a child. We saw this in the beginning with her
not wanting to date, playing pretend, and hoarding fantasy books and stuffed
animals. It makes no sense that she would yell “I hate you” at the symbol of
her childhood. If she doesn’t hate Toby at the beginning, then there is no
plot!
Some people take this a notch
further and say that Toby represents virginity. So Sarah wonders what it is
like to lose her physical innocence. She goes through the Labyrinth as a way to
explore her sexual awakening. She wants to see a world where she isn’t a
virgin.
This makes sense at first; such as
her admiration of her beautiful mother, the ballroom scene, and why Jareth
won’t give Toby back at first. But, there are two giant holes. One is the same
one mentioned before, Sarah wants to remain a child. Second, her whole journey
is to get Toby back, which she does at the end. As far as I know, you only lose
your virginity once. Unless there are sexual meanings inside her beginning fantasies.
Which means getting Toby means going through the stages of pregnancy. Only, if
there are sexual undertones to her interests, then why doesn’t she make more of
an effort to date boys? It could be possible that she enjoys the fantasies, but
is nervous and hesitant to go out and live them. I’ll leave that one open to
debate.
Which leads to my analysis of the
obligatory scene; Sarah’s final confrontation with Jareth.
Oh, where do I begin?
Let’s start with that famous offer
he makes to Sarah. He first claims that he has done a lot for her to the point
of “exhaustion” (which is the point of the “Within You” song). That includes
fulfilling the wish that 1) He would take Toby away because 2) he fell in love
with her. He says he has moved time for her. But he only does when he first
gives the 13 hour challenge and then skips it forward a few hours to “raise the
stakes”. Sarah keeps him at bay by saying the beginning monologue. (with one
extra real line thrown in- “Generous? How have you been generous?” to show that
maybe this all is not just a re-enactment of her play).
Only this time, she is not reciting
it, she is saying it from her heart.
Jareth goes to his last resorts to
get her to give up. Including the crystal dream ball, and the famous offer,
“Just fear me, love me, do as I say, and I will be your slave.” Many fans type on their kepboards and post across message boards, social media, and Youtube comments sections that if they were in Sarah’s shoes, they would choose to
stay with sexy Jareth instead of little Toby.
But let’s recall what we know about
his character. Let’s list what he has done throughout the film.
1.
He did not give Toby back when she immediately
asked him.
2.
He threatens Sarah for “defying” him by throwing
a snake at her face to scare her into submission.
3.
He summons a cleaner in the oubliette that could
have easily killed her for trying to be brave in front of him.
4.
He drugged her food
5.
He constantly demeans Sarah as a child who
cannot solve the labyrinth, and should submit to him instead.
Sounds like love to me.
I have checked the Lindsy Ann Burke
Memorial website for twelve signs of an abusive relationship. Jareth fulfills
five out of the twelve. They include:
1) Controlling behavior (the snake,
creeping on her through his crystal balls),
2) Quick involvement (He is very
charming and even a bit flirtatious with her- “This is no gift for an ordinary
girl who takes care of a screaming baby”),
3) Unrealistic Expectations (“do as
I say and I will be your slave”),
4) Isolation (obviously, taking
Toby and offering himself instead), and
5) Rigid Sex Roles (see previous
parts of these articles).
The offer he gives her even sounds
very contradictory. “Love” is right next to “fear.” “I will be your slave”
comes right after “Do as I say.” These are such extreme opposites that they do
not achieve balance. Also, it could be a trick. Remember, in the world of the
Labyrinth “things are not always what they seem.” It could be possible that this
is a trick, and if Sarah says yes, maybe both she and Toby will be turned into
goblins.
Jareth might be charismatic and
attractive, but he is not a good person. To quote Taylor Swift, he is a
nightmare dressed like a daydream. He might be in love, but it is a very
twisted version of love. It is less on the lines of “I care for and want to
spend the rest of my life with this person.” It is more of “I am the most
handsome, awesome, powerful guy ever. Oh, and I’m bored. Hey, here’s this
lonely, hormonal teenage girl. Let’s see how I can use my good looks and
charisma to hold an advantage over her. One look at me, and she will be kissing
my feet.”
So what else is his motivation? The
answer is in the film is given subtly. It is even up to the viewers interpretation. But the official novelization explicitly
says why.
Jareth is not motivated by tragic,
unrequited love, but vanity. He wants to keep Toby to himself in order to steal
his youth until only a goblin form of Toby remains. In fact, this is where many
of the goblins come from! According to the novelization:
“In the old days, when many babies
had been offered to him, Jareth had been more tolerant, reckoning that soon he
would certainly find one who could be trained as a worthy companion to the
throne, one whose young blood would serve to refresh Jareth's, whose high
spirits would dispel the thoughts of aging that oppressed the King of the
Goblins. As calls upon him to steal a child became rarer, so Jareth sank deeper
into dejection. He avoided mirrors and reflecting water. He could feel that the
corners of his mouth had tightened, and he needed no proof of the wrinkles that
creased his brow when he did not deliberately narrow his eyes to tauten his
skin.” (Labyrinth: The Novellization, Chapter 3).
He ages as the story gets closer to
the ending. According to the novelization, during the confrontation, “he looked
older, drawn. In his blond mane was a trace of grey.” (Chapter 18).
An earlier draft of the script,
written by Monty Python alumni Terry Jones, had a different climax. This one
having “Sarah punching and kicking Jareth, then watching him shrink down until
he’s a small, ‘snivelling’ goblin.” Like a reverse Beauty and the Beast, he
transforms into what he truly was all along.
Interesting idea, Sir Bedevere. I'd take it, but the climax is strong enough as it is now.
Sarah should say no and does.
Saying yes means throwing away her whole journey. Solving the labyrinth,
emerging from the oubliette, crossing the bog of eternal stench, awaking from
the fever dream, refusing the offers of the Junk Lady, storming the city, and
leaping into the Escher room would have been pointless. The dangers, monsters,
temptations, and tests she has conquered would be in vain. Saying yes is also
the selfish choice- it is choosing her superficial desires over Toby’s physical
safety.
She
finally uses the coup de grace on him. She looks at Jareth in the eye,
remembers the final line of her monologue, and says “You have no power over
me.”
Let’s bring Feminist Theory back into this.
First of all, think about this image. We have a teenage girl looking at a grown
man (a figure of authority!) in the eye and saying that he has no power over
her. That already breaks ancient patriarchal molds. Sarah has become a strong
independent woman who don’t need no goblin king. Second, Sarah’s companions are
all male. But they agree with her that the patriarchy of the goblin city is
unjust and they are going to conquer it. They are okay with her leadership. She
does not allow them to go with her because ultimately, the fight should be
between the corrupt alpha male and the female. They promise to only interfere
when she calls for them. Third, the man is offering her romance through her
submission to him instead of accomplishing her goal. Yes, Sarah is taking on
the traditional role of the caretaker. Yet Toby represents the future
generation. She is going to save him from becoming a misogynistic, patriarchy
upholding monster like the goblins. That way, Toby can keep his literal and
metaphorical humanity. With the Freudian interpretation, Sarah is declaring
control over her id. She is literally no slave to it because actions always
have consequences.
Finally, with the adolescence theme. Sarah is choosing to
make the mature choice having reached adulthood. Adulthood is not gained
through glamour and romance. Aduthood is gained by taking on what needs to be
done and doing it yourself. Adulthood is knowing you have some power. Adulthood
is also knowing that you have a choice. Do you remember parents always nagging
you to make good choices? Well, that’s because they are right.
In
life, we are surrounded by choices. All of them, even if they are right, have
consequences. We cannot take some back, but they are ours. No one can have
power over us unless we give them consent. Because it is our choice and our
life.
Saying “You have no power over me”,
Sarah is refusing to let him control her. She is having the ultimate say over
her life, her actions, and her choices- which are hers and no one else’s.
Anyone can call her a little girl,
scare her, or bribe her. Anyone can pressure her into being someone she is not,
or tell her she cannot do something. She may be scared and confused. She may
not be as perfect as her mother, yet she has a strength greater than they can
comprehend. She only has to choose to be strong. She can choose to be a spoiled
child or a passive fairy tale princess. (In fact, the name “Sarah” comes from
the Hebrew name “Sarai” which means princess!)
But she chooses to be the hero of
her own story. She cannot attain self-fulfillment through one-sided romances,
material goods, or selfishness, but through kindness, wisdom, friendship,
discipline, and courage.
Thus, the goblin king is defeated.
Toby is safe and both he and his sister are back home. Sarah no longer has a
jealous grudge over him and gives him her favorite toy. He can now live his
childhood in a wise, caring environment.
Was this all real? Was it all a dream she had? Was she
re-enacting her play? Was this all a story she told Toby? Was it some
combination of the above?
Maybe. That is left open.
But there is one more message. As
Sarah goes back to her room and packs up some of her junk, she sees her friends
from the labyrinth. Although she has accepted adulthood, she says tells them
that “every now and again, I still need you. All of you.”
Thus her all of her friends re-appear and we get a
dance party ending.
Some people may find the message
contradictory. But the intention is not that. In fact, it’s the best message in
the whole movie! Sarah is now a grown-up, but she still has imagination. She
still has the wonder of childhood so she will not turn corrupt as some adults
do.
Anyone can be an adult with a
career and still dress up in costumes for fun. Anyone can still be a responsible
adult who pays bills and read children’s literature in their free time. Anyone
can be a functional adult and do what they love when they have free time, even
if what they love is a little childish. Just as long as you stick with your priorities
and no one else gets hurt. It’s all a matter of balance. Grow up and do the
work, but don’t lose the magic of childhood.
Because you have the power, if you
choose to take it. And that is the message at the heart of Labyrinth.
SOURCES
Labyrinth. Owned by Jom Henson
Smith, A. C. H., Brian Froud, and
Jim Henson. Jim Henson's The Labyrinth:
The Novelization. N.p.: n.p., n.d. Print.
