This chapter somehow confused me, but at the same time, it also made perfect sense.
The whole theme of Berserk revolves around the question:
Can a person choose their own path, or is everything predetermined?
At the same time, Berserk also explores the cost of ambition.
Griffith has always been an ambitious person, while Guts has always represented the opposite, at least based on how both characters have been portrayed.
For example, Griffith wants an entire kingdom, while Guts only wants personal freedom. Griffith compares what he already has to everything that is still left in the world to conquer, while Guts only compares himself to his own strength and the person he was yesterday.
Guts has always been the one who takes orders and follows commands, while Griffith has always been the one giving them.
Griffith sacrifices everyone he loves and everyone he sees as a tool in order to achieve the impossible. Guts, on the other hand, sacrifices himself to protect and fight for the people he loves, accomplishing things that should be impossible as well.
Both represent two sides of the same coin. The fact that both of them are such extreme and abnormal individuals almost makes them feel like creatures of the spiritual realm. In the same way that God and the Devil are not the same, yet are deeply connected concepts, Griffith and Guts seem connected as opposing forces that cannot exist without one another.
The first time Guts truly defied this order was when he chose his own path and left the Band of the Hawk. That single act of free will shook the natural order and caused Griffith to act completely out of character.
This brings us back to the central question:
Can a person choose their own path, or is everything predetermined?
Griffith wanted, or at least used to want, to keep Guts on his predetermined path, while Guts desperately tried to break free from it. Both are unstoppable forces fighting for their own cause.
Griffith always felt destined to achieve his dream of obtaining a kingdom. We can even see this in the dream sequence where he encounters an old woman on his way to the castle. Griffith sees the castle in the distance, and the old woman reinforces the idea that this is where he is meant to go, that it is his destination.
Griffith represents the idea that some people are simply born to rule.
He is the chosen one.
Guts was an important tool that Griffith took for granted and felt entitled to use. As a tool, Guts was also connected to Griffith’s predetermined path. When Guts left the Band of the Hawk, that path was suddenly threatened. Griffith could no longer accept that things were unfolding differently than they were supposed to.
This caused him to act out and ultimately led to the events of the Eclipse, ensuring that he would still reach his destination. He was always going to reach it, with or without Guts.
He has always been the chosen one.
Guts, on the other hand, is called the Struggler because he repeatedly survives things he should never survive.
His birth.His childhood.The Eclipse.The Brand. And yet he continues to resist.
The entire universe seems to push him toward a specific outcome, but he keeps refusing.
By surviving the Eclipse, Guts proved that people are not completely predetermined. In a way, he actually defeated destiny on that day, even if he never realized it. The same can be said for Skull Knight.
If Griffith truly represents destiny, then Guts’ very existence is proof that destiny is imperfect and can be changed.
But at what cost?
Will Guts also sacrifice his humanity in order to complete his own transformation into something godlike? Will he become the very thing he has always fought against in order to kill Griffith?
Or will he ultimately achieve something even greater?
This chapter somehow confused me, but at the same time, it also made perfect sense.
The whole theme of Berserk revolves around the question:
Can a person choose their own path, or is everything predetermined?
At the same time, Berserk also explores the cost of ambition.
Griffith has always been an ambitious person, while Guts has always represented the opposite, at least based on how both characters have been portrayed.
For example, Griffith wants an entire kingdom, while Guts only wants personal freedom. Griffith compares what he already has to everything that is still left in the world to conquer, while Guts only compares himself to his own strength and the person he was yesterday.
Guts has always been the one who takes orders and follows commands, while Griffith has always been the one giving them.
Griffith sacrifices everyone he loves and everyone he sees as a tool in order to achieve the impossible. Guts, on the other hand, sacrifices himself to protect and fight for the people he loves, accomplishing things that should be impossible as well.
Both represent two sides of the same coin. The fact that both of them are such extreme and abnormal individuals almost makes them feel like creatures of the spiritual realm. In the same way that God and the Devil are not the same, yet are deeply connected concepts, Griffith and Guts seem connected as opposing forces that cannot exist without one another.
The first time Guts truly defied this order was when he chose his own path and left the Band of the Hawk. That single act of free will shook the natural order and caused Griffith to act completely out of character.
This brings us back to the central question:
Can a person choose their own path, or is everything predetermined?
Griffith wanted, or at least used to want, to keep Guts on his predetermined path, while Guts desperately tried to break free from it. Both are unstoppable forces fighting for their own cause.
Griffith always felt destined to achieve his dream of obtaining a kingdom. We can even see this in the dream sequence where he encounters an old woman on his way to the castle. Griffith sees the castle in the distance, and the old woman reinforces the idea that this is where he is meant to go, that it is his destination.
Griffith represents the idea that some people are simply born to rule.
He is the chosen one.
Guts was an important tool that Griffith took for granted and felt entitled to use. As a tool, Guts was also connected to Griffith’s predetermined path. When Guts left the Band of the Hawk, that path was suddenly threatened. Griffith could no longer accept that things were unfolding differently than they were supposed to.
This caused him to act out and ultimately led to the events of the Eclipse, ensuring that he would still reach his destination. He was always going to reach it, with or without Guts.
He has always been the chosen one.
Guts, on the other hand, is called the Struggler because he repeatedly survives things he should never survive.
His birth.His childhood.The Eclipse.The Brand.
And yet he continues to resist.
The entire universe seems to push him toward a specific outcome, but he keeps refusing.
By surviving the Eclipse, Guts proved that people are not completely predetermined. In a way, he actually defeated destiny on that day, even if he never realized it. The same can be said for Skull Knight.
If Griffith truly represents destiny, then Guts’ very existence is proof that destiny is imperfect and can be changed.
But at what cost?
Will Guts also sacrifice his humanity in order to complete his own transformation into something godlike? Will he become the very thing he has always fought against in order to kill Griffith?
Or will he ultimately achieve something even greater?
We will see.