I went back to watch this scene again, after Solo, not that I haven’t seen it already, and there are plenty of gifsets out there, but since I haven’t done anything myself, I started to edit this set…when I noticed something.
It’s a little detail, I haven’t see posts on it, but I’m sure someone already had noticed it: the way he holds his hand, the hand that was holding the dice, and the meaning of this gesture.
I could say so many things, I could tell you how people have misinterpreted this scene on every level possible, thinking that this is the point of no return of the evil Kylo Ren, I could tell you that this is actually the point of no return for Kylo Ren, but in the totally opposite way, I could tell you how he regrets everything in this particular moment, I could talk about rey, I could talk about how in this scene he’s 100% Ben Solo, but I’d say well known things
so let me just leave this pic here:
In this moment, BEN SOLO, is with his father, through the dice. Yes, the confrontation with Rey has just happened, but in this moment he is left alone, with his father’s memory.
He gently touch the golden chain of the dice, like an old relics. The dice not only are the distinct memory of his father, but they are there also to remind him how far he’s gone, to remind him who he really is.
The way he clenches the fist is totally different from what we are used to see. He is not clenching it out of rage, he’s trying to reach for something that is fading a way, just like any other human connection he had:
Luke was just a projection, and he fades away from him
Rey is just like another projection in the wall, and she fades away from him
The dice, his father’s memory, fades away from him
Kneeling on that floor there’s only Ben Solo, and all his pain, regrets, loneliness. Yes, that is the bottom.
That last frame portrays the essence of Ben Solo, the symmetry defines the space as much as it defines the character. Again, a scene of opposites, of antithetical elements:
- his immobility against the movements behind him. Even the light, coming from behind, moves, invading the space and the darkness, like a liquid. Light is always moving, always trying to find even the darkest place and to flood into it.
- He is in the depths of the the mountain, into the darkness of the earth, while last time we see Rey, she’s on top of the mountains, in the full light of the sun, But at the same time, that dark internal space can also be seen as a womb. Darkness and Light together leads towards a new beginning, a Rebirth.
The fact that he’s holding his left hand, not only is significant, compared to the clenched fists, symbol of rage, but I think shows how much he needs someone to hold the burden with him in that moment. Forgive me if I go too far with this, but this small, subtle gesture, intended or not, is probably the closest thing to a hug he can get in this scene, closest thing to the human touch he craved for a very long time and he received it through Rey.
Above, I said specifically that he’s holding his left hand with his right hand. Even here we can find some interesting elements, imo.
His left hand, not only was holding the dice, holding his father’s memory, but check this out:
For some coincidence, even if he clearly uses his right hand to fight with his lightsaber, when he makes the excruciating act of killing his father, he uses his left hand. That same hand that was holding the dice, that same hand that is now resting in his right hand, probably trying to stop a tremble, before anyone sees it.
And here I’m going to close this post with a final comparison, another piece of the intricate system of antithetical elements of this scene.
We can attribute to the right hand a specific meaning too. It’s pretty striking and, imo, ties all the elements togethers. Just look at this:
That’s his right hand. The hand that touched Rey, across the universe, the first real human touch he probably has in a very long time. The touch that changes everything, that changes the stakes, defying light and darkness, defying the divided universe. The Balance
Even if it seems that Rey has left for good, the marks that she has left on him are permanent. Even in his worst hour, she is symbolically there with him, carrying the burden for and with him: the right hand (Rey) holding the left hand (the weight of his action, the weight of the past he wanted to escape so badly).
Maybe at this point of the story, they are far away from each other. But when time comes, they will stand together again. They need each other in order to be whole.
Next time, she will be there to hug him for real
Gosh, I love these movies and these characters so damn much
Thank you for your attention, you made it to the end! YAY. I’m so sorry if I crossed the line in some parts, but I had all these crazy thoughts on my head for couple days and i needed to do something about it. Sorry if you had to endure my horrible writing/english skills and ideas lol but it’s over xD I wish I could have more time to go deeper on some topics, such as the use of light in a scene or the meaning of light in dark places, it’s something that I feel more comfortable with, since it’s part of my studies…..oh well I guess one day I’ll try to finish too the many things I’ve starded (such a bad pun, need to go to sleep xD)
to the next seavici’s rambles
amandla
titsay
theartofmadeline
vaporwave
gummygunk
turnnoffyourmind
romaincrisis
