palau communion
The first night Banagher spent with the Sant’s at Palau, the entirely family, Banagher, and Marida joined each other for a dinner meal. Remembering the content of “How to Read Lit like a Professor”, a meal between characters in a story symbolizes an act of communion that either brings these character’s closer together, or further apart.
Considering Banagher grew up alone for the majority of his life, it’s no surprise that dinner with a family would be a foreign and new experience for him. He views the sight of the dinner table as “majestic”. Upon the beginning of the meal, Banagher reaches for bread, the food item most closely related to Christianity, and notices that the entire family and Marida have begun to pray, yet another new sight for Banagher. This event foreshadows his lesson in the role of “light” in the following scene with Marida.
The discussion between Banagher and Gilboa’s son, Tikva, which follows the beginning of the meal becomes a crucial scene in displaying Banagher’s thoughts towards war. When Banagher confirms that he is indeed a prisoner, Tikva replies by staying he’s lucky that he’s their prisoner, rather than a prisoner of the Federation because of their cruel treatments. Banagher replies by reminding him that Zeon killed many people in the colony drop, making them equally cruel, but Tikva remains confused as to why he would fight with the Federation if he himself was a Spacenoid.
Banagher concludes the argument in this quote:
“’Since where is there a just war? Even if anyone says that it’s right, the fact that Zeon destroyed colonies and killed a large number of people will never change. Those who’re killed won’t even have the time to think if it were correct or not. Without knowing, one of these days, they’re just…this isn’t logical.’ That’s right, this isn’t logical. Zeon’s an anomaly. Neo Zeon that destroyed Industrial 7 is an abnormal terrorist organization. I naturally have the right to defend myself unconditionally when I face such people who want to take my life like that. I just had the right to do this. That’s not killing. I’m not a killer.”
Banagher believes there is never a just war and that the death that comes from them can never be justified by them. He opposes Zeon despite being born in space because Zeon wrought destruction upon his home and he has the right to defend himself against the organization trying to kill him. To Banagher there is no correct side to be fighting for, there is only the faction he lived under, bringing forth a major idea of this story; despite there being a war, each side is equally wrong, equally right, and equally violent. To Banagher, there is no difference between enemy and ally. He just wants to get rid of the seeds of conflict.
The conclusion of this communion was that of unrest between the two sides of Banagher and then Marida and the Sant’s. The bread was stale and tasted of sand, the communion failed and so did the attempt to come to an understanding between the two opposing ideas.
Considering Banagher grew up alone for the majority of his life, it’s no surprise that dinner with a family would be a foreign and new experience for him. He views the sight of the dinner table as “majestic”. Upon the beginning of the meal, Banagher reaches for bread, the food item most closely related to Christianity, and notices that the entire family and Marida have begun to pray, yet another new sight for Banagher. This event foreshadows his lesson in the role of “light” in the following scene with Marida.
The discussion between Banagher and Gilboa’s son, Tikva, which follows the beginning of the meal becomes a crucial scene in displaying Banagher’s thoughts towards war. When Banagher confirms that he is indeed a prisoner, Tikva replies by staying he’s lucky that he’s their prisoner, rather than a prisoner of the Federation because of their cruel treatments. Banagher replies by reminding him that Zeon killed many people in the colony drop, making them equally cruel, but Tikva remains confused as to why he would fight with the Federation if he himself was a Spacenoid.
Banagher concludes the argument in this quote:
“’Since where is there a just war? Even if anyone says that it’s right, the fact that Zeon destroyed colonies and killed a large number of people will never change. Those who’re killed won’t even have the time to think if it were correct or not. Without knowing, one of these days, they’re just…this isn’t logical.’ That’s right, this isn’t logical. Zeon’s an anomaly. Neo Zeon that destroyed Industrial 7 is an abnormal terrorist organization. I naturally have the right to defend myself unconditionally when I face such people who want to take my life like that. I just had the right to do this. That’s not killing. I’m not a killer.”
Banagher believes there is never a just war and that the death that comes from them can never be justified by them. He opposes Zeon despite being born in space because Zeon wrought destruction upon his home and he has the right to defend himself against the organization trying to kill him. To Banagher there is no correct side to be fighting for, there is only the faction he lived under, bringing forth a major idea of this story; despite there being a war, each side is equally wrong, equally right, and equally violent. To Banagher, there is no difference between enemy and ally. He just wants to get rid of the seeds of conflict.
The conclusion of this communion was that of unrest between the two sides of Banagher and then Marida and the Sant’s. The bread was stale and tasted of sand, the communion failed and so did the attempt to come to an understanding between the two opposing ideas.
No war is just
Banagher’s arguments over the morals of war continue in the meeting between him and The Red Comet. While The Captain explained the political reasoning behind Neo Zeon’s actions and these motives seem moral and just enough, Banagher interrupts him by shouting out that no matter how just the cause, the indiscriminate killing of innocent people just because of their political affinity can never be justified. After recalling the horrors of the deaths of his classmates and father, he returns to an idea first presented in the first two novels, that humans should never be killed, because that is not a natural death that any human deserves. “Humans should live like humans and die like humans. I can’t allow for other people to cut other people’s lives down like that”. |