The Concept of Purity, according to Battle Angel Alita.

[RocketMermaid]

I'm going to be slightly naughty and resurrect my thread, in the hopes of more discussion. sweatdrop

[Da_Ish]

Hmm, purity seems to be for its own sake. It has no justification; it seems to be merely an aesthetic preference. Why do we want something to be 'pure'. Is purity beautiful?

The purity of Aryans used to be beautiful, but nowadays, beauty is seen in mixed people and the blending of cultures.

Is purity boring, and mixing more interesting? It seems it's just a matter of arbitrary preference.

[Puerilass The Perverted]

Angel of the dark rose

Actually, it is kind of like a vaccine. They inject some of the virus into your body so that the body can build up it's antibodies against the virus. When you finally do get the virus, your body already knows how to kill it. Although it does make you kind of sick for a while.

I've never gotten a Flu Vaccine, And I've never contracted the Flu.

And I don't know if they had translated that Manga correctly.

Steel is Always Inpure. There is no such thing as "Pure" steel.

I believe they ment for it to be Iron, Which can be Pure. but Iron is very weak it bends easily, and breaks even easier. You must add Tin or Copper or Cobalt to Iron to make Steel. Tin being the most common for the process, is not a Pure substance.

[Bookie]

Puerilis

Angel of the dark rose

Actually, it is kind of like a vaccine. They inject some of the virus into your body so that the body can build up it's antibodies against the virus. When you finally do get the virus, your body already knows how to kill it. Although it does make you kind of sick for a while.

Steel is Always Inpure. There is no such thing as "Pure" steel.

I do believe that was the point.

Purity of the body, especially in lit, is always symbolic. Theres no reason to debate the literal concept of purity on earth, because scientifically it's been proven that the 'concept' of purity is not benificial, as is seen with the reference to steel. Of course that scientific fact becomes a literary device in Alita (which I've never read, so I'm speculating on your post alone).

Literature has always investigated the meaning of purity, in all it's forms. Most lit comes close to your conclusion. Purity of soul is always sullied or not so great after all. Purity of mind is either boring or a fraud.

Purity of will is sometimes veiwed skeptically too. I don't know about Alita, but many stories equate 'conviction' with 'fanaticism'. The problem is that purity is at the far end of the specturm. As a concept, it is the polar opposite of utter corruption, and most lit doesn't approach the human condition from that sort of contrast. Any character that grows hast to have both in him, so if Alita can't be pure, it's indictive of her constant need for growth, and the fact that she can never attain, only strive for.

This is all speculation based on the basic symbolism that comes with purity, so it would be interesting to see if anything in the manga coincides with what I've said.

[Gardenhead]

SadLittleBoi

I wont comment because this should have been posted in the anime section. Your failure to graps between important discussions and longwinded, symbolic opinions implies that the post you wrote is bullshit.

sad Indeed.


The symbolism here is great. I really like how well written this topic is.
It really makes you think. Lots of people think that multiracial people are stronger than "pure" races, because the mixed ethnicity takes one both races stregnths. I think purity is really outdated. The idea is just silly, much like "original, uncontaminated" cultures. We live in an era of communication. No culture exists without communicating with another. Period.