The Broken mind of Eren Yeager
Amidst the meaningless vast vacuum space that’s expanding towards decay, a spark of a false illusion emerged on a small insignificant stage in the vast cosmic arena. An illusion that was beautified under the realm of fearing the unknown, an illusion that forced humans to cling to the Will of Life that can only be achieved by the suffering of other organisms. Throughout the human history, The Will of Life inevitably mutated into Will to Power, causing an enormous bloodshed among races that evolved from a one original race. Describing it this way to just give a satire sense of how absurd the human violence actually sounds from an outer perspective.
Eren Yeager is the absolute culmination of the human condition in an endless cycle of agony and persecution, it is a journey of an innocent oppressed individual towards tyranny and power, or rather ‘Freedom’ as Eren Yeager likes to call it. Freedom which can only be attained by Power that Eren Yeager sought after it throughout his lifetime, and the notion of Power in the show can be completely misunderstood as it can be seen as the mean by which you destroy your enemies, but Eren Yeager’s initial desire for power stems from a desire for freedom, a state where you can go against the fate you were indoctrinated from an early age not to question it, a state where you are not willing to accept the idea that you are bound by a predetermined path that centers around oppression and hard determinism.
From ‘Übermensch, Will to Power, Amor fati to Eternal Recurrence’ we can vividly see and understand the philosophy behind Eren Yeager’s actions from a Nietzschean perspective.
“You have evolved from worm to man, but much within you is still worm. Once you were apes, yet even now man is more of an ape than any of the apes.” Friedrich Nietzsche, “Thus Spoke Zarathustra”
Übermensch, an individual who surpasses standard moral and societal expectations, forging their unique values to be free from the constraints of traditional beliefs. Eren goes into a profound character development throughout the series. As the story progresses, we notice Eren is willing to sacrifice individuals for what he perceives as the greater good, creating by that a unique ethical framework of his. All this just to demolish and challenge what Nietzsche believed to be “Amor Fati” the idea of accepting and embracing everything that happens in your life, whether it’s good or bad. Instead of wishing things were different.
“One must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star. I say unto you: you still have chaos in yourselves’’ Friedrich Nietzsche, “Thus Spoke Zarathustra”
Will to Power, Eren exhibits an immense will to achieve his goals, particularly in the pursuit of freedom for himself and Eldians. He sought power from an early age, and his philosophy that can align with Nietzsche’s concept of the will to power.
Eternal Recurrence, is the idea that everything that happens in life, will repeat itself for all of eternity. Probably, it’s the main idea Hajime Isayama on which he based his story, because it concludes with the idea that violence will persist even after the death of a central character like Eren, it could be interpreted as a thematic exploration of the cyclical nature of conflict and the enduring struggles within the world.
The way we see Eren Yeager’s actions can vary among viewers, but one cannot deny aspects like ‘Traumatic Past’ when he witnessed the destruction of his hometown and the death of his mother at a young age, such a tormenting event influenced his perspective and literally fueled his desire for revenge. and ‘Knowledge and Betrayals’ because as the story progresses, Eren uncovers hidden truths about the world, the Titans, and the history of his own people. These revelations, along with instances of betrayal, contribute to the complexity of his character and the evolution of his motivations. Whether you find his actions justifiable or not, one must feel pity for how broken Eren’s mind is.
