I consider Episode 2 of Violet Evergarden as the start of a format that will be used for most of the remaining episodes: Violet's relationship with one other person becomes the main focus. This episode focuses on Violet's relationship with Erica. Violet’s unwavering resolve in the face of difficulty in her doll training actually impacts Erica in a positive way. I think this line from Cattleya will help us to understand Erica’s character deeper: “What people say isn’t everything. That’s a human weakness. We affirm our own existence by testing other people. Contradictory, isn’t it?”
Workplace Dissatisfaction
Cattleya introduces Violet to the other dolls, Iris and
Erica. Cattleya says that since the post office hasn’t been in business for
long, she and Erica are like new employees despite having worked in this field for
quite long. Erica passes by, whispering, “I don’t think so”. Not long after, we
see Iris and Erica expressing dissatisfaction with their job. They are dolls,
and yet their tasks are anything but writing letters. Cattleya is the one who
gets to write letters.
So what does Erica’s “I don’t think so” remark mean? It
means that Cattleya isn’t a “new employee” like Iris and Erica. She’s famous
already (affirmed by Iris near the end of the episode). As a result, Iris and
Erica gets sidelined. Becoming a doll must have been quite tough too. Imagine
how Iris and Erica must have felt when Violet, a seemingly emotionless girl
with no prior training whatsoever in anything doll-related, effortlessly gets
the position as a doll.
Erica’s Low
Self-Esteem
Violet then gets to watch Erica and Iris work as a doll. Again,
imagine how Erica and Iris must’ve felt. They’re already feeling a bit of
enmity toward Violet, and here they are, forced to be in close proximity with
her. But then Erica’s letter makes the client upset. Writing letters was what
Erica wanted, but when given the chance to do so, she messes up. But Violet
steps up to defend Erica. Apparently Violet thought that the rejected letter
was worth defending. That must have left an impression on Erica.
Erica seems to start becoming more interested in Violet. She
purposely asked to work with Violet (typing addresses). However, a customer
interrupts them when Erica asks Violet why she wants to be a doll.
The event with the earlier customer still affected Erica. She’s
scared to take the new job offer. The customer’s remark that she’s actually
looking for Cattleya further decreases Erica’s confidence. It reminds her that
she’s not the first choice. Before Erica can say anything, Violet surprisingly
accepts the job herself. Violet, who isn’t suitable to be a doll, exerts agency
and decides to take on the job. She wasn’t paralyzed by her lack of abilities.
It’s certainly a bit perplexing that Erica didn’t prevent
Violet, supervise her, check the letter she made, or anything of the sort. Her
surprise when Violet’s letter was read shows that Erica doesn’t know the
content of the letter. But remember that Erica (and Iris) didn’t feel very
positive about Violet to begin with. She probably didn’t feel responsible for
Violet either. Moreover, Erica might have let Violet fail because she didn’t
want to be the only one who failed.
Testing and Confirming
When Violet returns to the office after chatting with
Cattleya, Violet meets Erica and the two resume their conversation earlier. Why
does Violet want to be a doll? Violet replies that she wants to know what “I
love you” means. Erica seems amused at what she thinks is a childish response. Violet
then concludes by saying that even if she’s not suitable to be a doll, she
wants to continue working as one. This resonated with Erica. This whole
conversation is an example of Erica affirming herself through Violet. Violet’s
reason for becoming a doll is simple. It reminded Erica of her own simple
motivation. She wants to make great letters. By looking at Violet, who wants to
continue although she’s not suitable, Erica affirms her own self. It
makes her feel okay – even though she’s not suitable, it’s okay to continue
working, just like Violet. The way the rain stops as they have this
conversation signifies that Erica now understands Violet.
Erica’s empathy toward Violet spurs her to reject Iris’ idea
of firing Violet. The person Iris is talking about – someone unsuitable to be a
doll – could be her, Erica. That’s why she rejected it. Violet then points out
that Erica is being contradictory, just like what Cattleya said. In a sense,
there is a mix of selfishness there,
I think.
In her monologue, Erica confirms that she didn’t want Violet to be fired because she’s the one who’s actually not suitable to be a doll. Again, this confirms what Cattleya said. Cattleya being more popular had discouraged Erica, made her bury her dream of being able to write good letters, but Violet reignited that dream. Erica saw herself in Violet, so maybe that’s why Erica stood up for Violet! She wants to stay as a doll too. Erica, Violet, and Ms. Orland (Erica's source of inspiration) are similar – they are all not suited for the job, but they persevered, and continued dabbling in the field they wanted. Violet inspires Erica to try again. It’s okay to mess up.
Conclusion
From her encounter with Erica, Violet learns an important fact: people contradict themselves. This may be a tough pill to swallow for Violet because she spent her life in the military, a place where clarity is the norm (check out my review of episode 1 for more on this). However, it is crucial for Violet to learn this lesson from the very beginning because it is a fundamental fact about human nature and experience. On the other hand, Erica learns that it is alright to fail. It is alright if you're not exactly cut out for a job - you can always learn and improve yourself.
P.S.: Violet taking off her gloves using her mouth and the dog doll on the floor are highlighted again this episode. This should be enough proof that these two are important symbols, no? :) Once again, discussion on these two will be done on the episodes where they become even more significant!
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