“Wouldst thou like to live deliciously?”
What does it mean to live deliciously? What is the cost of a pretty dress, a stick of butter, or any other treat our heart desires? Dare we allow ourselves to feel fleeting joy and must this always be considered a sin? As women, we’re taught to sacrifice our own needs to support others and uphold the status quo. Patriarchal norms tell us that we’ve been built to suffer so that others can thrive and that our own happiness will come at the expense of those more deserving.
When the Devil (Daniel Malik) whispers this distressing question to a shattered young woman left orphaned and alone, it feels like she’s walking into a trap. But Robert Egger’s The VVitch builds a case for Thomasin (Anya Taylor-Joy) to satisfy her own desires, and by proxy, invites the rest of us to taste the joy of self-indulgence.
Dragged into the wilderness by her pious father William (Ralph Ineson), Thomasin becomes the family scapegoat. Her infant brother’s apparent death, the loss of her mother’s silver cup, and a plague of misfortune surrounding the family are all laid at the burgeoning woman’s feet. But deceptive villains lurk nearby. A malicious witch haunts the woods, preying on the struggling family. William wallows in his own incompetence while his children pay for his sinful pride.
But is Eggers’ New England Folktale a cautionary story about the dangers of indulgence or a necessary shedding of toxic skin and the destruction of a family system built to victimize its women?
In the latest episode of Bloody FM’s The Lady Killers Podcast, co-hosts Jenn Adams, Sammie Roffman, and Rachel Reeves are joined by special guest Ashley Casseday to chat about historical witchcraft, dangerous piety, and the many different interpretations of Eggers’ shocking film. Is Thomasin’s ascendance a happy ending? Does the witch really exist? Why does William chop so much wood and has a crow ever done anything so disturbing? They’ll converse over the cauldron and celebrate 100 episodes with Eggers’ strangely empowering folktale.
Stream below and subscribe now via Apple Podcasts and Spotify for future episodes that drop every Thursday.
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