Similarly, the father is seen in a position of complete vulnerability. In a fit of rage, we have seen him kill the three brothers, including the youngest and seemingly innocent child. In one sense, the father sees the death of the boy as penance or sacrifice for the life and virginity of his daughter- innocence for innocence, but Girard helps us understand that while violence is a key idea in sacrifice, violence and sacrifice are not synonymous. Just as the girl being raped and murdered was not a sacrifice, neither is the death of these men. Girard states "...sacrifice is primarily an act of violence without risk of vengeance" and we do not observe any violence in this film that results in no risk of vengeance.
The father is able to recognize that he was indeed acting out of vengeance, and while he does question God, he is able to repent for his sins.
The final song sticks with us, as we not only get the feeling of the girl's soul entering heaven, but we gain a sense of peace in knowing that the guilty parties present in this closing scene are truly sorry for their wrong doings, and we can come away from the movie knowing that they are forgiven for their sins.
I agree with your comments on the importance of the final song in the film and the connotations of religious forgiveness it provides.
ReplyDeleteI do have mixed feelings about the death of the herdsman not being a sacrifice. I am not ultimately certain that they are or are not sacrificial beings, and I feel like there may not be a definite answer that holds irrevocable truth. A part of me feels like the killing of the herdsman was an act of simple revenge, but the murder of the boy was an act of sacrifice. The boy is innocent and free of guilt from the crimes against Karin, and yet he is killed. I think it is important to mention that the boy was the last victim to be killed. The two herdsman are killed, but he violence continues. Only when the boy is sacrificed does the cycle stop. Also, I don't know that Tore considered the herdsman as capable of retaliating. After all, there was no one left in their party to get revenge, as all of them were dead.
At the same time, I definitely see where you are coming from, and violence and sacrifice are not one and the same. There is good violence and bad violence. Perhaps the boy's fate was just saved for the end because it would be the most dramatic, as the audience feels that the death of the herdsman is certain, but the boy's is not.