WARNING: The following contains spoilers for SIU’s Tower of God Season 3, Episode 72 (Chapter # 489), now available in English on Webtoon.
The mega success of Webtoon tower of God it has always had a strong political background. After all, the entire tower is an allegory of a class-based society, with Jahad and the titular Tower Ten Families at the top of the status quo, followed by high ranks, normal rankers, and then regulars, along with various minorities in the periphery of society. In addition to this, the whole plot revolves around various warring political factions fighting for or against the Jahad government. All of these factions have their own goals and visions of what they want to achieve.
It’s no wonder, then, that some character backstories are also somewhat political: Cha and Dowon, for example, dealing with a group of failed revolutionaries who tried to defy Jahad in ancient times only to end up sacrificing themselves to protect their own. people.
But no supporting character’s backstory has been as long, detailed, or clearly politicized as that of Lo Po Bia Haratcha, the Commander of the Third Division of the Fifth Army Corps Revealed in Chapter # 489, could be a sign that tower of God it’s getting even more political … or it could just be a long backstory for an interesting character. However, the story is worth analyzing for its implications for the other characters in the series and the construction of the world.
Haratcha’s backstory can be summarized as follows: contrary to his appearance, he was not born a feline but was a member of the Rashangs, a small but proud minority race. Haratcha was recruited by the superior feline, Lo Po Bia Yasratcha, after becoming a ranker, who continued to financially care for the Rashangs by going to war for the felines. But his people became greedy and began to ask too much of Haratcha, some even wanted to replace him. While it initially met all their needs, the Rashangs grew weak, they only knew how to ask for more without working for themselves. In time, the Rashangs became such a burden that Haratcha decided to kill the entire race himself.
The backstory isn’t too complicated, but it’s a great way to build Haratcha’s character and shows how his thinking changed as he became more feline. At the end of the chapter, we also learn that he always felt guilty for his genocidal behavior, but continued to justify his actions by cursing his own people. Before his moment of passing, he realizes that his love for his people was his true undoing. It ends up being quite a poignant and tragic tale of blind love and overindulgence. It is almost Shakespearean, in fact.
On a broader level, the story gets even more troubled. On the surface, it is a critique of laziness and greed. The Rashings became greedy after they stopped having to fend for themselves and relied solely on the worker Haratcha. This type of thinking is very prevalent in Korea, where meritocracy, or the belief in “earning your worth,” is the central ideology for the younger generation. In this chapter of tower of God, Haratcha realizes that “they developed a habit of demanding equality … but they made no effort to make things really equal.” This line is a great example of meritocratic thinking.
However, the Rashangs make they have a reason to demand equality because they were not treated the same as felines, even in the face of genocide because they were seen as a burden. Haratcha simply gave them resources without actually helping them become independent or self-sufficient, so it’s not entirely fair to blame the Rashangs for their own demise. This kind of thinking about laziness and greed is often used throughout history as an excuse to oppress minority groups.
That said, we shouldn’t be too quick to condemn this story for promoting oppressive ideologies. What is ingenious about this? tower of God The chapter is that Haratcha’s backstory contrasts with Yu Hansung’s ideology. Yu has been hanging around the Tower provoking resistance against the Jahad regime, but he never stays in a nation long enough to help them fight. Haratcha calls him a hypocrite for this.
Hansung gladly accepts Haratcha’s characterization and admits that his only goal is to bring down the world of Jahad. He uses those who are willing to fight Jahad and abandon those who don’t, all for his own benefit. He is utilitarian but never sympathizes with or despises the weak, unlike Haratcha, and that is why he ultimately prevails against Haratcha.
Chapter # 489 shows us that the creator of the SIU series is truly a nuanced writer, capable of demonstrating the merits and failures of multiple contrasting political ideologies. In the heart of tower of God, SIU is trying to demonstrate the plight of minorities through various points of view, including the oppressed, the oppressors, and the revolutionaries. In this case, Haratcha represents how the felines and the ruling class see the “weak races”, while Yu Hansung represents the resistance, taking advantage of the arrogance of the oppressors. And surprisingly both Ideologies can explain why it is necessary to overthrow the Jahad government.
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