/lit/ - Literature

[Anonymous No.14547807]

In this thread, I will make a case for Rei's monologue in Eva episode 14 being one of the greatest things ever written.

Monologue in question: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hZIHOHHA5vA

>”Mountains, heavy are the mountains. But that changes with the passage of time.”
When you think of a mountain from a basic, human perspective, it is something that has always been there and always will be there, indestructible and unwavering. Yet with the very first sentence, Rei alludes to a mountain as being something that becomes less heavy over time, or essentially gets eroded and destroyed over a long period of time. This is an extremely clever way by Anno to signal to the audience that Rei is not entirely someone ordinary and that she perceives reality much differently than the average person. Of course, it is later revealed to us that Rei possesses the soul of Lilith, the goddess in the Evangelion universe. In the final scene of the End of Evangelion movie, it is also made clear that Lilith can transcend time as there is the same apparition of Rei watching over Shinji in the very final scene and in one of the first scenes of the series. This makes it more clear why Rei says such a thing referring to mountains in the first place, as part of her soul is a goddess that transcends linear time and can perceive large chunks of time at once.

However, this is not the only meaning of this sentence. In the End of Evangelion, there is a scene where the nature and the environment makes the shape of a (pregnant) woman's body with two mountains representing the breasts in the background. Therefore this sentence could also be interpreted as a woman's natural beauty fading over time and with that, also her fertility. This seems especially topical since Rei expresses concern about her lack of fertility later in the monologue (a woman that does not bleed). It must be noted how it is extremely tragic that the woman carrying the soul of the mother of all beings on Earth is unable to have children herself and is instead reduced to a mere instrument of war in the plans of others. Furthermore, Rei is sitting in Unit 01 at the time of this monologue and Unit 01 is powered with the soul of Shinji's mother Yui, who became immortal through merging with the Evangelion, therefore becoming kind of a demi-goddess of her own. In her state, she's also unable to bear any more children due to the lack of a physical body. Of course, it could also be interpreted as describing the usual way any woman's or female being's life goes. In conclusion, these first two sentences are also a commentary on both Rei's and Yui's existence and the suffering of women in relation to aging and loss of beauty and fertility in general.

[Anonymous No.14547813]

>”Sky. Blue sky. What your eyes can't see. What your eyes can see.”
A blue sky is something positive and associated with good things, so Rei begins with a list of things she sees as good (kind of resembling how in the Genesis 1:31 God sees that the things he made and exist are good). Together with the sentence “What your eyes can't see”, we are shown a picture of a landscape that loosely resembles a Christian cross. This could be seen as her acknowledging (with the soul of the goddess guiding her) the spiritual and metaphysical, with the second sentence acknowledging the empirical.
>”The Sun. One, only one. Water. It is comforting. (agreeable in the dub)”
Further naming the important elements necessary for human existence (it's notable that the spiritual is named first in line). Water is also closely related to the feminine, womb and birth in Eva and in mythology in general. For example, think back to episode 2 with Shinji in Misato's bathroom with her garments all around, effectively getting reborn to a new mother (Misato) in a new home as a new person with new responsibilities.
>”Commander Ikari?”
Rei questioning whether Commander Ikari belongs in this list. As the series progresses, her faith and devotion to him wavers for several reasons.

>”Flowers. So many the same, so many without purpose.”
With this line, it is usually said that she is referring to her soulless clones. While this is certainly one way to look at it, I think that the main meaning is different. Earlier in the series, Shinji walks through the same field of flowers. I think that with flowers, Rei is including humanity in the list of good things, but at the same time acknowledging that they have lost their purpose in life. It can be seen as a commentary on Shinji's existence at that moment in time, but I think Anno is directly trying to comment on real life society with this line and how people have lost faith and purpose in life and in turn become mindless, similar hedonistic consumerist drones. Despite this, humanity as a whole is still good and must be cherished without question.

This encompasses about one-fourth of the entire monologue. I will continue at a later time if people are interested (and think it's /lit/ enough).

[Anonymous No.14547856]

GR ripoff lul

[Anonymous No.14547892]

>These lines have multiple metaphorical meanings so they are one of the greatest things ever written
You have to be 18 to post here

[Anonymous No.14547893]

>>14547807
nice analysis anon. For me, its Shinji's moms monologue

[Anonymous No.14547913]

>>14547892
>He hasn't realised anime>books
You must be Chad to post here.

[Anonymous No.14547920]

>>14547807
>>14547813
pls go away.

[Anonymous No.14547924]

pls

[Anonymous No.14547943]

>>14547913
>>14547807
dude, save your memey nonsense for /a/ and /v/

[Anonymous No.14547944]

>>14547807
This poem was made so normies could understand it. At best maybe some "metaphysical" elements but nothing above average, without exterior meaning.

Anime is gay, and NGE is babby's first kabbalah/philosophy.

[Anonymous No.14548012]

>>14547807
>This is an extremely clever way by Anno to signal to the audience that Rei is not entirely someone ordinary and that she perceives reality much differently than the average person.
This is a horrible and literal interpretation that misses the immediate aesthetic value of the context, in her own, but transcendentally human, feeling.

It's a teens show btw.

>the goddess in the Evangelion universe
You missed the point anon, her hierarchical placement is of no real value, and Gods invariably are hierachical, this is not bad(it's necessary) but looking at the presentation over the presented will always miss the point, being too literal.

>In the final scene of the End of Evangelion movie, it is also made clear that Lilith can transcend time as there is the same apparition of Rei watching over Shinji in the very final scene and in one of the first scenes of the series. This makes it more clear why Rei says such a thing referring to mountains in the first place, as part of her soul is a goddess that transcends linear time and can perceive large chunks of time at once.

Pointless statement.

>However, this is not the only meaning of this sentence.
A metaphorical element not valuable in any other place than the show and its universe.

>In conclusion, these first two sentences are also a commentary on both Rei's and Yui's existence and the suffering of women in relation to aging and loss of beauty and fertility in general.
lol ok.

>(kind of resembling how in the Genesis 1:31 God sees that the things he made and exist are good).
Wrongly connected.

>I think that with flowers, Rei is including humanity in the list of good things, but at the same time acknowledging that they have lost their purpose in life. It can be seen as a commentary on Shinji's existence at that moment in time, but I think Anno is directly trying to comment on real life society with this line and how people have lost faith and purpose in life and in turn become mindless, similar hedonistic consumerist drones. Despite this, humanity as a whole is still good and must be cherished without question.
DEEP

>This encompasses about one-fourth of the entire monologue. I will continue at a later time if people are interested (and think it's /lit/ enough).
It's not that bad but you have to move on to actual art, religion and philosophy.

[Anonymous No.14548239]

>>14547807
>dub