WhiskeyJack Profile picture
Nov 3, 2021 15 tweets 9 min read Read on X
The Perfect Duality of Eren Yeager

Thread #AotMangaSpoilers Image
To structure this i’ll be analysing the freedom panel and how it ties to eren’s characterisation, then look at ‘grounded’ and how the interplay between the two strengthens him both narratively and thematically. +
Despite this being a main motivator for eren, it’s that ‘sight’ after all and the concept he was ‘drunk’ on in order to keep moving forward, eren isn’t truly free in chapter 131. There are multiple pieces of evidence that point to this. + ImageImage
He takes his child form which is symbolic of ignorance, something he himself stated as being the thing furthest removed from freedom. We see his real head at the end of 131, eyes closed to the horrors he’s inflicting, further emphasising this ignorance. + ImageImage
It looks like he’s flying but he’s actually on top of titan smoke and below clouds (symbolically trapped), where the titan smoke blocks his view of both the sites he actually equates to freedom and of the deaths below (further ignorance). + ImageImageImage
Furthermore, the titans of the rumbling enclose him, acting as the walls that he equated to a lack of freedom growing up, the panelling explicit. It’s the significance behind him telling armin that he is the one who will be able to go beyond the ‘walls’, as eren never could. + ImageImage
His founding titan form also takes the shape of an enormous skeletal puppet held up by strings, his bones the shape of a cage (ribcage haha). However what’s important is that despite all this he still moves forward which is why it ties so well to grounded and his duality. + ImageImage
The first thing to understand about grounded is that it’s taking place at the same ‘time’ as freedom as it’s in his conversation with armin. It’s quite literally the two ‘sides’ of eren yeager and the time mechanics of paths makes the interplay brilliant. + ImageImage
The duality is heightened as the grounded panel is the mirror opposite of freedom in every conceivable way. Adult v child, flying v on the ground, looking down v looking up, eyes wide v half shut, alone v with armin, and most importantly smoke v clarity. + ImageImage
Neither work without the other because only together does it provide the full picture. Eren moves forward due to his nature and goals, but faces the full reality of those choices as he always has. This was his choice and he must accept the weight that comes with it. + Image
It’s happened before and it’s what makes him moving forward so layered. He changes from ‘they will die’ to no ‘i will kill them’, because he accepts culpability in the end which thoroughly breaks him, as we see with ramzi and in 139. He can only apologise, but he still did it. + ImageImageImage
This is just his nature, something he ‘may just have been born with’. It’s incredibly consistent as it’s always been the case. He ‘just can’t accept an end like that’, it’s because ‘i was born into this world’ and in his own words ‘i am just me, i always have been’. + ImageImageImageImage
There’s also another layer that’s tied to isayama’s commentary on transcendence. Despite gaining the power of God eren is still human, still a slave to something, and that shackles him just like it does to uri and to ymir fritz. + ImageImageImage
As Rod Reiss said, the choice is in God’s hands. Eren’s choice was the rumbling, to keep moving forward, to reach that scenery but he is still a human being who suffers the weight of those choices as shown through the interplay of grounded and freedom. + Image
That’s essentially why i think the two moments can only be as brilliant as they are within the context of the other, and how thats another example of eren being a fantastic character to the very end. Hope you all enjoyed reading ! Image

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with WhiskeyJack

WhiskeyJack Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @cactuzz4nf

Nov 6, 2023
‘I still don’t know what mikasa did’

thread exploring mikasa, eren, and what ‘love’ can mean in attack on titan Image
firstly, the functional reasons why he doesn’t know. erens eyes are closed in the mouth of his titan, he opens them when mikasa enters and he only sees her (eye reflection) once his head was severed. just like when he didn’t know how he entered paths after gabi shot him
Image
Image
this lack of knowledge is important because it ties into how his memories work. when he talks to zeke in marley he states that he didn't just see memories, he ‘felt' them. essentially eren fully EXPERIENCES the memories he holds as if he himself lived them Image
Read 20 tweets
Apr 12, 2022
AOT SPOILERS

actual ‘reaches’ (not foreshadowing btw wrong word):

-pg 13 only numbered page in aot (links to long dream, 9 pages long)
-ymir + zeke from page they got powers to page of death = 13 pages
-eren wakes up pg 45 in yr 845, dies ch138 pg 45
- 139 = end of a cycle ImageImageImageImage
sigh i meant wakes up in page 13 of year 845, while dying in page 45 of chapter 138
why can’t u edit tweets bro
Read 4 tweets
Apr 3, 2022
‘everything… is still ahead’

complete breakdown of eren’s psyche, mikasa’s role, and the battle between free will and determinism in attack on titan ep87: ‘the dawn of humanity’ Image
this episode is the first real look into eren’s psyche since the timeskip and it’s centred on two main concepts: his determination and his self loathing. his venture into the outside world changes his perspective but it doesn’t stop him from following through. + ImageImage
for this it’s important to note that his coldness in his conversations with floch and historia is BEFORE he crosses the ocean. he can still view them all as enemies who he is fighting but he’s forced to accept the reality that they’re ‘all the same’ once he sees them for himself+ ImageImage
Read 24 tweets
Feb 20, 2022
an exploration of human selfishness

thread looking at annie, floch, armin, mikasa and the rise of the yeagerists

attack on titan episode 82: ‘sunset’
the episode opens with the ruins of stohess. this is a call back to s1 where erwins plan led to the capture of annie with lots of civilian casualties at the same place. erwin was later revealed to be led by his ‘selfish’ dream, and this selfishness is what allowed him to +
sacrifice others. his burden and guilt gives rise to questions concerning eren’s own mind. he said he was doing the rumbling to protect paradis but his actions have led to the titanisation of paradisians along with civilian casualties. it’s aligned with another important +
Read 23 tweets
Feb 19, 2022
yoriichi & kokushibo: the sun & the moon

demon slayer thread
the second noble truth in buddhism teaches us that because we believe we are a permanent and unchanging self we fall into clinging and craving, jealousy and hate, and all other poisons that cause unhappiness. this is kokushibo and his search for the ‘self’. +
yoriichi and kokushibo present two opposing halves, much like other siblings have throughout demon slayer. one was given the rights to the house, education, clothes etc while the other was ‘blessed’ with talent. kokushibo’s journey stems from egotism. +
Read 13 tweets
Feb 19, 2022
akaza’s backstory and conclusion made him a lot better than i thought he’d be

thoughts below #shashds
it was mostly emphasis on the fact the desire to be strong is borne from insecurity (weakness) or past failures. it was the same for uzui, tanjiro and the other demons. demons are humans who gave into the desperation of their weaknesses and through that lost their humanity. +
the hatred akaza felt was just an extension of self loathing, the weakness he abhorred in himself. this is when muzan plays in. the process of becoming a demon is what removes the memories of the past, they become lost in their anguish and are reborn into suffering (samsara). +
Read 4 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us!

:(