Is it not wonderful to set things as we want them to be, even just for a day? This question was answered in “Shrek Forever After,” which by far, in my opinion, has the most consistent storyline to the first Shrek movie – that of accepting and appreciating who, how, or what things are.
Shrek wanted a different life – different to what he has at present so, he was willing to trade a portion of his life which he taught mattered nothing to him. He was longing for the day when he was feared by all of the villagers and his roar troubled many – he was longing for the day when “the world made sense,” when he was an “Ogre”. Shrek justified his act of trading one day of his life for another one by saying, “I guess there is nothing wrong with wanting a little time for myself”. Later he realised that his act resulted into an unfortunate event – that of losing all those he loved – to which he lamented, “I didn’t know what I had until it was gone”.
Sometimes I tend to think like Shrek, especially when I was younger. I had always wondered what it is like being born into another family. I fantasized of the freedom that I could have or the acts which I may have done. However, just like Shrek, I love my own family, so I fanaticize that I have the power to go back in time, change what I want to change and then return everything to normal again after I am satisfied.
Nevertheless, when I grew older I learned how naïve I was to fantasize of such things. I realized that how things are is what really turned me into who I am. I learned that it is through the people around me that I understand my own place in this world. In other words, we assess ourselves relative to other people and events. For example, I will not know that I’m tall if I had not seen anyone who is short. In a sense, we need each other; who we are is not solely determined by us but also by the people who we become acquainted with. Hence, we cannot, at any time, dis-attach ourselves from our surroundings and create our own world – it is impossible – because in the process we will destroy our very own existence. This is the reason why Shrek had to vanish according to the contract which he signed with Rample.
Work Cited:
Mitchell, Mike. Shrek Forever After. MegaShare. 20 May 2010. Web. 29 May 2014. <http://megashare.sh/watch-shrek-forever-after-online-TVRZd01RPT0>.
