The Idea of an Essay, Volume 3

Research Writing 141 as viewed in the movie, include the murder of two rabbit-hunters whom he suspects to be Republican guerrilla fighters, the torture of the stuttering Republican his troops capture, and finally the murder of his own step-daughter. On a smaller scale, Vidal shows himself to be just as remorseless as Franco. Some people might argue that these similarities between Vidal and Franco are coincidental, as both were commanders in a harsh war. However, they resemble each other in many more ways. Besides his cruelty, Vidal’s most notable characteristic is his obsession with time. He is constantly and compulsively checking his watch and insists upon the punctuality of those around him. This preoccupation represents Franco’s obsessive control of the epoch he rules, and his fear that it will slip away from him (Deaver). As a fascist dictator, Franco desired complete control of the entire country, as seen by the institution of a secret police force and severe censorship of the media. He is just as obsessed with control as Vidal. Another way in which Vidal represents Franco is his demand of mindless obedience. Few things upset Vidal more than when people thought for themselves or disobeyed his orders, such as when the doctor euthanized the stuttering prisoner or Mercedes persisted in helping the rebels. Even minor events, such as Ofelia placing a mandrake under Carmen’s bed, could launch Vidal into a rage. This demand for mindless obedience is characteristic of fascism, particularly fascism in Spain under Franco’s rule. Vidal’s final moments are also reminiscent of Franco at the end of his life. Vidal, seeing that his death is imminent and inevitable, makes no effort to defend himself or die bravely. He makes no attempt to ensure that some vestige of his power will remain when his life ends, but instead requests only to be remembered. William Deaver suggests that this cowardly death “foreshadows the fatalistic stoicism of Franco on his death bed as he prescribed the transition of power” (163, translation mine). At the end of his life Franco did not try to perpetuate his style of dictatorship, but instead peacefully handed over the rule of Spain to Prince Juan Carlos, who would eventually reinstate democracy. Franco’s reign was also marked by the inhumane treatment of those under him, a fact that Pan’s Labyrinth makes clear from the beginning. In the opening lines we are told about “a princess who