Green Apples?

Discuss the philosophy found in the various incarnations of Ghost in the Shell

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CleverUsernameHere
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Green Apples?

Post by CleverUsernameHere »

Theres something that I've kind of been wondering about for a while. In the last episode of Ghost In The Shell: Stand Alone Complex 2nd GIG, after the Major asks Kuze if he can fold paper cranes with his left arm and he pretty much avoids answering the question, they start talking about loneliness and destitution. Then, Major hands him an apple while he simontaneously hands her an apple and they embrace each other. So what exactly did the apple symbolize? And what did biting into the apple symbolize? It obviously had some form of symptomatic significance but I don't know what. :? And the meaning behind the apple and biting into the apple seemed to gain importance while everyone was in the helicopter, because just as Major realized Kuze was the kid that got into the plane crash with her as a child, Kuze is shown with the apple still clutched in his hand with a bite taken out of it, whereas Motoko never bit her apple because thats when Batou found her and Kuze.


Someone posted somewhere that they may have been eating the apples because it was the last thing they'd be able to "taste" before they uploaded their ghosts onto the internet, but I thought that the tongues made for cyborgs were made so that they could only pick up tastes from food that was made specially for cyborgs(?) Apples have been said to represent love and temptation, so that might be something to consider. They can also show immortality as well as the cycle of life, death and rebirth, which would definately make sense in context of the episode. Or maybe it was a reference to a painting called "Two Young Men". (In the painting, there's a man handing a green apple to another man. A lot of people who viewed the painting proposed the idea that the apple was a representation of an old Latin phrase that translates into "Remember, you must die.")


Personally, I thought the most probable explanation was that the apple came from the old tales where apples were "the World Tree" and had the ability to open doors to the Faery Realms. After all, they wanted to peregrinate into the net-or "Faery Realm". Perhaps Kuze biting into the apple showed that he still intended to upload himself into the net? He probably would have if he wasn't killed. Then again that wouldn't really match up with the rest of the scene when you think about it. A symbol for the desire to live in another world and the Major realizing that Kuze was the person from the plane crash don't connect somehow. So maybe the apple was a representation of emotions in some way, shape or form. What do you guys think? Is it a reference? Or does the meaning go deeper than that, in the sense that the apples were symbols created specifically for this show, this episode, this scene, and these characters and their emotions?


(P.S: Haha this is my first post, so I hope I didn't make myself look like too much of an idiot. :lol: )
"It's funny. All you have to do is say something nobody understands and they'll do practically anything you want them to."- Catcher In The Rye
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GhostLine
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good question

Post by GhostLine »

perhaps the apple represented a shared experience, such as how eating the fruit in the garden of eden opened the eyes of adam and eve, ushering them into another way of existing...?

good thoughts C.U.H...welcome to the Shell Squad!
CleverUsernameHere
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Post by CleverUsernameHere »

Yeah that would definately be one way to look at it, and that would certainly make sense. Thanks, ghostline :)
"It's funny. All you have to do is say something nobody understands and they'll do practically anything you want them to."- Catcher In The Rye
beetroot
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Post by beetroot »

I like the idea of the Biblical interpretation - sort of a reflection of the original narrative with both parties splitting from their makers.
Hmm
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Whisper
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Post by Whisper »

Or it could be the fact that Kuze has lost the ability to move his mouth.. or barely can...

But he took a bite out of the apple. Showing a sort of commitment to Motoko she didn't realized until after she saw the bite.

Which to me was the point where I went "Ah okay! He was the boy!"

It really bothered me in the end. When they jump six months and Motoko's so desolute. Nearly broke my heart.
Original? Copy? I come from a world where such words are meaningless.
CleverUsernameHere
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Post by CleverUsernameHere »

Yeah I picked up on him being the boy when Motoko went to that place where she recalled her past memories as a kid, because I remembered how when they were talking about Kuze, they said he folded paper cranes. I can definately see devotion playing a large role in that scene, thanks for the idea! I'm not going to lie; The last bit of that episode made me cry. ;-; Thanks for the responses everyone! Its cool hearing peoples thoughts on this. :)
"It's funny. All you have to do is say something nobody understands and they'll do practically anything you want them to."- Catcher In The Rye
Sergeant X
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Post by Sergeant X »

with Batou wielding that cross at the end its pretty hard to deny the biblical thing.

It was kind of strange the first time watched the series since most of it is devoid of those kinda references

obviously it deals with her relationship to Kuze
but personally I think it also relates to the deus ex machina by the tachikomas at the end

I have a whole thing about this that maybe i'll start in another thread since its bound to derail
“Poets are always taking the weather so personally. They're always sticking their emotions in things that have no emotions.”
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