industrial 7
A land where the stars above are the lights of civilization, our story takes place in the ever growing rotating cylindrical colony Industrial 7. Located in the debris remains of the "Battle of Loum”, the first battle of the One Year War, the colony expands and constructs itself from the debris and remains of this catastrophic battle. Symbolically, the beginning of the Universal Century's wars shares the same location of the beginning of this story and this world is built from the remains of a war that destroyed, showing that new life and new hope can always arise from a conflict, no matter how destructive.
Ironic Innocence
A common element of these novels is to use figurative language to describe brutal acts of violence as innocent or childlike, in doing so the novels use irony to enhance the description of these acts of war.
Here are some examples from the novels:
Here are some examples from the novels:
- "The Kshatriya's pods opened like a blooming metallic flower, with the one shining eye in the middle. The flower was covered with beam cannons, and it used the impact from the explosions to become the most savage and beautiful flower in outer space". A decisive fatal attack is compared to a flower, ironically describing beauty in a savage fight.
- "The fires flashing 3km across the sky looked just like sparks from a fairy’s wand". Comparing fires raging across an innocent city to something as childish as a fairy's wand uses irony to further depict the inhumane acts of war
- During the battle inside the colony, snow begins to fall from the sky, however, this isn't actual snow. But it's Instead the sand, rubble, and burnt remains of plants and debris as it falls from the other side of the colony. If we remember How to Read Lit Like a Professor, the book mentioned the use of snow as a representation of innocence. The snow that is falling during a battle that destroys an innocent city, combined with the fact that the snow is really the remains of destruction, come together to form a memorable description that ironically combines innocence and its polar opposite.
The Kshatriya's "savage flower of beams", also this guy gets shrekt
Religion and mythology
Marida's Mobile Suit and the source of all destruction during the novels' conflict, the Kshatriya, is a religious reference to the Hindu caste of warriors that shares the same name. Just as the caste is born into their role as a warrior, Marida was created solely for the purpose of being a warrior. | Syam Vist was born into a poor small county in the Middle East and was raised in the highlands as a shepherd. His origin as a Shepherd uses biblical symbolism to enhance his role as the benevolent force orchestrating the events surrounding the conflict over Laplace's Box. | Banagher's peers later nickname him Icarus because of his act of flying too close to the artificial sun and falling. This can also be a metaphor for Banagher coming too close to the life of the jade eyed girl, and being too afraid to get involved with her. |