From Sarah Williams to Clara Oswald: Agency, Heroinism, and Why They Matter

I know what you’re all thinking. What does Sarah Williams, the protagonist of the 1986 Jim Henson fantasy film Labyrinth, have to with with Clara Oswald, the Doctor’s companion from the longest running sci-fi show Doctor Who? 

Much more than one could imagine.

Sarah Williams was not the first female lead in a fantasy film (Dorothy Gale from the 1939 version The Wizard of Oz is more worthy of the title than one would expect), but it is without a doubt that she was important to the genre itself and female leads (in the fantasy genre). Clara Oswald was not the first female companion in Doctor Who (Barbara Wright rightly owns the title), but it is without a doubt that she was important to the show and the proceeding companions on the show. Both have made astounding impacts, not only within their narrative, but those of us outside of them looking in. 

Let’s look at our protagonists:

Sarah Williams, a fifteen year old teenager who craves the freedom and treatment as an adult yet clings onto her childish sentimentality through live-action role-playing and being possessive of her toys. 

Clara Oswald, a woman in her twenties who yearns to be the heroine of her own story with complete control yet struggles to let go of her responsibilities of her human life on Earth. 

Both of our protagonists go through a journey that challenges their agency, heroinism, and importance to the narrative both within and outside of their own stories. Despite television and film being two different mediums,  and despite the nearly thirty year difference between them, the parallels between the two protagonists are undeniable.      

It all began with a book. The Labyrinth and 101 Places to See. They are motivators, sentimental objects that set off the journeys of our protagonists. The Labyrinth influenced Sarah to say the words that wished her brother away and amplified her need for an adventure to help her escape the mundane life that is reality. 101 Places to See influenced Clara to begin traveling with the Doctor and intensified her desire for adventures to get a break from her stable, grounded life on Earth.  

Because of their books and aspirations, both longed to be the heroine of a story, their own story in particular. Sarah dressed herself as the protagonist of The Labyrinth while Clara dresses up as, what could be assumed, Maid Marion from Robin Hood in “Robot of Sherwood.” This is what they envisioned themselves as, though they had yet to fully reach the status they desired but have yet to earn.  

At one point in their stories, they were shown to be what they dreamed of being from the beginning.

Sarah, after biting a peach, was driven into a trance. She looked into the crystal bubbles that Jareth, the Goblin King, sent her way. In them she saw her dream, her longings, her desires. She was shown to be at a masquerade ball, an adult one at that. She looked like a princess, like the one in her music box seen at the beginning of the film. She looked like an adult, what she wanted, and was surrounded by them. Though it was her dream, Jareth was the one in control. Attention was on her, from both the man of her fantastical lusts (Jareth) and the other lewd party-goers (adults). 

Clara, in the form of her Victorian echo, followed the (Eleventh) Doctor after a strange first meeting with him. She followed him up the ladder and stairs to his cloud, where the TARDIS was parked. Clara’s echo lived a double life and as seen later in the special and loved telling magical, unbelievable stories. She saw what could have easily be one of her own stories up on the cloud, a breathtaking and surreal sight for her. She became the heroine, wandering off into an unknown place because of the encounter with a mysterious, enigmatic man who spoke in strange or advanced words.  However, because she was an echo, an echo of what the original Clara wanted to be, a mere piece of her, she had no control when it came to meeting the Doctor and sealing her fate to save him.

At one point in both of their journeys, they became trapped. Sarah, as previously mentioned, in a bubble of her own fantasy set up by Jareth, and Clara, in a false version of her reality by Bonnie, a Zygon replica of herself,  in “The Zygon Inversion.” Sarah in the bubble and Bonnie are both what Sarah and Clara were capable of being, however with no control of themselves, and mirrors of themselves that both are self-aware of.

Prior to seeing her reflection in the mirror, the clock struck in the ballroom, along with the discomfort of the party-goers surrounding her, broke Sarah out of her trance. She remembered her brother, the responsibility she had to him, despite it meaning that she had to let go of her dreams. When she broke away from the crowd and saw her reflection in the mirror, she looked horrified, possibly scared at the thought of being trapped within them. With her cleverness and determination, she took a chair and broke the mirror, popping the bubble of her fantasy that no longer mattered as much as it used to. 

Prior to seeing her reflection in the mirror, the toothpaste turned black, along with finding herself being confined into her flat, broke Clara out of her illusion. She remembered what to do the last time she was trapped in a dream (i.e. “Last Christmas”) and looked through newspaper pages to find the clues as to what was happening in reality. She became horrified at seeing her replica aiming to kill her best friend and innocents, and fought to take control. With the strength of her mind and willpower, she took control and left Bonnie has no choice but to free her from her pod. It was a risk of her life but as seen in “Face the Raven,” it was a choice she was beginning to subconsciously think about. 

In the climax of our protagonists journeys, their agencies are tested. 

Sarah was given the choice of staying in the labyrinth and her dreams with Jareth in the climax. Compared to her demeanor in the beginning of the film, she became confident and confronted Jareth with no fear and no more time for games. Throughout the entire film, she assumed that he, being the Goblin King and her intended antagonistic yet lustful source, had power and control over her. However, by the end, she learned that she had been the heroine she had wanted to be all along, that she had the power over him the entire time. 

“Through dangers untold and hardships unnumbered I have fought my way here to the castle beyond the Goblin City to take back the child you have stolen, for my will is as strong as yours and my kingdom as great. You have no power over me!”

Clara was told by the (Twelfth) Doctor that she had to and would have her memories of him erased and be placed on Earth, after being removed from her time-stream moments before her death prior to the climax of “Hell Bent.” Compared to the beginning of her era, she attempted to have his plan backfire and confronted him for trying to take her past away from her, all while trying to control her future without her consent. Throughout her era, she assumed that he knew what would be best, being the Doctor and a figure she viewed as hero straight out of a fairytale, even when it meant no longer being “the Doctor.” However, by the end of her era, she learned that he was not always right and that her memories meant more than her safety, that she was the only one who had a say over her memories. She was in control of her life, not him. 

“Why? Nobody’s ever safe. I never asked you for that, ever. These have been the best years of my life and they are mine. Tomorrow’s promised to no one, Doctor. But I insist upon my past. I am entitled to that. It’s mine.“

Agency is an important theme highlighted in both of their journeys. It is not subtle in the slightest, as both face the issue head on without any guilt and fear of making it known. It is a powerful theme and important to see on our screens. It feels even more relevant as the #MeToo movement came to light this past year, stories of women suffering what felt like the loss of their agencies due to sexual harassment and the fear to speak up, as well as young girls in as early as middle school beginning to be scared of rejecting advances out of fear of being shot. Seeing female characters like Sarah and Clara claim their agency against the fearful, older figures like Jareth and the Doctor is empowering, as well as inspiring. They teach us that there is nothing wrong with speaking up about the control one rightfully has over their own mind, body, and future. 

In the very end of their journeys, it is without a doubt that both Sarah and Clara understood and earned their titles as the rightful heroines of their stories. 

Sarah accepted that she must grow up and leave her childishness behind. She knew by the end that though she has no control over reality and what adulthood would bring her, she would always have control over herself and her dreams. She was prepared to let go of her dreams and childhood sentimentality for good when she bid her friends from the labyrinth goodbye in her mirror. She stated that though she was ready to let them go, she would always need them every now and then, for no reason at all. She still had control to see them, to indulge in them whenever she wanted to. Her story never ended when The Labyrinth ended. No, Sarah Williams’s new book is just beginning. 

Clara accepted that she has to deal with the pain of the Doctor willingly losing his memories of her and that she must return to Trap Street one day. She knew by the end that she had to take the role of the Doctor, of being able to handle the pain and loss, for her and the universe to continue going on as normal. However, in turn, she became her own Doctor. She became immortal in a way, with her own companion and TARDIS. She was prepared to let him go for good when she let the diner materialize away. She stated that memories maybe become songs, as her memories with the Doctor became a song felt through the next series. She had control and had achieved what she had wanted. Her story never ended when “Hell Bent” ended. No, Clara Oswald’s new chapter was just beginning. 

Both are heroines in their own right. 

“Why she keep referring to them as heroines instead of plain heroes?” You must be asking. 

It is because a “heroine” is no less valuable, no less meaningful than a “hero.” Sarah and Clara are women who lead their own stories, who aren’t defined nor end up with the any of men that surround them. They write the next pages of their stories, define themselves, are unashamed of who they are. Romance and domesticity are not their endgame, unlike other heroines seen in the media. That is not to say that those endgames are any less feminist than independence and adventure, but they do not fit the intended endings of out heroines. They have their flaws, obstacles, and strengths like their male counterparts. They are themselves. 

Sarah Williams and Clara Oswald are two heroines from two different mediums and slightly different genres that matter. 

Despite being called a “brat,” “ungrateful,” and “stupid” for acting her age and rejecting Jareth by a small minority, Sarah is still being celebrated and analyzed to this day. New, younger fans are being introduced to her character every day. Over thirty years later, she is still being talked about, loved, discovered. There was an outcry from fans about the sequel manga, Return to Labyrinth, for being focused on Toby as opposed to Sarah herself and Sarah’s characterization no longer being the same as it was in the film, as her characterization was important to the fans. She, as seen by fans reactions, is the heart of Labyrinth. 

Despite being called a “Mary Sue,” “one-dimensional,” and “eye candy” for no other reason than existing by a majority of the fandom, Clara is still being celebrated and analyzed to this day. New, younger fans are being introduced to her character every day. Over five years later, she is still being talked about, loved, and discovered. Fans have made several fan projects for her character alone over the years, including an upcoming series titled Clara Oswald: The Untold Adventures, about her adventures as her own Doctor with her companion, Me, after “Hell Bent.” She is an important part of Doctor Who‘s legacy. 

“Girls becomes hard to swallow when they force us to consider an alternative to being either likable or unlikable.

When they becomes complex.” 

– KELLY JENSEN