#queem

Historically, Queem seems to have started what was this world's equivalent of the world wars, especially in the Asian pacific theatre. However, instead of speaking on the world war two allegory that seems a bit obvious, I think there's an interesting analysis in regards to the intersection of nihilism and the "great man theory."

Rather than looking at Queem as an allegory for Hitler, let's look at him as a napoleon instead, someone often mentioned in the same sentence as Julius Caesar. Instead of looking at Nietzsche's words himself though, there are other works of literature written in Nietzsche's time when political nihilism was becoming a prevailing philosophy of thought.

Crime and Punishment is written by Russian author Fyodor Dostoevsky, it depicts aman who murders a pawn shop owner with an axe, and the only witness to the crime. After committing the murder, Raskolnikov goes on to justify this murder along nihilistic philosophy lines that his actions can't be judged as good or evil for many reasons.

His most famous theory to justify the murder is that he divides the world into extraordinary people, such as Solon, Ceasar and Napoloen, and ordinary people who simply serve to propagate the species. Extroardinary people, he theorizes, must have "the right to transgress" or progress would be impossible.

“No, not exactly because of it,” answered Porfiry. “In his article all men are divided into ‘ordinary’ and ‘extraordinary.’ Ordinary men have to live in submission, have no right to transgress the law, because, don’t you see, they are ordinary. But extraordinary men have a right to commit any crime and to transgress the law in any way, just because they are extraordinary. That was your idea, if I am not mistaken?” “What do you mean? That can’t be right?” Razumihin muttered in bewilderment. Raskolnikov smiled again. He saw the point at once, and knew where they wanted to drive him. He decided to take up the challenge. “That wasn’t quite my contention,” he began simply and modestly. “Yet I admit that you have stated it almost correctly; perhaps, if you like, perfectly so.” (It almost gave him pleasure to admit this.) “The only difference is that I don’t contend that extraordinary people are always bound to commit breaches of morals, as you call it. In fact, I doubt whether such an argument could be published. I simply hinted that an ‘extraordinary’ man has the right… that is not an official right, but an inner right to decide in his own conscience to overstep… certain obstacles, and only in case it is essential for the practical fulfilment of his idea (sometimes, perhaps, of benefit to the whole of humanity).

Queem's belief mirrors Raskolnikov's own, that Choujin because they are superior, have the right to transgress over others in pursuit of a greater goal. Which is why I say you can compare him to a napoleonic figure, believing he has the right to start a war in order to make france a great nation. A figure in history who threw the whole world into a series of chaotic wars, was praised for their military genius, only to ultimately lose.

There is a scene in another Russian novel by Leo Tolstoy named War and Peace, which tackles this similiar Great Man Theory in regards to Napoleon. A main character enters the war out of his admiration for Napoleon who he considers to be a military genius, only to come across him at the end of a terrible battle and realize how small of a man napoleon really is.

“Voilà une belle mort,” said Napoleon, looking at Bolkonsky. Prince Andrei understood that it had been said about him, and that it was Napoleon speaking. […] But he heard these words as if he was hearing the buzzing of a fly. He not only was not interested, he did not even notice, and at once forgot them. […] He knew that it was Napoleon— his hero— but at that moment, Napoleon seemed to him such a small, insignificant man compared with what was now happening between his soul and this lofty, infinite sky with clouds racing across it. 

I think Queem as a character exists to explore two questions, do Choujins because of their power do bear the right (or even the burden) to transgress, and do their powers, or actions, or genius, or whatever you might believe them to have make them more significant than other people?

This is where we get to the obvious parallels between Azama and Queem's character, as obsession with war and inherent greatness are ideas that run deep down into Azama's psyche. When he raises with his choujin powers for the first time, it's accompanied by knives, guns and tanks, the same kind of warfare imagery we always see go hand in hand with mention of Queem.

A lot of Azuma's motivation comes from following his own personal philosophy of justice, his desire to be a great enforcer of law like his father the policeman.

The quote about two people always, inevitably going to war with each other comes from Queem and it was used to describe Azuma's relationship with Tokio.

Azuma's deepest motivations are well described by these two quotes. Number one his secret fear / insecurity that Tokio is the kind of great man that Azuma wants so desperately to be, which is why he's always living in fear of Tokio surpassing him and clings to the pedestal that Tokio puts him on. Number two, his desire to go to war in general.

Azuma from the start wanted to become something like a choujin, to transform into something greater and do something with his life because he was lacking in something.

Azuma seems to embody these two sides of Queem. Queem is the kind of person that Azuma is striving to be, a great man of history. Azuma deliberately seeks out war in order to prove himself, the way that Queem threw the entire world into war to prove the inherent greatness of him and the choujin surrounding him.

While striving for larger than life ideas they are both also, like Napoleon in War and Peace shown to be rather small. Azuma's driven by a combination of fear of other people and his inferiority complex.

With what we learn about Queem to his ending was rather pathetic. He never conquered or held onto any territory after the war he started, and he died right in the middle of it. He also died as an opium addict after having lost all of his humanity and even the ability to change back.