MovieChat Forums > Monster (2004) Discussion > There is any symbolism in food?

There is any symbolism in food?

posted 13 years ago by roberto_cabral
2 replies | jump to latest

Almost every episode, i notice the important role of the meals in the show. I want to know if it's just me, or anybody else thinks the same way. What i think is that food means "humanity". Every scene Doctor Tenma is about to loose his humanity or his goodness (with his obsession of killing Johann) someone offers him something to eat. There's another episode that a child offers a sandwich to Eva, when she's confused with helping Tenma or letting him go to jail. And there's a lot of others examples (the happy times always involves the taste of food, and mainly in the episode of Rosso, when he says "killing is easy, if you can forget the taste of sugar"), but this only happens with good characters. I don't know, maybe it's just my imagination.

[–] Unicorn_Blade 13 years ago

I think you're right.

It is maybe not as much as a deep symbolism, but food in Monster definitely has got two meanings. First is the obvious one- you can't survive without food, your body needs it. Also, it is a way to enjoy life. Which is why dr Reinchwein insists on feeding Tenma and later on in the story Eva worries whether Tenma is eating properly.

Secondly, food and eating is something cultural. Enjoying a meal in family is a part of family life in many cultures. This is obviously something Johan was deprived of- and a few other characters comment on missing out on this experience (the gangster Tenma operated on, etc). So it provides not only necessary nourishment to the body, but it keeps families, and then on a bigger scale communities together.

[–] roberto_cabral 13 years ago

Gee, thanks for answering. I agree with all you said there.