Tag Archives: Discovery Essay

DISCOVERY ASSIGNMENT: The Mermaid and Human Nature in The Lighthouse (2019)

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Robert Eggers’ 2019 film The Lighthouse follows two lighthouse keepers, Thomas Wake and Thomas Howard, who are stranded on a secluded island due to a severe storm. The movie’s narrative is presented from Howard’s point of view, and it explores themes like isolation and the fragile condition of human sanity. These concepts are accompanied by hallucination, including encounters with a mermaid and a man from his past. The film is rather avant garde: there are only two characters with spoken lines, it takes place in one location for a vast majority of the films runtime, and it’s shot with black and white film on a 1.19:1 aspect ratio – making the screen appear almost like a square. That all being said, The Lighthouse is more comparable to a novel than the run-of-the-mill suspense thriller film, which means the audience should look at the components of the narrative more for what they represent rather than what is actually being shown. Through editing and use of symbolism, the mermaid in The Lighthouse represents human nature and man’s inability to suppress it.

To understand the mermaid’s symbolic significance in the film, it is essential to define what the island represents to Howard. In a conversation with Wake, Howard reveals that he used to be a timber man on the American mainland, but he wanted to start fresh and earn a living as a “Wickie.” The script says, “Nothin’ wrong with a man startin’ fresh, lookin’ to earn a living… Soon enough, I’ll raise my own roof, somewheres up country, with no one to tell me ‘what for’…“ (Eggers Pg. 29-30). This statement alone implies that Howard feels the need to escape his past; add to that, the fact that Howard killed a man and took his identity previous to the events of the film – it is almost blatantly obvious that Howard being a lighthouse keeper is an attempt to distance himself from guilt. The island becomes a symbol of escapism.

There are two mermaids in The Lighthouse, one, a wooden figure, and the other being a seemingly real mermaid that washes up on the beach. The audience is introduced to the wooden mermaid relatively early in the film’s runtime, but it is not until near the end of the first act that Eggers presents the real mermaid. While Howard is out doing his chores on the island, he sees lumber floating off its shore. He goes to investigate it, and as it gets closer, the logs move and reveal the body of a bleach-blonde man (Ephraim Winslow). He approaches the body in a trance, and the tide rises, submerging him underneath the water. In the direction of where the man used to be, there is a mermaid in the depths – its face obscured by its hair and its screeching song muffled by the water’s density. This editing succeeds in establishing a thematic connection between the mermaid and Howard’s murdered or possibly fatally neglected ex-coworker. The two symbols do not exist independently from one another in the film – every time the audience is shown the mermaid, she closely follows the appearance of the late Ephraim Winslow.

The next significant appearance of the mermaid is during a scene where Howard attempts to pleasure himself, using the scrimshaw as inspiration. It seems like he has a really difficult time accomplishing this because his mind is clouded with thoughts of the white-haired Winslow. During this scene, three events are inter-spliced with one another: Howard matsurbating, Winslow dying (having been stabbed or shoved with a stake, and then drowned), and Howard engaging in sex with the mermaid. These events are cut together hastily, never spending too much time on one shot. His interaction with Winslow and the mermaid are happening simultaneously in his head, indicating that the two activities are equal to one another. On first viewing, it can be easy to assume that the editing in this scene is meant to show us that Howard is haunted by the action or inaction he committed on Winslow. However, the last thing Howard imagines before reaching climax is Ephraim Winslow sinking under a log. Having achieved his goal, he throws the wooden carving to the ground, breaks it, and wails like a wild animal in anguish. The editing of this sequence leaves little doubt that the death of Winslow is what peaked Howard’s arousal, underscoring his violent human nature and implying a disturbing sexualization of death. To Howard, killing Winslow and dominating the mermaid are on and the same, and the distress in his tone at the end of the scene is generated by his inability to escape his own depravity.

The last place where the mermaid is utilized as a symbol of human nature is in the last act of the film when Howard and Wake get into a fist fight over the old man’s ledger. Wake calls Howard a dog, a term used earlier in the film by Howard as he recounted the death of Winslow to Wake – “but Winslow that goddamned Canady fool bastard… always callin’ me a dog. A filthy dog.” (Eggers Pg. 51). In response to Wake’s insult, Howard attacks him and the two wrestle around the lighthouse’s living quarters until Howard looks at Wake and sees a hallucination of Winslow. He mounts the old man, still seeing Winslow, who lands a punch on him, staggering him. When he looks down again, Winslow is replaced by the mermaid – who caresses his neck before strangling him and turning into Wake again, but this time with a crown of barnacles and brine and a set of tentacles. 

Because of the rapid pace at which this scene unfolds, the audience is presented with a great deal of visual information to process and evaluate in a brief period of time. Howard is reminded of his earlier aggressions by Wake’s calling him a “dog,” and his desire for violence is promoted by the alluring image of the mermaid. This is similar to the situation in the two examples that came before it, in which the mermaid did not appear until after Winslow is present in Howard’s psyche. The fact that Howard is able to see the mermaid while he is impulsively beating Wake is a clear sign that he is taking pleasure in this assault.

The most astounding aspect of The Lighthouse is Eggers’ ability to establish Howard’s murderous intent without using words. Although it is logical to believe that Howard was responsible for Winslow’s death because he stole his name and identity, Howard never acknowledges this in the film, and he is not required to do so. From the time the mermaid appears on screen – when Howard discovers the body in the sea – it achieves its goal of establishing a link between Howard and death without disclosing the specifics of that relationship. In the scrimshaw scene, the spectator can deduce that Howard is responsible for Winslow’s death. Winslow’s death is practically a fantasy for Howard, heightening his excitement. Finally, in the fist fight scene, Howard unwittingly admits to killing Winslow. He sees the mermaid in front of him; she appears genuine to him at that moment, and he indulges in his inner darkness. His reaction to the mermaid shatters any doubt that Howard is a violent human being. Thomas Howard’s story in The Lighthouse is jam packed with mystery. In the end, he wasn’t able to escape the violence embedded within him – and although most people aren’t secretly evil like Howard, the feeling of not being able to escape your negative traits is a widely human experience. It is easy to say the past is in the past, but without taking the right steps to take accountability and improve, these undesirable features remain dormant until provoked. The mermaid shows the audience that running away is not the answer to moving past trauma or consequences, and that human nature prevails if left neglected.

Eywa Is the Way

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Eywa is the Way

Sometimes it would seem that the capital, in human capital, has trumped the human and the environment at the cost of all humanity. In the movie Avatar, directed by James Cameron, the Na’vi people reject the human capitalist mindset and instead embrace the way of Eywa. Eywa is a sacred deity that is the collective consciousness of the land of Pandora as well as a representation of the interconnectedness with the Na’vi people and their land. In the film, the world has been run down of our own natural resources so we outsource to a place called Pandora which is being threatened by the Resources Development Administration (RDA), with the use of a United States military group, who wishes to strip the land of a precious material, Unobtanium, which was believed to cost 20 million dollars per kilo. That money paid for the scientific explorations of the RDA and lined the pockets of the higher ups in charge of the operation. Money, a human construct, has become the most important resource on Earth, above all else; even if it means destroying their world, or any other world, to get it. The relationship the Na’vi people have with their land and deity, Ewya, presents a lifestyle, rooted in deep respect and honor for their environment, mirrors the natural mindset and lifestyle humans should have been living all along, acknowledging our inherent connection with nature that has since been forsaken. 

The Na’vi people respect their land and every living creature that inhabits it due to their strong connection to the deity Eywa. This deity seems to be the mother goddess of the entire planet of Pandora; all living things are Eywa and the Na’vi people are caretakers of the land. The Tree of Souls, known as the Vitraya Ramunong, seems to be the most sacred place on Pandora to the Omatikaya clan, as they consider it to be the closest physical connection to Eywa. When you mix culture, religion, and beliefs with nature, it is only natural for people to begin to care about whatever it is that is in the center of that; nature. Nature cannot speak for itself to gain the love and respect of humans nor fend for itself against the humanistic greed for money and power that has taken over the collective consciousness of the human race since the 1760s. The culture of the Na’vi people is the driving force of why they live in harmony with nature; they see everything on their land as living with value and a purpose. The trees, water, animals etc. all have a natural level of respect that they garner just by being a part of the environment. In this ideological thinking, humans, or in this case Na’vi, are not apart from nature but rather a part; they hold no more importance than the animals around them. In one of the early scenes of the movie Jake Sully, a human who is occupying an Avatar to visit Pandora, is surrounded and attacked by animals that are similar to hyenas on Earth. He seems to be moments away from his death until a Na’vi native comes in and kills the pact who threaten Jake and scare away the rest. After absorbing what had just unfolded, Jake tries to thank the woman but she ignores him and walks away. As he follows her he again tries to force his gratitude upon her until she turns around and strikes Jake saying “No thank for this; this is only sad. They did not need to die” Jake is confused by this as he protests that they attacked him so he is not the “bad guy” in this scenario. Ultimately, the woman, who we later know as Neytiri, is trying to convey the message that it was Jake’s fault for being in their environment; because of his ignorance, all of those animals died despite being in their own home. This represents a clear example of how the Na’vi understand that all living things have their own respect and regard on this planet; that they are a part of this harmonious land, not the sole ruler. In human culture, this sort of mentality is not mirrored as  we hunt for sport because we see ourselves as apart from our land and as more important than any other aspect of nature. This sort of thinking is what got the humans in this film in the position of outsourcing in the first place: by not respecting the environment around them it began to revoke its natural offerings. 

While the Na’vi live in harmony with nature, the humans in this film have often disregarded the interconnectedness naturally shared between humans and nature, leading to severe consequences. The Na’vi attempt to teach the Sky People, humans from Earth that inhabit Avatars, their ways but ultimately not every person is convinced leading to the ultimate destruction of their home. The military group goes in and destroys the Tree of Souls, as the Unobtainium recides underneath it. In one fell swoop, not only did they wipe away ample culture, spiritual importance, and people, but they depleted a land that was once full of life, energy, and resources. The tree was destroyed and with it the spirit of the Na’vi people. Throughout the film the entire forest glowed literally and figuratively with light, a light that was representative of the harmonious balance that was cultivated by the Na’vi people. If the humans in this film had an ounce of respect for their environment that the Na’vi had for their land, it would seem that humans and Na’vi could live fruitful lives in harmony with these new peoples and the environment, but instead they chose greed and destruction; destroying a land that has existed for a millennia. All of this destruction and pain for money, a human construct, a piece of paper that will not feed them, that will not give them culture, purpose. The humans in this film are representative of our society today, people who do not care for the environment, but only the parts that are of resource. This sort of thinking is exactly what led the humans to deplete their own world of its resources in the first place. By separating humans from nature, the humanity in humans is also detached; without the connection of being one with the environment, we are sure to one day destroy the world and ourselves with it. 

The humans in this film pose as a clear example of the human-nature conflict, the idea that humans and our advancement are paramount, neglecting the world we live in, or the one the Na’vi inhabit, in order to get there no matter the price. Humans have the capacity to understand the gravity of the decisions made against the environment but because there is such a huge disconnect between people and the environment, it would seem that one day the Earth will have to remind them of how interdependent we are on each other to live. By recognizing the differences between the Na’vi’s harmonious coexistence with nature it begs us as humans to reconnect ourselves with our environment in order to live a better quality of life for ourselves and future generations. 

Discovery Essay

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River McCaughey

Professor Pressman

ECL 305

14 April 2024

Moby-Dick: Chapter 126 The Life-Buoy

Moby-Dick is an 1851 novel written by Herman Melville, an author and poet who lived during a period some would call the Industrial Revolution. In this period, the American people were experiencing a mass movement to cities. Jobs were shifting from small-scale agricultural work to large-scale factories. The citizens of the US were experiencing a literal separation from the natural environment. This is relevant to Moby-Dick, a story about a man’s struggles with the natural environment. The story is inspired by a real sperm whale called Mocha Dick, who is known for destroying many whaling ships and avoiding almost one hundred. Herman Melville wrote the story Moby-Dick, an epic adventure about the captain of the Pequod whaling ship, seeking revenge on a sperm whale who bit off one of his legs. The story contains the ups and downs of the crewmates who get used to a constant macabre in and around their ship from the massacre of other whales. Melville romanticizes the unexplored and treacherous Ocean, despite the dangers. In Chapter 126, “The Life-Buoy”, the crew of the Pequod hears human-like cries in the night. Superstitious crewmen believe they are the sounds of mermaids or ghosts, which signify a bad omen. Captain Ahab scoffs at this, saying they have merely passed a seal colony in the night. His explanation does little to calm their nerves and the next day a crewman falls to his death from the masthead. Herman Melville utilizes the symbol of the mermaid and the omens of the sea to highlight the significance of respecting and understanding the mysteries of the ocean, as well as the consequences of disregarding its warnings and signals. Ultimately, he emphasizes the need for a harmonious relationship with the marine world.

Melville introduces the chapter by outlining the current chapter of the Pequod’s voyage. The boat is sailing South towards the equator. He foreshadows the upcoming disaster by describing the unusually quiet surf, and “strange calm things preluding some riotous and desperate scene” (Melville 537). The author highlights that the conditions are unusually calm in order to foreshadow to readers a possible unexpected tragedy. What Melville doesn’t do is mention that the crewmates notice this. It is only the observers of this adventure that can see a possible accident. By juxtaposing the words “calm” and “desperate,” Melville underscores the underlying sense of foreboding that the Ocean carries.

After hinting at the unpredictability of the ocean and the potential for chaos during the calm, Melville introduces suspicion with the crying seals. The crew is met with a scream “in the deep darkness that goes before the dawn” (Melville 537). Again, Melville juxtaposes “darkness” and “dawn” in order to emphasize the impending catastrophe. The scream of the seals is said to be mermaids by the Christians. Ultimately, the cries in the night are just seals near shore. The seals, harmless animals, are perceived as ominous omens by the crew, illustrating the consequences of viewing the ocean through a lens of fear and ignorance. Melville uses this instance to demonstrate the ignorance of the Ocean that ship crews have. The seals are then described as having some human-like characteristics. Besides their cries, the seals seem human “also from the human look of their round heads and semi-intelligent faces, seen peeringly uprising from the water alongside” (Melville 537). Through the superstition of the seals as mermaids and possibly evil creatures, Melville displays the disconnect between humanity and the natural world. By anthropomorphizing the seals, the crew does not understand the seals as who they are, but fragments of something familiar and more human to them. By portraying the seals as innocent creatures that are misunderstood by the crew, Melville shows the importance of acknowledging and respecting the life forms in the Ocean.

After ignoring the signs of warning that the sea gave the crew, they lose one of their crew to the depths. The men aboard the Pequod “saw a falling phantom in the air; and looking down, a little tossed heap of white bubbles in the blue of the sea” (Melville 538). The sailor eventually drowns despite the efforts of the crew to deploy the life-buoy. The imagery of the sailor falling to his demise serves to demonstrate the futility of human efforts to control or conquer the natural environment. Though the message is portrayed several times throughout the novel, this passage in particular shows how powerless the crew is compared to the vast Ocean. The sailor’s fate serves as a warning to the crew, urging them to seek caution in their future endeavors, as well as respecting the Oceanic environment as a dominant force.

After the commotion of the sailor falling overboard, “the first man of the Pequod that mounted the mast to look out for the White Whale, on the White Whale’s own peculiar ground; that man was swallowed up in the deep” (Melville 538). Melville suggests that the man who went overboard is subject to the same dangers of the sea as the Whale. By placing both on the same playing field, he emphasizes the importance of respect for the Ocean as a non-discriminate and savage environment. Melville also draws attention to the initial reaction of the first man, who assumed that it was the White Whale who had taken the sailor’s life. Here, we see a further misunderstanding of the animals in the sea as savage creatures, constantly praying for human demise. Melville uses the assumptions of evil to further portray the human disconnect from the natural environment.

Through the development of vivid imagery, juxtaposition, and symbolism, Melville highlights the consequences of disregarding the ocean’s warnings. He emphasizes the need for humanity to approach the ocean with caution and humility. Through this chapter, Melville prompts the reader to consider their own relationship with the natural world, and whether one understands the consequences of misunderstanding its power and complexity.