The House That Jack Built Imagery

The House That Jack Built Imagery

OCD

In the 2nd incident, when Jack has murdered the woman in the house and placed her body in the van, he begins to start the van but suddenly we are shown imagery of blood stains. These force Jack to go back into the house and clean some spots that do not actually have any stains. But after his return, he again imagines blood stains at different places in the house. This imagery solidifies the fact that Jack has severe Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). The lack of self-control that Jack shows her also highlights that he is in his early days of becoming a serial killer.

Dante’s Inferno

When Jack finally gets the back door of the freezer open and descends down into the caves with Verge they are shown on a boat. This whole imagery is a reference to the painting “The Barque of Dante” which is also known as Dante and Virgil in hell. This imagery conveys to the audience that Jack hasn’t actually escaped but is beginning his journey towards hell.

Hell not Heaven

In the final act of the film Jack is shown traveling with Verge and in one scene he looks through a window and sees his one innocent childhood memory of the field workers cutting grass with their scythes. However, as he sees that memory he starts to see the different people he sadistically murdered and sheds a tear. This imagery can be interpreted as Jack finally feeling that he had been walking the wrong path in life and in turn had lost his chance of remaining in that innocent childhood memory, that was heaven for him, at the end of the film.

Burned Bridges

The final few minutes of the film are Jack and Verge traveling towards hell. Near the end of their journey they reach a bridge. The bridge of judgement. This bridge, Verge says, it leads out of hell and up. The imagery of this destroyed bridge can be interpreted as Jack having crushed his chance of redemption by his immoral and heinous actions in the world.

Family

Jack throughout film is shown to cross limits. He commits murders without a single feeling of guilt or reluctance. Before the third incident Verge tells Jack that maybe he commits these acts because he did not find love or has a family. Then we are shown imagery of Jack with a woman and two kids. They are going hunting. This imagery almost gives audiences hope that maybe here Jack will show his more affectionate side but that does not occur. Jack reverses the hunting on to the family present. This imagery also cements jack as irredeemable.

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