Borrowing momentum from the sensational updraft and intrigue in sci-fi/fantasy features following the success of the original Star Wars trilogy, the fantasy film The NeverEnding Story was released in 1984. Evidently, it was popular enough with audiences to secure two subsequent films. Everything, from its music to its traditional storytelling stylistic choices, contributes to an immersive adventure of hope, especially that of youth.
Dreams are enkindled in young Bastian, the boy who is at the heart of this tale. He spends his time doodling fantastic creatures and poring over novels such as The Lord of the Rings, Tarzan, and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. Between the death of his mom and being bullied by classmates, he has retreated further within himself and into his imagination, though his dad firmly advises him to get back in touch with reality.
Bastian borrows a strange novel from the owner of a bookstore and within its pages he finds himself in a broader context and discovers that he has something meaningful to give to the world. While reading, he sees himself – his hopes and aspirations – in the warrior character Atreyu. Bastian sees how the story relates to himself and becomes a part of it.
The book, of course, is The NeverEnding Story, and it tells of the mythical realm Fantasia (just not Disney’s version). In Fantasia, an unknown fear lurks in the shadows. It comes with gales and dark, foreboding clouds. It persistently moves about the land, swallowing up creation bit by bit – leaving nothing in its wake. Hence, this force is ominously dubbed “The Nothing.”
It’s interesting, as a Christian, to apply our understanding of evil to this story. Gmork, the wolf-like servant of the Nothing, explains the function of its shapeless master. Fantasia is the byproduct of humanity’s hopes and dreams. It is Fantasia, and therefore hope, which the Nothing is attacking and consuming. And, as Gmork unsettlingly observes, people who have lost their hope are easy to control. At this point, it’s clear what the Nothing is up to.
There’s a noticeable resemblance here between the Nothing and what evil truly is. Evil is the deprivation or absence of good. However, everything God created is good in its origins – namely, that creation was produced by God, Who is all-good. In a more philosophical sense then, evil is understood as being nothing. There is no good in evil, whereas there is good in all of God’s creation. Only God can build up nature, order, and goodness; evil, on the other hand, works to tear down, distort truth, and spread disorder and despair.
The Catholic Answers encyclopedia entry on the topic ventures to put it this way:
“It is evident again that all evil is essentially negative and not positive; i.e. it consists not in the acquisition of anything, but in the loss or deprivation of something necessary for perfection.”
With this understanding, the Nothing fills the role of a true antagonist – a force of evil. The NeverEnding Story isn’t about the horrors of Nazism or even about the clear allegory infused in good and evil characters such as those found in epics like LOTR or Narnia. Instead, it treads a different path, examining evil from an angle seldom seen on the big screen.
Evil has few physical dimensions in this film, which allows for a deeper consideration of what evil is. The Nothing destroys whatever it touches. As Gmork explains to Atreyu, the Nothing is the emptiness left behind. Again, this imagery may serve as a representation of evil actions. How does sin leave us? It leaves us with guilt, and it leaves us feeling empty. In the darkest moments, it can even leave us with despair in which we’ve been robbed of our hope.
This is not what God wants for us. In the movie, hope is associated with the longing to hold onto one’s imagination. But for us, the chiefest hope is our aspiration and expectation of the Beatific Vision – being in the presence of God for all eternity.
As Catholics, we are called to have youthful hearts like Bastian’s, not hardened hearts like Morla, the ancient one, who clings ever to his pessimism and relativism. Hardened hearts allow no room for personal conversion. In one of his most beautiful and inspirational quotes, Pope St. John XXIII said:
“Consult not your fears but your hopes and your dreams. Think not about your frustrations, but about your unfulfilled potential. Concern yourself not with what you tried and failed in, but with what it is still possible for you to do.”
During the Sermon on the Mount (detailed in Matthew chapters 5-7), Jesus tells His audience multiple times to refrain from being anxious. Echoing Christ’s teachings, St. John XXIII reiterates the need to let go of our fears and put our trust in God.
If we let fear dictate our lives, we will discover that we will have done nothing. Fear and despair inhibit us from asking for forgiveness and moving forward courageously in the plan God has for our lives. Let’s look to our hopes and dreams.
John Tuttle
John Tuttle is a Catholic journalist, blogger, and photographer. He has written for Prehistoric Times, Culture Wars Magazine, Those Catholic Men, Catholic Insight, Inside Over, Ancient Origins, Love They Nerd, We Got This Covered, Cultured Vultures, and elsewhere. He can be reached at jptuttleb9@gmail.com.