Vinland Saga - Ch. 215 - Thousand Year Voyage Part 24

[NotSomeone]

I mean that's almost certainly an intentional explored theme and concept of the story, i.e. Thors and Thorfinn being "true warriors" and/or "a true warrior needs no sword", that a truly strong and great warrior is one who is a capable of not having to kill/inflict egregious violence. Part of why Thorfinn wanted to go even further in his ideals and avoid all violence in the first place (i.e. not send anyone to the metaphorical "Hell/Valhalla") is because he is very well aware that not everyone is capable of being a "true warrior" like him and his father (and be able to carry the dead with them). We're already seeing Einar feel the weight of having killed someone for the first time.

Yes, I would argue it is intentional just like the exploration of the ordeal's morality.
It was just another exemple of other interesting themes that are present in the story.

 

[Weebshit5149]

I feel like a Einar's gonna change from this

You dont say....

 

[Jackist]

Why do you write like such a weirdo? The only one with a shaded, ominous face is Einar and it's to show his trauma. The Lnu who are actively engaging in the fight, like the one Einar stabbed, are drawn very realistically.

OK? You write like a pedantic asshole with little empathy. Do you want a star?

 

[husse]

waited a whole month for 19 pages definitely worth it.

 

[husse]

That's a bit reductive, isn't it? Einar didn't pick this fight. You lose your home to violence not just once, but twice, sail halfway around the world to find a home free from violence, try to befriend the locals, you don't ask for much but a little land to farm, you compromise and trade, and then violence finds you again. What's there to do for someone like Einar? Lose your home to violence again, run and travel to the other side of the world, maybe? Where do you draw the line?

Thorfinn has the benefit of arguing from a position of strength. Sure, he has been on the other side of the knife in the past, but beyond that, he's mostly had the luxury of being powerful enough to make the choice. Even his bout of slavery was by "choice". Had he wanted to flee, he probably could've done so at any point. If he's threatened, he has the power to defeat the majority of people doing so. It's a lot easier to argue for piece and turning the other cheek when you're free to make that choice, or rather when it even is a choice in the first place.
But Einar? Einar is weak. Einar has been weak his entire life. He never had the power to make that choice. For him it was never "I could nonlethally subdue them whenever I want", it was flee or die, get enslaved or die, be a slave or die. He was never on the inflicting side of violence, on the side of power, or on the side of making the choice. Always the other one. You live a life constantly at the mercy of someone else, then grasp your own fate for the first time, and this shit happens, when do you decide to take a stand?

Einar's decision was nothing if not human and perfectly understandable. When the farm was taken, and with it his second home, he at least had Thorfinn's dream of Vinland. Now that he's here, he has nowhere else to go. It's this or nothing.

W

 

[Konrad2]

Thanks for the scanlation.

 

[AlphraLoust]

EVERYTHING'S FUCKING TUMBLING DOWN

 

[Kingkeal]

But Einar was forced. OK, so he did make a decision to fight. But the Linu hes fighting made the decision to all out attack out of hate and a desire for metal. The Linu he killed personally tried to kill him to get his metal spear. Even if Einar had chosen pacifism, they still would have attacked the fortified village. Einar would still have to fight then like everyone else is.

How is he gonna Thorfinn his way out of this? He can't disarm the guy or super dodge because hes just Einar. Einar could have tried to be peaceful, but either he would have been forced to fight or he would be dead.

This is a tragedy. And its not a tragedy of a few people like Einar just not being cool enough pacifists. Its a tragedy of inevitability between these social forces.

His choice was to be there or not. Everyone there had that choice but Einar had the benefit of personally knowing and trusting Thorfinn yet still chose to stay. Yes his want to not leave is understandable, but saying he was forced simply isn't true. He was given sound advice from a trusted source and ignored it. He had plenty of time to leave if that was the choice he made but it wasn't, for Einar at least this was anything but inevitable. He had choice he just didn't like the alternative to fighting and now has to deal with the consequences of taking his first life.

 

[sungardener]

"I had no choice."

Einar is gone.

 

[talathar]

His choice was to be there or not. Everyone there had that choice but Einar had the benefit of personally knowing and trusting Thorfinn yet still chose to stay. Yes his want to not leave is understandable, but saying he was forced simply isn't true. He was given sound advice from a trusted source and ignored it. He had plenty of time to leave if that was the choice he made but it wasn't, for Einar at least this was anything but inevitable. He had choice he just didn't like the alternative to fighting and now has to deal with the consequences of taking his first life.

How would he have left before the fight? The boats weren't there and he can't leave on his own since he can't really sail anyway. He actually didn't have a choice this time.

I agree, once the boats are there, i.e. his next fight, everything you've said will basically apply. In that he could at least advocate for leaving, which he won't.

Like, he doesn't want to leave, so what your saying basically applies morally, but up until now (from the breakdown in relations) he couldn't anyway.

 

[SpiritusNox]

I mean that's almost certainly an intentional explored theme and concept of the story, i.e. Thors and Thorfinn being "true warriors" and/or "a true warrior needs no sword", that a truly strong and great warrior is one who is a capable of not having to kill/inflict egregious violence. Part of why Thorfinn wanted to go even further in his ideals and avoid all violence in the first place (i.e. not send anyone to the metaphorical "Hell/Valhalla") is because he is very well aware that not everyone is capable of being a "true warrior" like him and his father (and be able to carry the dead with them). We're already seeing Einar feel the weight of having killed someone for the first time.

Yeah a thing I really like about this angle is that it's not about Thorfinn or Thors being strong in the sense of "they can win fights without needing to kill" or "they can survive more arrow wounds than the average person" - it's about them having the strength to bear the stress of the sacrifices - physical and emotional - they need to make to get through life without harming others.

 

[VoidWanderer]

I just know it, when the manga ends, the Vinland arc will be the best arc.
Excellent Chapter

 

[SER4PHiiM]

Denial first, then come the nightmares...

 

[Northern]

Am I denying their religious views somewhere? Torfin almost advertises Christianity in the second season.

I wasn't criticizing you. I was following up with an observation of my own.

 

[CharleZ1]

I wonder how Thorfinn’s gonna react to Einar’s first kill. Definitely not looking forward to the fallout between the two. It was kill or be killed for him.

 

[LordofAlI]

Well Einar it was nice knowing you. You might still be alive but the old Einar is dead.

 

[Mf_strikesagain]

I wonder what the symbolism is behind Einar willingly giving the Lnu the spear tip, the metal part he specifically came to Einar for.

Like, he's fighting in defense because they want their loot, namely the metal tools they have. He manages to incapacitate the attacker, lethally. Then he goes in the for the kill, brutally, and breaks his spear in half (showing off his impressive strength once again). Einar realizes then that although he had little choice to defend himself or not, he made a choice to finish the guy off brutally. Not only brutally, but also breaking the very thing the Lnu came for and basically giving it to him. So cool, so interesting, so tragic

I'm late, but notice in the last page how the broken spear resembles wheat, symbolizing Einer's loss of hope in creating a land free of war alongside Thorfinn.