David Lynch’s 22 Strangest ‘Otherworld’ Characters
2. The Lady In The Radiator: Eraserhead
In Heaven, everything is fine The top two entries on the list are from opposite sides of Lynchs morality spectrum, with Eraserheads The Lady In The Radiator (Laurel Near) providing the ultimate example of wondrous, unexplainable angelic beauty in his work. Henry, the films protagonist, is overwhelmed by the pressures of domestic life fatherhood, marriage, intrusive in-laws, forbidden sexual urges for his neighbour when he begins to drift into a dreamlike state while staring at the radiator in his room. On a tiny platform jutting out from the radiator stands a lady in a white dress with bouffant blonde hair and alarmingly bloated cheeks. She smiles, clasps her hands and dances from side-to-side. She provides an escape from the realities of the world, and Henry is instantly smitten. His love for her only increases as, in later visions, she is depicted stamping on sperm-like creatures that remind him of his troublesome child. She is the ultimate beacon of happiness and freedom; a release from the pressures of fatherhood and marriage that were somewhat reflective of Lynchs biographical life at the time. She is the archetype of the angels of Lynchs films (Glinda, Merricks Mother, The Grandmother, Lauras Guardian Angel), and Henry ultimately gains his gloriously happy ending when he submits to her charms, holds her close and disappears into Lynchs blissful lights. Yet this is not an ending without its ambiguities: in order to be with the Lady of his dreams, Henry has been forced to murder his child.
