Word of the Day
craven [krey-vuhn]
adjective
1. contemptibly timid, cowardly or chicken.
noun
1. coward
rogue [rohg]
noun
1. a thief.
2. a dishonest knave and/or scoundrel.
3. a tramp or vagabond
4. a playfully mischievous person
HIS NAME IS HOG-GLE!
Most fans of Labyrinth seem to be girls, and most girls have a favorite character and that character is not Hoggle. Hoggle is a nasty, little, cowardly, thieving, greedy, ugly, mean and contemptible goblin. He hunts fairies with poison spray, he runs at the first sign of trouble, and only wants to help Sarah if it is profitable. Yet, not only is he one of my favorite characters of all-time, but he is my personal example of the archetype of a rogue.
First, lets tackle his first scene. Not only do we have the pleasure of watching a muppet pee into a pond, but we get to see him gas pretty little pixies with a spray gun. At first, Sarah thinks this is terrible but after one bites her, she realizes Hoggle may not be all he seems. All things that are beautiful are not necessarily good and all things that are ugly are not necessarily bad.
Hoggle is the first person Sarah meets in the Labyrinth and she asks for his help. He gives it, plainly, but she doesn't follow his instruction well. After ending up in a pit, they meet up again and he offers to help her escape the bowls under the Labyrinth and even get to the castle in exchange for a piece of jewelry made of "plastic" (haha). Yes, he may seem greedy to us but look around his environment. Its not easy for a goblin in the Labyrinth. He has never met anyone like Sarah and this begins his own transformation.
In the Wizard of Oz, Dorothy meets three characters that are missing something. In Labyrinth, Hoggle has no heart and no courage but he does have is brains and know-how. He is a rogue. A thief but he is not mean or cruel. He tries to help Sarah escape the Labyrinth and only leaves when it becomes too dangerous for him to continue. He soon becomes the biggest risk in Sarah's gang of weirdos when Jareth threatens to throw Hoggle in the Bog of Eternal Stench if he helps her again. Hoggle leaves her when he sees the threat of Ludo but returns to save her from the Fire Men. He becomes Sarah's friend but not for long. Jareth makes Hoggle poison her with a piece of corrupt fruit. Hoggle has to hit a low point
before he can become...*drum roll* A HERO!
In the last act of the movie, when they reach the castle, Hoggle has to become a hero. Hoggle not only defeats the gate guardian robot in single combat by using his roguish climbing skills but he defends Sarah from the goblin army. Hoggle is not big like Ludo nor as brave as Sir Didymus but he learns a lesson that will always stick with me. The first way we learn to be brave is by protecting our friends. He doesn't become a hero for any greedy or vain reason. He does so to protect Sarah and his friends. Hoggle is a great symbol for the little clever dwarf thief in all of us.
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| And he will always be there should the need arise for him to come to her aid! |
