[Part 2] Violet Evergarden Episode 4: You Won't be a Tool, but a Person Worthy of that Name

Iris and Violet on the train home from Kazaly

This episode's analysis is divided into two parts. This post is the second part. Click here to read the first part.

Feet and Lies: A Possible Connection

I don’t know if you noticed, but there is a lot of highlight on feet this episode. The story uses this to hammer home some points, including the fact that Iris is really expressing her true feelings in the letter.

Iris’ honesty is symbolized by being barefoot. Being barefoot means not covering our feet with anything. In the same way, when we are honest, we are not covering anything up. When Iris first breaks down and tells Violet about her situation with Eamonn, she is barefoot. There is also a shot that highlights the shoes she had taken off. We then get other shots of Iris’ bare feet during her other talk with Violet in which Iris gives more details about her story with Eamonn. Iris even touches her left foot right before requesting Violet’s service as a doll. I assume she stays barefoot during the letters’ writing process, too.

The shot highlighting the shoes Iris had taken off.
If you look closely, you can see that the left shoe is
still dirty from the puddle accident. Such detail!

Iris is barefoot as she breaks down

Iris touching her left foot

If we read being barefoot as a symbol of honesty, then we can read wearing shoes as a symbol of dishonesty. When Iris first arrives in Kazaly (wearing shoes, of course), she was still sticking to these lies about being the number one doll. She was covering up reality. There is an interesting shot in this sequence. When Iris’ mother reveals that the Sara Florent order was a lie, we are shown a shot of Iris’ dirty shoes (because of the puddle). This juxtaposition between Iris’ dirty shoes and her mother’s confession might help associate the idea that lies are symbolized by wearing shoes.

The shot shown when Iris' mother admits lying

Nevertheless, not all instances of wearing shoes signify that the characters are lying. Wearing shoes is not a very specific symbol – it’s also something we do out of necessity. Therefore, I do not interpret Iris’ last conversation with her parents as a dishonest one just because she is wearing shoes. Iris is wearing shoes there due to necessity. I guess you could take this as a counterargument against the idea that being barefoot symbolizes dishonesty.

That being said, there is one other idea I’d like to explore regarding this symbolism. Iris falls down the stairs at the beginning of the episode due to her footing. If we keep in mind the reading that wearing shoes can symbolize dishonesty, then her fall conveys the message that lies will eventually hurt people, including yourself. Violet saving Iris from the fall metaphorically foreshadows Violet “saving” Iris from the lies she has been telling.

Dealing with Past Memories

Before we move on from feet-related symbolism (sounds weird, I know…), let us return to the scenes where Iris steps on a puddle. I’d like to elaborate on what the puddle and the act of accidentally stepping on it might symbolize. Iris plunges her left foot into a puddle twice in this episode. I think the puddle might symbolize our past. Now, from time to time we will accidentally step into a puddle. This means that from time to time, we will be reminded of a past memory over and over again. We’ve all been there. Sometimes out of nowhere our brain decides to randomly retrieve, say, that embarrassing moment from middle school. Therefore, we should: (1) do our best to resolve the things we can in relation to that memory; and (2) learn to respond well to those memories when they pop up again. We don’t want to always plunge into extreme fear, despair, or shame every time a random memory pops into mind, don’t we?

Iris steps on a puddle again at the end of the episode

However, I don’t think responding well to a bad memory means that we should always find a positive aspect to it. Some things remain as bad things. I won’t try to comfort grieving parents by saying that there is something good in their child’s death. I think this is reflected in the episode, too. When Iris steps on the same puddle at the end of the episode, her shoes still get dirty. But she smiles anyway. Similarly, we can be at peace with and smile at a certain memory but still acknowledge that it was a bad (“dirty”) one that we wish never happened.

Violet’s Growth

Iris and her mother aren’t the only ones who learned something in this episode. Violet learns valuable lessons too. First, Violet learns that confessing your love to someone can take a lot of courage. By understanding this aspect of love, Violet makes progress in understanding Gilbert’s profession of love to her. This experience with Iris also lets Violet see another real-life instance of what Cattleya said two episodes ago: What people say isn’t everything. Sometimes they lie. There is another thematic callback to episode two although it’s not given that much prominence this episode. Just like Erica, Iris states that she wasn’t suitable to be a doll. Perhaps an example of this is Iris’ difficulty in communicating and expressing her true feelings despite being a doll (whose job is to identify people’s true feelings!). Nevertheless, she chose to study hard and persevere. This will certainly boost and maintain Violet’s motivation to work as a doll!

Consistency: Violet no longer uses her mouth to remove her gloves.

Despite Violet’s growth this episode, we have one curious case of backsliding. Violet returns to calling her task a mission. I don’t think a specific explanation is needed for this. I’ve read that backsliding is a part of learning. And perhaps Violet is not fully used to dropping military jargons just yet!

Conclusion

After her interactions with Erica in episode 2, in this episode Violet gets to know her other coworker, Iris. Violet’s presence ends up bringing positive influence. She helps Iris deal with feelings of shame and improve her relationship with her mother. We are reminded that when dealing with uncomfortable and unspeakable things, the written form can help us express them. Most importantly, Violet herself learns something new about love: it is something that takes a lot of courage to say.

As a result of this experience together, Iris and Violet’s relationship improve. Them leaving Kazaly during the day (where it's bright and clear) can symbolize their growing relationship understanding of each other. They are starting to see each other clearly. This is in contrast to when they first departed to Kazaly: the two were journeying in the night, perhaps symbolizing their initial difficulty in understanding the other.

At the end of the day, I believe Violet sees that she might not be very different after all from her coworkers Iris and Erica. They may not be suitable for the job, but they choose to keep moving forward in this quest that requires them to deeply understand people.