Theme Of The Saga Of Tanya The Evil

The Saga of Tanya The Evil is the story of a young girl with the mind of a middle aged salaryman; fighting in a fantasy World War I. There are many themes shown in the book and the most important one is acceptance of putting yourself at risk for the sake of others. This theme is also seen in the other books assigned this year. The Saga of Tanya The Evil begins with a middle aged man firing an employee. The worker was not working enough to make the company a profit, so he was to be fired. The man pleaded with his boss in order to be given another chance to work. He was poor and needed the job to feed him and his family. The boss still chose to fire him, because not doing so would put his own success at risk. On the way home from work,
the former employee pushed the boss onto train tracks. Instead of immediate death, the boss was met with a loud, commanding voice, the voice of God. God explained the lack of empathy in the man and decided to reincarnate him into a young girl at the turn of the century.
From this point forward, the memories of the man lived on in Tanya, a gifted orphan girl. After eventual completion of Military training, Tanya attempted to take every possibility to avoid conflict. Tanya was a young girl, which she used to her advantage being stationed on a border with a peaceful nation. Tanya continued to refuse to put herself at risk to help others, and only do what is in her best interest. Ultimately that peaceful border broke out into conflict, and Tanya was injured. She used the injury to be taken out of a combat position. She attended an officer training school while training recruits in Berlin. She knew that she was gifted with unbelievable combat skills, but refused to use them due to the potential risk. God again spoke to her, because Tanya had not changed at all, god intervened to force Tanya to think of others. In the first part of the book, Tanya very evidently was unwilling to put herself in any danger to help other, despite how beneficial she could be. This is very similar to Yossarian at the beginning of Catch 22. Yossarian was completely unwilling to help others or put himself in harm’s way. He did everything in his power to keep out of the skies, and as far away from
german anti-air guns as possible. He faked injuries and stays at the hospital, similar to Tanya using the hospital as a means to avoid conflict. This contrasts His Excellency: George Washington in a couple of ways. First, George Washington was willing to put himself in harm’s way to help others and did not shy away from conflict. Additionally, Pope Francis encourages helping others whenever possible. Furthermore, in the teachings of the church, sacrificing your own comfort for others is an important lesson. Tanya begins to change her outlook in the second part of the book. As the second part begins, Tanya is on the Rhine front, fighting against the Republic.
She is put in command of a small, special forces battalion. Early in her assignment, she still opposed doing anything to aid others. Eventually, due to growing comradery with her squad mates. Her friend Visha shows her a side to humanity which was previously unknown to her. Tanya learns that there are reasons to protect people, and that people are more than just cogs for society. This change is not finalized though; Visha is still seen as primarily a respected, loyal soldier, much more so than as a friend. This revelation is still enough to make Tanya think more in depth about her place in the world, and her actions. From then on, Tanya is much more willing to fight to protect herself and others. The reasoning is still questionable, but the willingness to fight is a momentous improvement within Tanya. She puts her amazing skills as a soldier and a tactician to work, and successfully plans, then executes a major encirclement of enemy divisions. This crushing defeat forces the Republic out of Europe and to the negotiation table. A shaky armistice is signed, and Tanya is able to see the benefits of fighting for the sake of others. In the capital she witnesses many wives and children meeting their husbands and fathers as they return from the western front. Many of the wives were in working uniforms, and had advanced themselves in society. Tanya witnessing this completes the change
started by Visha. Tanya is able to understand why fighting for others is important. Without her putting herself at risk, and engaging in a dangerous mission, the morale of the people would be lower, and an end to the fighting could not have come as quickly. Fundamentally she still thinks of people in terms of their potential benefit to society, but understands that without her own risk, nobody would be able to contribute to society as effectively. Tanya’s change of thought is similar to Catch 22 and Yossarian. Towards the end of the novel he is able to place the lives of his squadmates over his own. This empathy still comes from his twisted view of war, and staunch opposition to combat. This shows a major similarity in theme, both Tanya and Yossarian are able to grow and understand the value of human life, even if it may not be the best for themselves. Tanya’s change also brings her closer to George Washington’s line of thinking. He supports fighting and putting yourself at risk for the defense of liberty and the people. Although they have wildly different reasons, the end result is the same. Finally, Tanya begins to understand the message of Pope Francis and Catholicism much more. She understands that being willing to put yourself at risk for the safety of others is an important and beneficial thing for society. To conclude, The Saga of Tanya The Evil has many ties and similarities to Catch 22, and the growth of Tanya brings her closer to the themes of His Excellency: George Washington, and The Name of God Is Mercy. Tanya is opposed to self sacrifice, until she is exposed to human interaction. The consequence of her interaction with Visha is to become someone much more in-tune with Pope Francis and George Washington.