The lamb = embodiment of innocence, but twisted, REANIMATED. It has become something corrupted by violence. The youth has become twisted due to the world they were born into. 

The lamb consumes all the children. This symbolizes their corruption, and how violence has overtaken and consumed them. 

The girl gives birth to this amalgamation of innocence and violence. She vomits it, and she also is eaten by it in a kind of reverse-birth, ending up in the stomach. It is here that she has visions of the truth, at last. Innocence has given way to experience. 

Why do I see the lamb as innocence corrupted? Well, in part it is due to the lamb amalgamation. But in the regular ending, as the boys drop the girl down the well, the sheep around the well stand up menacingly. They represent these children, who have taken up the mantle of violence, although their childhood makes them appear innocent. I think in light of this, the symbolism of the lamb is obvious. 

Obvious, too, is the symbolism of the rabbit motif. A creature also seen as innocent, and more importantly, as prey. Like the dead bunny found in the circle in the shed, the girl is meant to be sacrificed- she is prey to those around her. This is why she wears the rabbit mask. 

After finishing the first two chapters, I theorized to my husband that the children were involved in a cult sacrifice, possibly leading to the accidental death of the girl and perhaps another unknown child. This was informed by the shot at the beginning, with the kids all around the top of the well, and the imagery found in the movie theatre, with all the rabbits around one rabbit in the middle- the “sacrifice” down in the pit, I assumed, who was looking up in the intro shot.

I stand by what I theorized, now having seen the ending, except now I know that the girl was the sacrifice, and her death was very much purposeful. The imagery of the dead rabbit in the shed was , I believe, a visual metaphor of what happened at the well. One child in the middle, surrounded by their supposed innocent “friends.” 

But why did they sacrifice the girl? And how does the ever-prevalent war play into this story of the children? How do the themes of birth, abuse, and CSA play into that as well? Because these themes are very much present in REANIMAL. The SNIFFER (whose name and occupation I can’t puzzle out) is very reminiscent of a child predator, drawing on common images like ice cream trucks. For the Bucket Kid section, it seems likely physical abuse plays a role in the story, and during the final section, the girl’s abdominal cramps and the location and spreading of the blood on her dress are all pointing towards a story of birth, which she is too young to be able to withstand. But what does all this mean?

he inhales so quickly he nearly chokes on the air filling his lungs. his eyes widen in disbelief, rooted to the spot when you turn over in your sheets and the blankets move to expose a sliver of skin.

temptress. his eyes squeeze shut when an airy whimper floats up from your corner, the hilt of his sword digging into his palm. minx. he's never felt this much distress in his life than in this moment. not in the throes of sworn service, not during the rigorous training that worn physical and mental lashings on his mind and body.

it's you. defenseless and fragile you.

a beat passes. then another, then another. silence settles on heavy shoulders like a herculean burden. he should check to see if you're okay... right? it wouldn't break the already thin threads of his sanity you'd been slowly unraveling since he'd met you. you wouldn't have called out for him if you didn't need him.

a bead of sweat runs down his jawline. if you didn't need him.

slowly, his body unkinks itself from its rigid posture. nerves crawl up and down his spine as he lets his sword rest against the wall. he takes one step forward—

the floor creaks underneath his weight. his head snaps to your bed. all you let out is a soft sigh, eyes still fluttered shut, and he lets out one of his own as well.

a second step. a third, a fourth. quietly measuring the distance from his spot to the edge of your bed. moonlight slips in to spil against your skin just as he nears your sleeping form, and the sight alone is enough to bring him to his knees.

this is what men die for. what wars are waged for, what poets and artists drive themselves mad searching the ends of the earth and never find. his breath is stolen from him once again. snatched willingly from the chest that harbors a stuttered heartbeat.

the straps of your nightgown have long since slipped down your shoulders. his first thought is to pull them up to spare your decency, but his hands begin to tremble the moment they near the gentle rise and fall of your chest.

he looks away, hand falling away to rest on the mattress as he grits his teeth. shame on him. shame. others have had their rank reduced to nothing for less. yet here he was, taking advantage of your trust in...

the last remnants of his resolve dies when you roll over and burrow into the satin-lined pillows.

a furious shade of red crosses the bridge of his nose when the bare skin of your back is revealed to him. he bites his tongue lest he vocalizes his indecency, swallowing nervously as his gaze follows the lax curve of your spine—only to choke on his next breath when he realizes the hem of your dress had ridden up in your movements.

white fills his vision momentarily. alarm bells ring in his head as he hovers helplessly, torn between action and inaction. what if you woke up to the sight of him over you? he couldn't bear the thought of your anger or disgust thrown his way. yet he can't seem to back up. can't bring himself to return to his post.