And yet, the act of maintenance is heralded as worship. Even the duties of the servants, specifically Winslow’s, all feel like upkeep on an entity incapable of taking care of itself. Like an Elder God, the Lighthouse’s bellows (or howls) are its otherworldly fog horn that oppresses its servants throughout their entire stay. Symbolreader, a site dedicated to unpacking symbolism, has observed: “Keeping the fire ablaze while living on the edge of society, bearing loneliness as a price paid for individuation, is the main task of the (symbolically understood) lighthouse keeper.” Which sounds eerily similar to one of the many cults devoted to Elder Gods in detailed in those pulp magazines that featured Lovecraft’s mythos. An ancient Greek philosopher named Heraclitus had this to say about the fire of a lighthouse: “That which always was and is, and will be everlasting fire, the same for all, the cosmos, made neither by god nor man, replenishes in measure as it burns away.” The source of its power is the fire its servants have been tasked with keeping alive. It is the oldest thing in the film, and for all we know, it’s always been there. The Lighthouse itself is an eldritch monstrosity. But it isn’t Cthulu or Dagon - despite the movie’s similarities with the short story, Dagon. The Lighthouse is Lovecraftian hell, it even has its own eldritch abomination. Usually associated with madness and elder gods, Lovecraft often gets misconstrued as scary things that makes people go crazy. Lovecraft in the creation of the movie The word Lovecraftian gets thrown around often. But what about the events that unfold after Winslow kills Thomas with a shovel? And what the hell is up with the lighthouse? What is the Lighthouse?In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Eggers made it very clear that he was inspired by the pulp magazines that published the works of H.P. Qualities that go hand-in-hand with the Old Man of the Sea. Thomas commanded respect as a knowledgeable lighthouse keeper, surveyor of the sea, and sailor. Whether or not Thomas is actually Proteus himself is up to debate, but Winslow certainly thinks his co-worker is the Old Man of the Sea. Proteus is also a known shape-shifter - which makes sense given the obvious. Often attributed as the son of Poseidon, Proteus represents the changing nature of the sea and all of its unpredictable, often violent tide. He is Proteus, the sea god known as the Old Man of the Sea. A single horn of coral extends from his forehead. Play Winslow gains the upper hand and upon looking at a broken Thomas, sees him transformed drenched in ocean water, clusters of tentacles in place of legs, and a body made of barnacles and seaweed. The two keepers then explode into a fight. This over-the-top curse comes to fruition after a night of binge-drinking honey-dipped kerosene, during the climax of the film when Winslow learns that Thomas has been chronicling the rookie lighthouse keeper’s ineptitudes. After Winslow insults Thomas’ ability to prepare a lobster, he retaliates with the biggest overreaction of all time where he curses Winslow with all the wrath of the Seven Seas and Poseidon. But you know what? The classical authors did that all the time." That morsel of information confirms suspicions that Winslow (Robert Pattinson) is Prometheus and shines a much-needed spotlight on Thomas (Willem Dafoe) as a character. And Prometheus might be taking on some characteristics he hasn’t in the past. But where things get really juicy is his mythological inspiration for the film: “Well, Prometheus and Proteus never hung out in any Greek myths before, but that seems to be what is kind of happening here. Thomas Is ProteusIn an interview with Vox, Eggers revealed that the film is loosely based on a real-life event that took place in the 19th century somewhere in Wales. Well, let's dive into those questions about the film, particularly its unsettling ending and all that head-scratching symbolism, and provide those answers for what (we think) it all means.
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