You Are Free - Tumblr Posts
I am deep in my feels again
MAJOR ATTACK ON TITAN ANIME + MANGA SPOILERS
freedom:
in light of the last chapter of attack on titan coming on april 9th, i wanted to talk about the constant reoccurring theme of the story.
due to the vast amount of people, perspectives and interpretations vary. freedom is something everyone wants but have differing definitions of. when you first think of that word you may think of eren’s true love, the opportunity to express yourself, to become whatever you want to be, and etc. attack on titan displays the various ideas of freedom.
admittedly, i could be wrong because my interpretation of these characters may be different from others.
eren yeager. FREEDOM !!! YEAAA !! but to him, what is freedom? at the start of the story, freedom is living with nothing holding you back, not living in fear of titans. but the existence of titans means never going beyond the walls, lions constantly peering over mice. but his idea of freedom changes after the kiss of true love.
a new understanding is gained. he is blinded by revenge. but is it his revenge or is it someone else’s? ymir, the slave to the king and now a slave to her own misfortune. driven by anger and vengeance of the world. why did she have to be ostracized? why did it have to be her? revenge is freedom in her mind.
carla yeager, a woman who believes that people are born special and not made special. she finds that freedom is being who you are. she doesn’t seek something to make her special. when grisha and sadis talk about the “special” people in the scout regiment, carla scoffs. she portrays a mundane view of freedom.
erwin smith, a man who seeks the truth. what is freedom to him? avenging his father? atoning to the deaths he lead many to? no. it’s to find out the realities of the world that was stripped from the people of the island. although he never fulfills his idea of freedom, he was able to rest. even if he had all of this need to understand, he accepts what he knows. is that freedom? is acceptance freedom? i don’t know myself.
throughout the time when eren had the founding titan, ymir sees eren. ymir understands eren. i believe this story is to depict empathy, not mere sympathy. whether you agree with how eren or ymir or carla or any other character’s viewpoint on freedom, isayama wants you to understand. omg count how many times i’ve used that word.
each character experiences different things, each character responds to things differently, and each character can be seen as human. the variations of people are depicted throughout characters of attack on titan.
the supposedly “last panel” in the first picture above, is a man holding a child saying “you are free”. there are lots of theories on who these people are, but the most interesting aspect, to me, is how that child is free.
in the end, what is freedom? what is it to you?
v <3