"Masquerade, paper faces on parade,
Masquerade, hide your face so the world will never find you..."
(Phantom of the Opera; Lloyd-Webber)

A mask... a disguise to hide your true self and appear as something you are not. Disguises of this nature are portrayed in the literal sense during the Ballroom scene... the Underground bourgeoisie play at being goblins by wearing grotesque masks; this is the 'role' they play.

Wearing masks is a central theme throughout the film: Jareth's 'mask' is his fairytale role as the Goblin King. He has to live up to the expectations of this role, and he also has to be Sarah's adversary throughout her Labyrinthine journey. Sarah wears a proverbial 'mask' as well. She recites the lines of a fairytale heroine in her bid to escape the obligations of 'real' life.

At the Ball, they both appear unmasked. As they meet in the Ball, it is as if they meet each other for the first time - Jareth and Sarah have been "strangers 'til now". They have been freed from their disguises, and can now explore the feelings that have previously gone unsaid: any love between them had been forbidden by their roles as destined enemies. Their mutual masquerade has 'fallen down', they can choose their 'path between the stars' as opposed to following the road dictated to them; they are free to fall in love.

However, it would be wrong to believe that either Jareth or Sarah is experiencing reality. Even in their brief moments of clarity, they are still within an illusion: the Ballroom is inspired by the music box in Sarah's room, so it is a product of, or inspired by, her imagination.

In the end, Sarah shuns Jareth and escapes the Ballroom... she leaves the illusion and attempts to put the 'dreamer' part of her life behind her: the part capable of creating such a powerful illusion. She shatters the products of those fantasies in her head, and returns to 'reality'.

But, can this ever be the case? Can a dreamer choose to lay their imagination to rest? Sarah returns to 'reality' in the form of the Junkyard, a stark contrast to the luxurious setting of the Ballroom and, perhaps, Jareth's demonstration that 'truth hurts', reality not always being the better option. The representation of her room seems to be 'real', though is later proved to be no more than an illusion. This challenges one's idea of 'reality'. People must constantly question what is before them: nothing is what it seems. This could also suggest that dreams and reality are not black and white principles - they are not separate worlds; instead, they exist within one another and are merged to such an extent that one cannot be separated from the other. The co-existence of these worlds is evident at every turn: the Underground is not a world different to our mortal realm: it is inspired and even controlled by it. The toys in Sarah’s room all reflect characters such as Hoggle, Didymus, Ludo, the Fireys, and even Jareth himself. Her music box spawned the ballroom, and a mortal book depicted Jareth's role as Goblin King. This co-existence can even be seen in the Escher Room, where simple things such as 'up' and 'down' do not apply.

Perhaps one could apply this principle to Jareth's unmasking at the Ball. If illusion and reality are inseparable, then how could he ever appear as himself? Sarah saw this flaw, and escaped. Jareth could try to cast off his obligations as Goblin King, such as his need to be Sarah's adversary, but he could not escape the inherent fact that he IS the Goblin King. His purported 'reality' is therefore just an illusion.

If this is true of Jareth, then could one say the same about Sarah? She attempts to cast off her childhood dreams and be an 'adult', although she chooses to do so in the Underground, a place which is the very product of those dreams. She proceeds to defeat Jareth in her bid to leave the Underground, as though her defeat marks her completion of the rites of passage. Yet, she is under the false impression that adults cannot be dreamers: a realisation that dawns on her when she is back in her room: "I need you Hoggle, all of you."

Her conquest in the Labyrinth, then, does not mean that Sarah is no longer a dreamer: she simply puts her dreams in their place. She establishes that they have no power over her - she controls them. Reality takes precedent even though illusion maintains its place. Sarah does not reach adulthood by abandoning her dreams in favour of a 'real' life; instead, she matures through the realisation that the two must be allowed to co-exist: she can be an adult and a dreamer at the same time.

a.k.a. Mistress Wolf

Read more analysations at Wolfette's Lair.