Thanks again for the podcast.
Thanks for listening. They're fun to produce.
The act cements Griffith's betrayal and is the final nail in the coffin but the damage was already inflicted. I think it possible it was the cold certainty of betrayal rather than the sexual act that broke her mind.
I don't think there's any need to disconnect the two. The act was a brutal betrayal.
I don't think the violation had any connection to the child at the time but only in hindsight does Casca recognize what Griffith has stolen from her. Combining these ideas allows Miura to get at the root of what broke her mind while alluding to the rape without having to replay those events.
I get what you're saying, and the child's appearance seems like a curveball at first, but I just can't rationalize how Miura would pivot
away from the rape at this point. The event would be painfully informative to Schierke and Farnese about the terror and trauma it inflicted on Guts and Casca. Do you remember when Schierke was in Guts' mind (vol 27)? She got glimpses of those events, but no context. I feel like if Miura were ever to address that section, it's now or never.
Casca's mind is broken but there's enough evidence to suggest that she incorporates new information where her child is concerned. She’s fixated on her child. This can explain why the child is a core part of her restoration while the representations of more current events can also be present in the periphery of her mind.
I don't necessarily think everything hinges on the child. If the next memory is all about her child, I feel like that would be a weak solution. But in terms of Casca's ability to incorporate new information, no argument with me. This image we're seeing of the child now never even existed. She's formulated that memory from external experiences. Like we said on the podcast, it's a matter of how Miura portrays that huge span of time that seems like a challenge to me.