#elne

Like the other characters, we don’t know exactly how old Erune is, but she can probably be assumed to be in her teens: still in many ways a child, but coming closer to adulthood, and starting to think about what that means for her.  She tells Green that she’ll be giving up Rosie, her beloved doll, because she’s “too old to play with dolls.”

Perhaps the thought had already been on her mind for some time, but it seems abruptly urgent for Erune.  She’s not giving up Rosie “soon,” she’s giving her up “tomorrow.”  It’s not hard to guess why; with the Dark World incursion, her town is in turmoil - monsters are swarming, children are going missing, and no one knows what to do.  Erune, ironically, displays more maturity than many of the adults, who fall into counterproductive in-fighting rather than working together (hmm, sound like anyone else we know? especially this early in the manga?)

Amid all the chaos, I can easily imagine Erune feeling like she needs to be as grown-up as possible, as quickly as possible, because somebody needs to be mature and reasonable around here!

But Green sees it differently.  He looks sad to see her talking about giving Rosie away, and urges her to keep the doll.  “But isn’t Rosie important to you?  If so, you shouldn’t let her go.  You’ll be sorry later on.”  It’s a short exchange - Blue interrupts them pretty quickly - but my interpretation of Green’s meaning, at least, is that growing up doesn’t have to - shouldn’t - mean giving up the things that make you happy.  It’s good to have things that bring you happiness, even if they might seem “childish” to others!  Having hobbies doesn’t make you less mature!

I can remember being a similar age to Erune, and having similar worries: that growing up would mean I’d have to give up the things I enjoyed, like cartoons and video games, because they’re “for kids.”  And, well.  You’re reading a lengthy analysis I just wrote about my favorite Legend of Zelda manga.  I think it’s safe to say that didn’t end up being true at all :)

Of course, hearing a message and internalizing it are two different things.  Immediately after they’re interrupted, Erune is stolen away to the Dark World  and turned into a living doll herself.  She is lured by the promise of never having to grow up, of being able to do nothing but play, all day, forever.  I think this reflects how much the dilemma was still weighing on her, even after talking it over with Green.

I wish we’d seen just a little more of Erune’s character development after this.  The next (and last) time we see her in the manga is after the Links swoop in to rescue everyone, and they’re all safely back home.  It would have been nice to see her fight back against the Dark World’s thrall, or otherwise reaffirm that she doesn’t need to give up the things she enjoys in order to be strong and capable.  I know page space was limited, and I wouldn’t want to sacrifice another part of the story to make room for it, but still.  Would’ve been cool.