Let’s address the elephant in the room. Is episode 5 of Violet Evergarden an endorsement of child marriage and marriage with big age gaps? I’m sure this issue is something that has been widely discussed, so I’ll try not to reiterate what is already out there.
Note: This article is divided into two parts. This is Part 1. Click here to read Part 2. The link to Part 2 is also provided at the end of this post.
The Two Common Interpretations
Let’s first take a general look at two common ways of interpreting this episode. The first one is to read it as a depiction of something that was common in real life (mimesis) or in Violet’s world. Note that depicting does not necessarily mean supporting. The second way to read the episode is to read it as an approval toward child marriage and marriage with big age gaps. Elements of the episode quite strongly suggest (though not always verbally) that these kinds of marriages are alright.
I can see that both interpretations above are valid. They’re not baseless. Furthermore, it is possible for a piece of media to contain conflicting messages in itself, leading different consumers to make different meanings out of the same product. Certain parts of Violet Evergarden Episode 5 may support problematic marriages while simultaneously reject them in other parts. Also, your very self (personality, experiences, etc.) affects how you would interpret something. For example, someone from Country A may react strongly to a movie about Country A, but someone else not from that country might not find it appealing.
I think two deciding factors here are the meaning and weight you ascribe to elements of the episode. What does a depiction of child marriage mean to you? Does its depiction mean that the episode supports it? If yes, how much weight does it carry? How big of a support is it? Is a depiction of child marriage damning evidence showing the episode’s support of it? Or is it not very weighty in your eyes? On the other hand, what does a verbal affirmation of support toward child marriage mean to you? You can go on and on in your evaluation.
My Personal Stance
To be clear from the get-go, I do not support child marriages and marriages with big age gaps. Regarding episode 5 of Violet Evergarden, I see more support toward problematic marriages from in-story elements and external elements. Even if the episode is not intended as a support toward child marriages, the way it favorably portrays a controversial issue runs a very big risk of stirring controversy and creating unintended meanings. People will be more inclined to read it as an approval of said controversial issue.
I personally don’t think the depiction argument (i.e., that it’s just a depiction of what was common) is a strong defense. I believe pop culture products produce and contain messages that inevitably affect us and our world. Even a “mere” depiction of something can communicate a certain message.
Hereon, I will discuss important elements in episode 5 of Violet Evergarden that communicate messages about child marriage and marriage with big age gaps. I will offer my personal view on them.
Verbal Considerations
“So... How much of an age difference is acceptable, do you think?”
Let’s start by examining what characters in the episode say about the issue at hand. First, we’ll look at Violet and Charlotte’s first proper conversation. Charlotte’ asks Violet whether it’s alright to marry someone ten years older than her, and whether it’s alright if the marriage is a loveless one. To the former, Violet answers that it’s statistically possible, but to the latter, she says she doesn’t know. Violet’s answer can be taken as our first indication of support toward this kind of marriage.
It’s interesting that what bugs Charlotte is the age gap, and not the fact that she is still a child. She does not ask Violet whether it’s acceptable for a 14-year-old or for a child to marry. What she asks is whether it’s acceptable to marry someone 10 years older – nothing said about the actual ages of the to-be couple.
Going further, no character in the episode ever brings up child marriage (including the random citizens of both kingdoms that we see) – not even Violet and Alberta. There is no acknowledgement of it. How do we interpret this silence? You can say that in-story, it wouldn’t polite for Violet and Alberta to speak against a princess, especially about something she did not ask them. And of course you can always use the it-was-a-common-thing argument.
However, on another level, it’s possible to perceive this silence as an attempt to normalize child marriage. The episode might be trying to pass off child marriage as something we don’t need to question or make a fuss about. By framing the problem as an age-gap issue rather than a child marriage issue, the episode might be trying to make things more palatable for viewers. Some may not find age gaps as repulsive as child marriages.
“I’m sure you’ll meet a better man as you get older.”
There are, however, certain lines that appear to resist the pro-child marriage messages. First, I’d like to mention a part of Charlotte’s flashback of her tenth birthday party. She says, “For royal family members, ten is already old enough for marriage”. I do think that there’s a certain sense of resistance by using the word “already” there (hedging). More lines that may hint toward a resistance come from Prince Damian’s letters. He writes: (1) “I laughed because you were cute when you acted your age,” and (2) “I’m sure you’ll meet a better man as you get older”. Prince Damian seems to acknowledge that Charlotte is still a child –or at least, young – by saying "your age" and "as you get older". However, the resistance implied by these lines is too subtle compared to other things in the episode that seem to affirm child marriage more explicitly. Viewers can easily miss this unless they are doing a serious review of the episode.
“I wish Violet could’ve seen me in my wedding dress.”
Next, we must consider the episode’s ending. Although there is no verbal affirmation of child marriage, Charlotte and Damian’s wedding does end up happening. It’s also depicted as a joyous event, one in which both Charlotte and Damian are happy.
This can be read as support toward child marriages and large age-gap marriages, saying that these marriages can be happy ones. Perhaps some might also get a variation of the message: These problematic marriages are okay if the bride and groom are okay with it. But it is worth pointing out that although the wedding does happen, the episode does not show it. Instead, we get Alberta and Charlotte’s goodbye. (If you want to read more about them, check out my reviews [here and here] on the episode.) This does kind of diminish the marriage’s prominence.
No comments:
Post a Comment