chtoetotakoe

[chtoetotakoe]

Why does Arthur wear his father's hat?

[sorry for any mistakes. I use a translator because English is not my native language. and be careful, spoilers]

It is known that Arthur speaks very negatively about his father, and yet he continues to wear his hat, which some people interpret as having some kind of warm feelings for him. It is possible that this is so. But I would like to present a different perspective on this detail in the image of Arthur Morgan.

Let's start with the fact that the hat is the little that could remain after the death of the loser bandit. A cowboy hat was an item that a boy could take/steal/beg to preserve the memory of his father. But what could be left after the mother? In the camp, near Arthur's bed, there is a flower that belonged to his mother. A flower is also a memorable thing, because what else could a boy keep for himself after the death of his mother? It turns out that these two things are objects that characterize Arthur’s father and mother: father is a bandit, mother is a spiritual support.

So why does he keep these things? And why does he WEAR the hat of the father he HATES? Because one of Arthur’s characteristic traits is family. His biological father was a terrible man, his mother died when Arthur was very young, but he respects his family, remembers them and loves them, despite all the pain they caused him. That's why he wears his father's old hat, that's why he keeps his mother's flower by his bed.

Family ties are very important to Arthur, because he himself lost his parents, and then also a woman and son. He watched John leave his family behind. Arthur was on the side of his gang until the very end, and then gave his life to save John’s family. Arthur is not limited to blood ties; he greatly values the special connection that makes people family to each other.

The Van der Linde gang consists of different people, Arthur did not have close relationships with everyone, but he loves everyone, he cares about everyone, because the gang is his family. No matter how bad the family is, Arthur will make sure that all its members feel good.

So the handing of the hat to John at the end of Arthur's story works not only as a "remember me, brother" and "thus I tell you that I will die here" but also as "accept and protect your family as I accepted and protected my family".

BUT! These items also work on a symbolic level. Arthur wears his outlaw father’s old cowboy hat, as if to show everyone: “Yes, I’m just as bad a person, I’m just as a criminal.” The hat is a symbol of Arthur's MASK when he is trying to show everyone that he is a bad person.

But in the camp, where it is safest, Arthur keeps the flower. Arthur leaves room in his heart for kindness and compassion. Therefore, the flower, which can only be seen by people close to him (the Van der Linde gang), is a symbol of the REAL Arthur - a gentle, soft person.

Small conclusion:

1) The hat and flower reflect Arthur's family nature. He loves his unhappy biological family (which is why he keeps his father and mother's things), but he also loves his newfound family - the gang.

2) Separately, these two objects work as symbols that complement and reveal the image of Arthur. The hat is a symbol of his external manifestation (a terrible and cruel bandit), and the flower is a symbol of his internal manifestation (a kind-hearted and nature-loving person).