Theory and Analysis:Ritsuko's Interrogation

Cat Scene

Nerv HQ. Late at night. The sounds of rush construction work resonate. The exterior is almost as it was before.

An ashtray on a desk. Full of cigarette butts (with lipstick on them). Ritsuko (on phone) I see, so she passed away.

Cold coffee and a coffee maker Yes, probably, even cats eventually reach the end of their lives.

Her office desk. Ritsuko's backside. Don't cry anymore, Grandma. I will. When I get some time, I'll come home for a bit. I haven't visited Mother's grave in three years either. I'll call you next time. Okay, I'm hanging up now.

She switches the phone off. SE <<BEEP>>

Although she is growing weary, she speaks matter-of-factly. So, she died.

Ritsuko's office. The cat ornaments on her desk.

This scene is simple, and, at the same time, enigmatic. Its 'surface' meaning is straight-forward enough; Ritsuko's grandmother calls her to let her know that her cat had died: what's not to 'get'? What is hard to figure out is "Who cares?!" That is, why should we give a rat's *** about some cat we've never seen, and whose existence was just once vaguely alluded to, in the previous episode (Misato: "I won't listen to this from someone who conceals her loneliness with pet cats.")... It's fair to say that this scene must bear some some symbolic or metaphorical weight, otherwise, why is it it here? Anno obviously intends it to mean something, because the first thing out of Ritsuko's mouth in #24, in her confrontation with Gendo, is "My cat died..." The significance of this scene will come into focus when it is, in a sense, continued in the second half of #23, so I will elaborate on my interpretation of the Great Cat Metaphor when we get to that point.

It is interesting to note how Ritsuko refers to the late cat as "that child" (you can distinctly hear her say "ano ko"); I think that there may be some significance to her choice of words.