Persona 4/Analysis: Difference between revisions

This is the Analysis Entry for ''[[Persona 4]]''. All spoilers are unmarked ahead.

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* The Magician: Yosuke Hanamura

** The Magician represents willpower, ability, and determination. Early on in the plot, we see Yosuke face his Shadow. After gaining the Persona ability, he admits to himself that part of him really did feel what the Shadow said: he was bored of country life, and he wanted something interesting to do. Part of Yosuke's character development is that he eventually learns to really care the task at hand, namely, catching the true culprit behind the murder. He's different from Adachi in that (true to the Arcana's essence) he eventually stops making the investigation team as an excuse for adventure, but rather, follow through the team's goals until the end.

* The Chariot: Chie Satonaka

** Victory. Conquest. Bravery. Those are the ideals of the Chariot Arcana, but the dark side of those ideals is [[Pride]]. Shadow Chie makes it clear that she only stood by Yukiko because it made her feel good to have someone of an ostensibly higher social standing depending on her for support. The power, the domination, the fame of being a Hero of Justice that could salve the envy she felt towards people like Yukiko were the underlying reasons for Chie's desire to protect people no matter how much she tried to deny it. As her Social Link proceeds, Chie comes to understand that this isn't the ''only'' reason she has; she may be doing it out of a sense of pride but ''also'' because she truly cares about them as friends. In the end, Chie learns that she does not need to face life's challenges alone, leading to a more complete understanding of the Arcanum. Loyalty and faith are, after all, part of The Chariot too.

* Justice: Nanako Dojima

** Nanako acts as the theoretical conscience to the party. Her childhood and innocence represent something everyone in the party can relate to and desire to protect, so when she is kidnapped by Namatame and subsequently hospitalised it sorely tests everything the party knows about what is right and wrong. Now, the Justice arcana actually has a foot in ancient mythology. Many depictions show Justice as Athena, the patron goddess of Athens and generally a goddess of logic and rationality. This further relates to the story of the House of Atreus which was cursed into a cycle of revenge that only stopped when Athena appealed for Justice to prevail over the immediate desire for revenge, bringing us back to the dilemma faced by the party. It's very easy to forgive and administer dispassionate Justice when it doesn't affect you personally but everything the party has accomplished may now be undone if cooler heads do not arbitrate the situation. Nanako's Social Link has little, if anything, to do with the symbolism of the arcanum but helps set up the emotional investment in order to challenge the player to think rationally when the life of someone they know and love is on the line.

** A young man trapped in the aftermath of his sister's death. He finds himself showered with unwanted pity, his friends feeling too sorry for him to be close, and all in all is kept from moving on. At one point, he even considers dropping out of school. The Social Link follows him as he learns to accept his sister's death and move on with his life. The Hanged Man Arcana deals with suffering and endurance, and hence, Naoki learns to endure suffering and eventually learning that shallow pity and self-loathing will get him nowhere.

* Death: Hisano Kuroda

* The Temperance: Eri Minami

** Quite an interesting case of "merging of opposites"; the mother and child, both misunderstanding one another, but both secretly harbor a caring attitude for one another. The merging of opposites comes when the Protagonist establishes the Social Link with the mother. Once the Social Link progresses, both mother and child find a way to communicate concern for one another, and finally culminating in harmony within their initially broken family.

** Teddie's character development is concerned with his unknown nature (at least in the beginning). As the Investigation Team gets closer to solving the mystery of the murders, his relationship with the human characters also grows. He even gets attached to Nanako, to the point that he begins blaming himself for not being able to do anything to save her. Somehow, Teddie finds himself within the Velvet Room, inside the Protagonist's subconscious. This shows Teddie's great trust in the protagonist, and there, he finds the hope and inspiration to stop blaming himself and to accept his true nature. He is no longer just a Shadow because he's developed his own ego.

* The Moon: Ai Ebihara

* The Sun: Ayane Matsugana/Yumi Ozawa

** For Ayane, the Sun represents optimism and the expansion of horizons. Prior to meeting the protagonist, she was unsure about her own abilities and didn't believe in herself. By the end, she is able to overcome this by saying that she needs to think about herself more, rather than giving up opportunities that she could have taken.

** This arcanum is only activated after the party chooses not to act on their base impulses and pass Judgement on Namatame for his actions. The card symbolises a new beginning which can only be achieved after they learn the truth behind Namatame's involvement and are able to forgive him for his past mistakes. When the fog closes in and times are dark, the resolve of the party to search for the truth behind the murders is their ray of hope that they will be able to triumph against death itself. As a group they have grown and can proceed towards enlightenment - the end of the journey.

 

The Fool in Tarot represents the number 0 - potential. The Fool is an ideal card to start with, as it has the most potential for growth in the Arcana. It can be seen that throughout The MC's journey, there is greater clarity whenever he and the investigation team confront the Shadows. As the story progresses he gains deeper insight into the mystery of Inaba. Along with these adventures, he also strengthens his bonds with other people and with that a deeper understanding of the Arcana.

 

 

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[[Category:Persona 4]]

[[Category:Analysis]]