The Dying Mother
When an idea/scenery/dialogue/etc. causes a powerful (often subconscious) reaction, it usually means there are some hidden messages for the observer/listener to decipher. I believe this type of reaction is not unique to humans.
For example, when some prey animals see predators in proximity, they often freeze. This is because predators like lions are not very good at identifying stationary objects. Their visual modality is evolved to detect moving objects. Hence, the hidden message is likely “do not move so you don’t get eaten”. An obvious concept, but similar yet more nuanced examples also abound. For example, when cats look at themselves in the mirror, they experience piloerection (i.e., hair standing on end) and the hidden message is “look bigger so you can intimidate the opponent without causing collateral damage.”
For humans, embedded messages might be more personal and rather opaque.
When I read the following, I felt this deep gut-wrenching reaction in my abdomen.
• Almost 300 people, mainly women were beheaded and burnt at the stake in 17th century witch trials. Accursed women are forced to admit to sorcery. In Bohuslän they are tortured, while further north children’s stories are counted as evidence. Different methods are used to torment the witches.
• Elin Andersdotter from the Staxäng estate in Bohuslän, allegedly had cured diseases by magical means. The belief was that if she could cure, she could also curse. Elin was accused of being a witch. For hadn’t she magicked an illness on the miller’s wife, and broken an engagement using a lemon? They wanted her to admit that the devil had made her with child.
Look at how the mother is looking at the child. She is about to get executed, but her gaze is directed at the child. It is as if she is saying, “Be courageous, my son. I’m sorry I won’t be able to raise anymore, but I will always be there in spirit.”
Mother’s love – to me, that is the most potent, most precious, most inspiring element of human life.
The second message for me came from the child’s facial expression - the total annihilation of innocence and the recognition of pure evil. I'll explain the lesson I learned in my review of The Lucifer Effect.
The third message and lesson will also be addressed in my review of The Lucifer Effect