The Lighthouse

The ending of The Lighthouse leaves viewers with a powerful sense of ambiguity and mythic symbolism. Throughout the film, Winslow (later revealed to be Thomas Howard) is consumed by guilt and a desire to uncover the secrets of the lighthouse, which pushes him towards madness. The final scenes are deliberately vague—Winslow is shown burying Wake alive, and then lying on the rocks with seagulls tearing into his body, echoing the myth of Prometheus, who suffers eternal punishment for seeking forbidden knowledge. This brutal image suggests that Winslow’s obsession with understanding the lighthouse’s mysteries has led him to a similar fate of eternal torment.

Meanwhile, Wake’s prophetic final monologue about Proteus and Prometheus hints at the broader themes of knowledge, power, and self-destruction. The mythology references reflect the two characters’ psychological struggles and their symbolic roles—Prometheus representing the desire for enlightenment, and Proteus embodying the elusiveness of truth. The closing visuals—flocks of seagulls and the barren, rocky landscape—underline the idea that Winslow’s pursuit of truth is ultimately destructive, and that the line between reality and fantasy, self and Other, has blurred beyond distinction.

In the end, The Lighthouse does not provide clear answers but rather immerses the viewer in its mythic, psychological landscape, leaving the fate of Winslow ambiguous. Is he a survivor of his own madness, or has he become a myth himself, sacrificed to the dark, primal forces that govern the sea and the human mind? The film’s ending invites us to interpret his journey as either a descent into eternal punishment or a symbolic awakening to the truths that lie hidden behind the lighthouse’s shadow. Ultimately, it’s a haunting meditation on humanity’s relentless quest for knowledge and the inevitable costs that come with it.

Last Updated: June 25, 2025 at 08:57