Historia's Child of Evil (Attack on Titan)

(Originally written on the 28th of July, 2022)

MAJOR SPOILERS FOR SHINGEKI NO KYOJIN

DISCLAIMER: No, I am not a “Farmhisu” shipper. That’s a ridiculous notion; he lacks a name and has two panels of dialogue. Historia did not harbour romantic feelings for him, based on what was provided to us in the narrative, she is a lesbian for all intents and purposes. Whether or not her eventual marriage with the farmer was for the sake of stability or a sign of bisexuality is irrelevant, the making of their child was a loveless act. More importantly, I do not hate Historia. In a perfect world, she did not need to get pregnant.

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Art is not a puzzle to be solved, it is not a game to be beaten. You cannot win at art. Your job is to find your own interpretation of it, to work with what it has given you. Hajime Isayama did not just say that the farmer was someone who worked at the orphanage under Historia. Instead, Isayama gave the two a dynamic that was entirely unnecessary for the plot to function. The farmer did not need to be one of the children who harassed Historia as a child, throwing rocks at her from the other side of the fence. When the debate was finally laid to rest in the final chapter, when it was confirmed without a doubt that that yes, he was indeed the father of her child, there was a loud subset of readers who proclaimed it to be a toxic relationship, that Isayama had a track record of writing women who longed for abusive relationships. However, like I said before, you should not fight a work. If you believe that Isayama intended for the ending that we received, then you have to wonder what the point of it was.

Attack on Titan is a story about connection, the violence of human nature, and whether or not we can overcome our selfishness and not be consumed by the child of evil that festers within all of us. If we do not overcome our pride, we cannot come to an understanding. Theo Magath overcame his pride, his child of evil, when he sided with the alliance and outright apologised for his role in the suffering of the Eldian people. He was one of the many outsiders who fed into the cycle of violence and participated in a system that led Eldians to be transformed into titans and sent to Paradis where they would wander outside the walls, trapping the people that lived within.

It was the 145th king of Eldia, Karl Fritz, who chose to create an isolationist paradise where he and a select few of the Eldian people could live without retaliation from the rest of humanity. But in doing so, he only let the hatred fester. By making his world smaller and abandoning his people, he had not created a paradise but only allowed further malice to fester among those of the outside world, Eldian or otherwise.

One of his direct descendants who carried his will was the half-sister of Historia, Frieda Reiss, who frequently visited her little sister but would always discourage her from going beyond the fence, wiping the memory of their time together from Historia’s mind. These actions are aligned with the exact isolationist philosophy that Karl Fritz lived by, where he wiped the memories of his people ignored those outside the walls in order to maintain his idea of a paradise. The fence that Frieda, a subject to Karl’s will, warned Historia not to cross, is much like the walls that Karl raised to protect his paradise. The children throwing rocks at her being very much Marley sending titans to the island.

And yet, just like Theo Magath, the farmer (no longer the ignorant child that he once was) crossed the fence: the barrier that separated them. He chose to cast aside his pride and atone for his sins. His relationship with Historia being emblematic of one of the narrative’s greater themes.

As for the pregnancy itself, it was never a choice that Historia would have made in any other situation. And yet, it was still a choice made of her own free will. Eren had left her with an ultimatum, one that he knew she would accept. Either she would abide by his plan to eliminate the outside world, or he would simply wipe her memories. As shown through the text itself, the ultimatum, while an obvious example of emotional manipulation, was never truly necessary. It was not his threat that made Historia accept his plan. It was only when he reminded her of her own words, that she truly accepted that she was “the worst girl in the world.”

Her suggestion to have a child was a selfish one, one that would keep herself alive just long enough for Eren to eliminate all of the innocent lives that existed beyond the walls. And so, she slept with the farmer: the best possible option. If she were to have a child, then she would not want the father to be the devil of humanity. And if she had asked Eren to be the father, he inevitably would have declined due to his feelings towards Mikasa (Once again, this is not me condoning “Farmhisu,” she had no romantic or sexual attraction for him).

But why have a child? Why not run? Why not fight? Those were the two options that Eren had proposed. The answer to Historia's decision lies with Ymir: Historia’s one and only true love. Ymir taught Historia what it meant to be proud, to live one’s life with their head held high. She was a character who carried more wisdom than the rest of the 104th. In chapter 46, she deconstructed Reiner's inner turmoil almost immediately, juxtaposing Eren' slander and threats. Being the voice of reason in the conversation (with Eren acknowledging that she knew far more than he did), Ymir refused to work with Eren so long as he remained, in her own words, "worried about petty little things." She told him nothing would be settled by killing these two "enemies."

Ymir was unwilling to fight for any specific side. Instead of staying with Historia, she left to save Reiner and Bertolt. She did not let her pride become selfishness. That same desire to live a life truly worth being proud of was what drove Historia to say

If I don’t do everything I can to stop you, I won’t be able to live with myself.

She could not possible live with her head held high the way Ymir wanted her to. The same Ymir who knew that there was no true enemy aside from the child of evil within us all.

If Historia had run away or chosen to fight the government, it would have led to a civil war, one that would have not only led to the deaths of innocent civilians that she was to protect, but it would have also meant her abandoning the children at the orphanage, the ones that she was raising to have a life far better than the one that she had. While siding with Eren was a selfish action to save her own life, the pregnancy itself was an act of selflessness towards her people and the children in the orphanage. It was Historia’s internal struggle to overcome her child of evil.

Such a struggle is what made her conclusion in chapter 139 so significant. Instead of endorsing the isolationist philosophies of Karl Fritz and the Yeagerists, she is last seen awaiting the ambassadors of humanity alongside the representatives of Hizuru. While I greatly dislike the season 1 finale due to how it changed the source material, one addition that I find to be very fitting was a conversation between Jean and Armin.

If Eren had become that monster and destroyed the titans, would that really have been a victory for humanity?

In the end, Historia chose to tear down the fence. If she had chosen to side with the Yeagerists, to live a selfish life, to let go of her empathy and forsake Ymir, there would be nothing left for her. With the entire world at her nation’s mercy, she chose aid over violence (see my NieR Automata analysis), she, like Uri and “the traitors of Paradis,” performed that miracle. The first Eldian free from the curse of Ymir came from two people who broke that cycle, who crossed the fence and atoned. Even without romance existed understanding.

The children on the other side of the fence who would hurt her were products of their upbringing, an upbringing under the very same negligent and corrupt king that oppressed her and her mother. They were all victims: children trapped in the forest. What kind of queen would she be if she upheld the isolationist beliefs of the Reiss dynasty? How could she be the true ruler of the walls if she remained too afraid to cross the fence? Find the self-worth to live your life with pride. but if you let it make it your world smaller, you will only be perpetuating the same cycle that you yourself were a victim of.