1. How does your view of the main character change throughout the course of this film? What does this movie say about its the themes of motherhood and justice? And what do you think the mother’s small tin of acupuncture needles symbolizes?
In the beginning, I thought that the Mother was a normal overprotective mother. But over the course of the film, I found that the mother was blinded by her own demons to see that her son needed help, along with herself. I feel that she was blinded because she couldn’t realize that her son could have murdered that girl and started searching for a killer, and when she kills the man in the junkyard. Even when her son confesses to the mother, she just doesn’t seem like she comprehends that her son really killed the girl. I feel this theme of motherhood and justice is correct. Any mother will do whatever it takes for their child, its a motherly instinct. Also many mothers are blinded thinking that their child could never be the bully, or the mean child at school as they feel their kid is a perfect angel. I feel the mothers acupuncture needles symbolizes her tunnel vision of her life. She uses them to forget that she tried killing herself, her son, the man in the junkyard. But yet uses them and then is dancing as if nothing is wrong. She has a tunnel vision and can’t see that her life is a mess.
2. What do you believe the demon symbolizes in The Story of the Fisherman and the Demon? What allegories do you read in this story?
The demon in the story was determined to kill everyone that releases him from his jar. But once the demon is trapped again in the jar by the fisherman he changes his mind about killing him. I feel that the demon symbolizes that you can’t not punish others for what someone else did. The fisherman did nothing wrong but was going to be punished for this. Every day we see people who are grumpy or angry and treat others poorly because of this. But if there is an act, the fisherman sealing him back up, we can change our ways.
The allegorie that I felt was in the story was that we all have the face our inner demons. The fisherman had to face his demons in order to go on and live a better happier life. No one can live a life running from our demons and feel that they are truly happy. In order for a happy life you must face these demons.