Over the Garden Wall is a Cartoon Network miniseries about two brothers, Wirt and Gregory, who are lost in a forest known as The Unknown and are trying to get back home. It is short; with only ten chapters- each chapter timing in at eleven minutes long.
This is a dark and eerie show that keeps you guessing, has plot twists that truly surprise the audience, mature underlying themes, and metaphorical aspects. It is a work of art. The show also has a strange narrative that starts off in the middle of the story then works forwards and backwards as we simultaneously learn the ending and the beginning of the story, the motivations behind characters, and how the strange world that Over the Garden Wall sets up for us operates. Similarly, it has an ending that ends once it tells the story; leaving some material and unanswered questions up to the audience's interpretation and debate. It leaves the audience wanting more. While that is annoying, it is interesting and helps to fully immerse the audience in the universe.
My interpretation is a metaphorical one. The Unknown I believe represents a transitional state between life and death, where the individual's actions determine whether or not they return to life or go to Heaven or Hell (death). The closest thing to describe this would be Bardo, which can be learned about here. It could also be a form of Purgatory or Limbo.
There is a plethora of evidence to support this interpretation. For starters, there are the final two episodes, which show the start (episode 9) and the ending (episode 10) of the story. The story starts on Halloween night, and at one point, Wirt and Greg end up jumping over the garden wall (hence the title) in the cemetery to avoid getting caught by a policeman, who was really just playing a joke on them. Over the wall, Greg and Wirt are arguing when they see an approaching light and hear a whistle. Realizing they are on a train track, they narrowly escape the train and tumble down the surrounding hill into a lake. It is heavily implied that they drown; this scene ends with them sinking deeper and blacking out. In the next scene, the brothers awaken in the Unknown. Then, in the last episode, the story is resumed and we see Wirt awaken in the water and pull Greg out of the lake, then both of them collapse. Later, they awaken in a hospital.
This underlying story implies that everything took place while Greg and Wirt were unconscious or in a coma. But, the frog's belly glows when Greg shakes him, just like it did in episode 7 "The Ringing of the Bell", due to him eating the bell. This means that everything that happened in the Unknown was real; that it wasn't just a coma or a hallucination.
Meanwhile, the theory that they are stuck between Life and Death works with this. Also, when Greg and Wirt are in the Unknown, they are lost; which is another way of saying they need to find the correct way, which would be Life. The Beast would represent Death or the Devil. His goal throughout the series is to draw children in to turn them into edelwood trees, which he needs to fuel the Dark Lantern, which contains his soul. He sings the song "Come Wayward Songs" (video) to help draw them in.
These are the lyrics:
Who wander through the darkness,
There is a light for the lost and the meek.
Sorrow and fear,
Are easily forgotten,
When you submit to the soil of the earth.
This song supports that the Beast is the Devil or Death. The line "When you submit to the soil of the earth" is a reference to dying, and since it is in the context that doing so will bring salvation and relief, the Beast is literally attempting to make them die, and not just die, go to Hell.
If the Beast is Hell, then the Unknown would be Heaven after the Beast is defeated. When the Beast dies in the series, it seems as if instantly the characters that Greg and Wirt meet in the Unknown are relieved of their problems and are at peace (seen in the ending, which is the video). The Woodsman, who was under the belief that the Dark Lantern contains his daughter's soul, no longer has to keep the lantern burning and is reunited with his daughter. Beatrice, who was responsible for turning her entire family and herself into bluebirds, is turned back into a human along with her family, and is shown to be infinitely happier. Before the Beast is defeated, they are living in a state of unrest and after he is defeated, their worries are gone and they are living happily without a worry. This is similar to the classic interpretation of Heaven and Hell, where in Hell Souls are unhappy and seem to be awaiting something, and in Heaven, are happy and care-free.
Another important thing to note is that when Greg and Wirt are there, it is autumn, and when they leave, it is winter. Autumn is seen as a season of unrest and change, a sort of in-between stage, meanwhile winter is peaceful, serene, and often happy. Winter represents Heaven, and Fall is the stage in between Life and Death.
Finally, while this may be really exact, at one point in episode 9, Wirt and Beatrice have a conversation. Beatrice says to Wirt "You'll be no good to your brother dead". Wirt then replies and says "I was never any good to him alive, either". By using the word was, which is past tense, Wirt directly states that he is not living. But, Beatrice states he isn't dead. If Wirt can't be living, and isn't dead, what is he? He is in between the two, where depending on his actions he either dies or goes back to the living.
Plus, the creators originally planned to have the Unknown be named 'the In-Between'.
In conclusion, Wirt and Greg are in between Life and Death, and since they choose to not submit to the Beast, are sent back to the world of the living, and the characters in the Unknown are transported to Heaven since the Beast, which is Hell, perishes.
sources:
http://www.spiritualtravel.org/OBE/afterdeath.html
videos:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WJeeA_O88Zw
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AZUH_ZGI1U8
No comments:
Post a Comment