typhonblue
Feminism--making the world safe for bigotry
What I find interesting about the debate over Griffith's character is that most of the people who find him evil would, in the right circumstance, sacrifice their own friends for a crust of bread. As Art Spiegelman puts it in Maus, "Friends? If you lock them together in a room with no food for a week...Then you could see what it is, friends!" (And I don't mean that as a personal slight, rather I mean that in a "law-of-averages" type of way.)
I mean, come on! The guy was tortured for a year, he has been completely striped of every peice of pride he had, he has nothing left and he's most likely going to die. Most people in the same circumstance would do exactly what he did.
In fact I have more respect for him because he-- unlike most people who talk of loyalty and friendship and then screw you over anyway-- was very up-front about his intentions. The Hawks chose to take the risk of dieing by being with him, and he never offered them anything more then a opportunity to further his dream. They chose. They chose to risk death to feel part of something bigger then themselves. No doubt Griffith felt he was not betraying them by not betraying his dream. That's what they pledged their lives too. In his mind if he stops, if he fails to achieve his dream, everyone who died before them will have died in vain and he will have to feel the regret of every death died in vain.
Yeah, it was a freaking awful way to die. But remember the God Hand told Griffith that the Hawks would forgive him. And also remember Griffith lived the hawks deaths. He felt them die.
As for Femento raping Casca... I still am not conviced it was entirely rape. I mean, I know she's just been worked over by all the freaky demons of Hell, but how hard is it to close your mouth and refuse to french the demonic overlord that's boning you? Trivial detail, perhaps. But baffling. Plus when Griffith tried to force himself on her the first time, she resisted for a bit then relented and held him to her. Forshadowing?
There's more going on between Griffith and Casca than Guts is party too. He's the clueless middleman in their post-Wyld, pre-eclipse power plays. I imagine Griffith made an advance on Casca to keep Guts and Casca selfishly convinced Guts to leave to have Griffith for herself. Of course knowing she was pregnant was the clincher for her; Go off with Guts, become an increasing impediment to his wandering until he either has to give up his dream or her and the child, or live a placid, safe, guaranteed life with Griffith. The man she still held a massive torch for.
Hmmm...
I mean, come on! The guy was tortured for a year, he has been completely striped of every peice of pride he had, he has nothing left and he's most likely going to die. Most people in the same circumstance would do exactly what he did.
In fact I have more respect for him because he-- unlike most people who talk of loyalty and friendship and then screw you over anyway-- was very up-front about his intentions. The Hawks chose to take the risk of dieing by being with him, and he never offered them anything more then a opportunity to further his dream. They chose. They chose to risk death to feel part of something bigger then themselves. No doubt Griffith felt he was not betraying them by not betraying his dream. That's what they pledged their lives too. In his mind if he stops, if he fails to achieve his dream, everyone who died before them will have died in vain and he will have to feel the regret of every death died in vain.
Yeah, it was a freaking awful way to die. But remember the God Hand told Griffith that the Hawks would forgive him. And also remember Griffith lived the hawks deaths. He felt them die.
As for Femento raping Casca... I still am not conviced it was entirely rape. I mean, I know she's just been worked over by all the freaky demons of Hell, but how hard is it to close your mouth and refuse to french the demonic overlord that's boning you? Trivial detail, perhaps. But baffling. Plus when Griffith tried to force himself on her the first time, she resisted for a bit then relented and held him to her. Forshadowing?
There's more going on between Griffith and Casca than Guts is party too. He's the clueless middleman in their post-Wyld, pre-eclipse power plays. I imagine Griffith made an advance on Casca to keep Guts and Casca selfishly convinced Guts to leave to have Griffith for herself. Of course knowing she was pregnant was the clincher for her; Go off with Guts, become an increasing impediment to his wandering until he either has to give up his dream or her and the child, or live a placid, safe, guaranteed life with Griffith. The man she still held a massive torch for.
Hmmm...