OVER THE GARDEN WALL: INTO THE UNKNOWN

It is Autumn! And as I previously spoke about Escapism, I can’t let myself skip out on one particular type of escapism that I gladly partake in every once in a while. And that is seeking shelter in stories of fantasies, cups of joe, tea, good cigars, and purposely finding joy in all things rainy days and cold seasons by finding the warmest of quilts and coziest of songs. Fall and Winter being the époques in which I partake in these rather Holy activities, I would dare to say, is the best time of the year, where I find a certain type of peace I cannot find elsewhere or any other time. And with great times, may come great stories to re-visit, fantastical stories ready to be eaten up by a hungry soul, like we (mostly) would do with a Thanksgiving Dinner table or a Christmas Feast.

With all that said, I can spend all these pages writing about how much I love these seasons in particular, the WHY’S behind that and how I fell in love with certain “aesthetics” and many other things that are tied to Northern-European Culture, Fall & Winter season, Academia, History, Literature and many other things. And truth be told, I will. But, for now, let me introduce you to a piece of media that embodies all of these rather inexplicable feelings like I have never seen elsewhere. Let us journey into the Unknown and uncover the ways I interpret this Masterpiece, why it matters so much to me, and why it resonates so much with many.

As we all know, as much as this appears to be a cartoon for children, the topics and overall theme are very much profound and esoteric, and even psychoanalytical in nature. But setting aside the similarities to Dante’s Inferno, how Beatrice is kind of like THE Beatrice from the Renaissance piece, how the two brothers are somewhat walking through the spheres of Hell, the suggestion that the Unknown is the Afterlife, or even more profoundly, how Greg is kind of like Virgil *chuckle*. Putting that aside, there is a truly more grounded, psychological aspect to it that I insist on writing about. And it all falls onto one character in particular: Wirt.

I believe Wirt embodies three main archetypes in Jungian Psychoanalysis:

The Innocent: Seeks safety and happiness and desires to be free from harm and wrongdoing. As he does in the initial parts of the story, we see him complain about not wanting to be in the situations that were brought upon him. And his longing to go home, where it is warm and safe.

The Caregiver: Aims to help and protect others, often putting others' needs before their own. As he does when it is time to go and rescue his brother from freezing to death.

The Hero: Aims to prove worth through courageous acts and difficult challenges, and uses mastery to improve the world. As so, he did when confronting the beast, through his “mastery” of wits and logic. Facing the darkness, evening through fear. Showing bravery.

As shown here, he goes through the personification of these in the order mentioned in throughout his journey through the Unknown and therefore gives birth to what is character development.

The mentioning of Escapism wasn’t accidental, as a matter of fact, I believe this tale is a perfect example of how escapism (as mentioned before) is a double edged sword, and how equilibrium is the key to happiness, but also the total abandonment and burying of parts of ourselves as a necessary point of no return for the salvation of our soul.

Wirt, wanting to stay in the Unknown, where he was the Hero, the pilgrim, the protagonist of his story, is a prime example of this. You see, I, like many others, feel like I am different. It becomes tiresome to have to somewhat fake your amusement towards certain things to fit in. Because of this, many people, like me, like Wirt and like many others, find rest in liminal realities. Whether it’s the last week of school or rainy days in Autumn. It feels like, through these means, the world can demand less of your finite energy, and it enables you to hide away from agents of emotional exhaustion.

Living in that state of anticipation, on the cusp of something rather than being in it, almost feels better than having to manage whatever the outcome may be, and that is what is so tempting about staying in that in-between. There often exists a longing need to retreat inwards, to suspend the experience of the passage of time. To sleep, to avoid constant thought. In Wirt’s case, there’s an impulse to blame outside forces for this withdrawal, for his “anxiety and depression”, and to let one’s mistakes firm the notion that we don’t belong, but of course, it’s the loveliest lies of all. (In real life, at least, most of the time).

How misleading the temptation to retreat inward can be; to stay in the Unknown, to get caught up in the lie. This shows us that sometimes, unlike how Wirt perceives the situation to be (at least initially), the problem is us, not because we’re flawed, but because we refuse to take responsibility for them. To make hard decisions. The emotional shields Wirt fashions and scapegoats he blames are all part of the lie he is telling to himself, so he can put up comfortable barriers between himself and the rest of the world forever, and still feel content.

And this is where I take the time to compare myself and others with the character, but there is no need. You see, THIS is who we are, who we become, IF we are not conscious enough to realize it. This is the prime example of how dangerous it is to forget or never uncover one’s true self.

But, if there is a word I can use to describe this Masterpiece, it’s HOPE. As you may know, Wirt is as described, initially, but later on (as mentioned by the archetypes), he evolves, as the Unknown and its strange nature demands change from him as an individual. Which shows, as at one point, he doesn't give in to despair, he chooses not to flame the Beast’s lantern. And as mentioned beforehand, he ultimately journeys into the darkness, although it scares him, tracks through the snow to save his brother, and on top of that, points out the absurdity of the Beast’s demands. This is when he turns into the Caregiver archetype and finally turns into the Hero.

And as Wirt once said:

“I ask you, what is the world, if not poetry?,

The stars be-shattered glass against the shrouded sky,

The sea-sick fields, ever-waving goodbye.

A misplaced soul sailing parts unknown,

With the hope and the dread of returning home.

A tragic poem, the world is but somehow…

Every morning…

A sun rises.”

Of course, Wirt is not “fixed” at the end by any means; that was never the point. What does matter is that he is trying. And of course, Winter is what is next, but maybe there’s comfort in that, too. The chance to begin anew. After all, the Woodsman, who was led to believe there was nothing but an empty house to return to, discovered that someone was waiting for him all along. Finally, with all the talk on finding balance in life and all that mumbo jumbo, we can now clearly see its importance and how retreating every once in a while is beneficial, but like Autumn, solitude is only comforting when it’s temporary. It’s ultimately the same reason I only watch the series once a year.

Of course, all is open to interpretation, as it’s just a fairytale. That’s the beauty in stories, which are in themselves, the loveliest lies of all.