Vinland Saga - Ch. 202 - Thousand Year Voyage Part 11

[CharleZ1]

I see that Thorfinn’s ideology is flawed. How will he react to an invading native army threatening his people? How would he have reacted to an epidemic such as that one? Him and Canute are on different sides of the same coin

 

[SpiritusNox]

maybe kill him openly and then offer yourself up as punishment is her plan?

still very very risky, but a little less dumb....

Yeah offering her own life in trade is the only way her plan even begins to make sense - but even that's not really smart even from the coldest, most pragmatic perspective. The Lnu very well might not see some rando crazy white lady's life as a fair trade for that of a respected pillar of their community!

 

[SpiritusNox]

Technically what Thorfinn said is that he wasn’t “right”. The specificity of Thorfinn’s words matter in his discussion on morality and ethics. I think this frequently trips up readers who think Thorfinn is categorizing all forms of violence as equally “bad/wrong”. But it should be evident from this series that Thorfinn recognizes there are different gradations and contexts of violence (if he didn’t he wouldn’t resort to his compromises of self-defense). Him not considering his compromises as “righteous” (i.e. inherently good) doesn’t mean he is considering them as “wrong”/equally bad, but rather something he believe he can and should do better on.

Yeah and it's worth remembering too that it's not like Thorfinn won't and hasn't taken a swing at folks when he absolutely has to. It's just that 1.) you have to really box him the fuck in and 2.) he's always gonna be looking for the first opportunity to stop swinging and start doing something else.

 

[salthejackman]

FINALLY we get Canute my second favourite character behind Askeladd. It's been far too long. People will disagree, but I agree with Canute's ideals a million times more than Thorfinn's. Thors had it figured out though not completely, but Thorfinn at this point in the story is a true slave to peace, willing to drag others down with him for the sake of it. Not a fan.

Canute also wants peace and also drags innocent people into it. Aint that make him a slave too? He even cursed by his father head because of it. Their ideals and stuggles are the same, the only different is MUCH more people die in Canute's way than Thorfinn's. Not a fan.

 

[owen3939]

Canute also wants peace and also drags innocent people into it. Aint that make him a slave too? He even cursed by his father head because of it. Their ideals and stuggles are the same, the only different is MUCH more people die in Canute's way than Thorfinn's. Not a fan.

I'd much rather take that over ignorance. "you have no enemies" is a false, idealistic statement. Thorfinn doesn't understand that, and drags down his entire community because of it.

 

[salthejackman]

I'd much rather take that over ignorance. "you have no enemies" is a false, idealistic statement. Thorfinn doesn't understand that, and drags down his entire community because of it.

Uh no, you are the one that don't understand anything lol as if you just started with surface politics and said "that's it", and fine with the status quo.

"You have no enemies" is not something that Thorfinn just randomly picks up on someday like some internet users. It was from his father and Thorfinn hated the f out of it for years, he thought that was one of the reasons that made his father die, he too DID THINK it was unreasonable and idealistic lol. But when he finally understood and accepted the saying, he did not change and think it's "reasonable and realistic", he literally still thinks it the way it is, but he does not want to give up on it just because of that. Re-read the farm arc lol.

"You have no enemies is so idealistic". That's literally the point and make this series stand out and viral lol. They challenge the unrealisticness, the impossibility. And you for sure know it's a work of humans because of it, humans find purpose of life in these sort of things. But the series does not just end with blindly chasing these things because we still have Canute and the rest of the world following the realistic methods juxtaposed with it, making the audience acknowledge of those realistic methods, adding more insane curiosity for the result of that idealistic path.

Canute's way or Thorfinn's way, it both dragging other people down for it. Because their goals are peace, and peace is a luxury thing that's not easy to achieve. But Canute's way is hella much more brutal than Thorfinn's and has people die like, everyday. So yeah, not a fan.

 

[RustedThorium]

I think you're all taking Thorfinn's statement a bit too literally. "No righteous violence" doesn't mean that violence can never be used as a solution, only that it shouldn't be glorified or celebrated, nor should it be the first option that comes to mind. It's not as though Thorfinn will refuse to fight to defend himself or others if he's backed into a corner. He has fought before whenever his "first option" didn't work out. It just so happens that violence is very low as a priority for him. He'll talk, he'll run, he'll negotiate, he'll compromise, and he'll even debase himself, all in the name of avoiding violence altogether. In his mind, being forced to resort to violence is already a failure.

 

[seekermoc]

@Rillant Are you sure the translation at the end of page 9 correct? "Pest" is Danish/Norwegian/German for the Plague, not simply "pests".

 

[Rillant]

@Rillant Are you sure the translation at the end of page 9 correct? "Pest" is Danish/Norwegian/German for the Plague, not simply "pests".

Pests as in plural of pest/plague. Not pests as in insects. Maybe I should change it to be more clear.

Forresten, det betyr også "plague" på nederlandsk.

 

[Swagner]

People will disagree, but I agree with Canute's ideals a million times more than Thorfinn's.

Ah yes, Mr. "literally murder an entire village of my subjects instead of just instituting a quarantine" is clearly the better leader.

 

[owen3939]

Ah yes, Mr. "literally murder an entire village of my subjects instead of just instituting a quarantine" is clearly the better leader.

Least unhinged post farmland Thorfinn fan