As a child, I thought that Labyrinth was just a movie for my enjoyment and my sole source of life lessons, but tonight I discovered many of our toxic discourse topics are embedded within my precious movie.
I will give examples of 3 out of Buell's 4 topoi.
*Inescapable of the Toxin
*David & Goliath (Our favorite)
*Gothicized Squalor
Here is the "Bog of Eternal Stench". I like to think of it as toxic waste, for the most part. Hoggle is terrified of the bog and explains to Sarah that no one is allowed to touch it or else they too will reek for all eternity. So once you're in it, you can't escape it. Also, Sir Didymus lives near the bog, guarding the bridge, and admits that he can't even smell the stench anymore. The marsh has a similar effect that poisonous chemicals can have.
From the beginning of the movie, The Goblin King, Jareth, has complete control over pretty much everyone else. Aside from his goblin minions, the blackmailing of Hoggle, and the manipulation of Sarah, he can even command time and space with his "voodoo". This makes him a pretty formidable foe. On multiple occasions Jareth shows up merely to enforce his power and to intimidate Sarah. The size of his kingdom and maze alone shows how small Sarah and her quest really are. But of course, she defeats her Goliath and saves her brother and grows up along the way.
The film takes a Virgilian perspective of nature. I couldn't find a nice shot of the forest, but the woods is pretty dark and filled with goblins and Hoggle actually ends up betraying Sarah with a poisonous apple. Labyrinth's portrayal of the woods as a powerful and sublime reading of what nature is, mirrors the evil in human nature as well, since this is where Hoggle "loses his way".
P.S. I think Labyrinth actually has another interesting scene that argues ideas of classic pastoralism we read about earlier. The movie is NOT nostalgic. It emphasizes both a good present and a good future, but has a disinterest in memory. The scene after Sarah eats the polluted fruit takes her into a drugged out stage where she is buried in her material wealth, childhood toys, and photos of her absent mother that hold Sarah back from growing. More stuff in the movie happens, and then in the end, we see Sarah coming full circle and putting away her cluttered past to prepare for a better future.
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