The Wind Rises, We Must Try To Live!

the wind rises, we must try to live!

an attempt at analysis.

1. The Poem

The Graveyard by the Sea by Paul Valéry is where this line originates from, specifically "Le vent se lève... il faut tenter de vivre!" It is, to put it simply, a poem talking about life, death, and the changes brought by time.

Here is a translation of the poem. At the start, we face an almost hypnotizing view of the unchanging sea, mentions of "perfect peace" and dissolving into this scenery i.e. life after death. However, as we proceed, looking at the graveyard as well as the people buried there, we're faced with the realisation that there is no true life after death. Dissolving into something else, by default, strips us of our individuality. As such, we snap back to reality, and the still sea breaks apart with waves. There is a plea to try and live in the amount of time we have left.

Here are two other interpretations. The one dealing with the poem is fascinating to me, specifically this part :

"It feels like he is saying look, I wrote you this poem about dying, and now you will do with it as you wish and I just have to go figure out a way to live my life."

There's a lack (?) of connection here — we are deliberately left alone to figure out what we'll do with the poem and how we'll progress afterwards as the poet leaves. The exit itself is bizarre, because it feels like less of a desperate "plea" to live, and more of a shot in the dark attempt to survive.

2. The Movie

As I see it, there are two major ways of looking at this line in context of the movie.

The first is fairly straightforward (at first glance, that is). Despite whatever challenges you face, you must continue to hold onto things you deem important. However, the way you look at this interpretation changes depending on the way you look at Jiro.

What are the challenges? Is an entire World War simply an obstacle in front of Jiro's dream? Is his wife an obstacle as well, considering he chooses his career over her at the end? How pure is Jiro's dream anyway? Is he not being overly selfish? Is he not being childish and cruel, remaining in a world of fantasy and refusing to acknowledge the deep wounds his creation will cause? What, then, is the point of the message of this film? Is it not inherently negative and self-absorbed? But then again, does it matter who makes the planes? If not Jiro, surely it would have been someone else? So, do you hold onto things dear to you despite being perceived as morally wrong or do you lead boring lives devoid of passion?

This opens up a never ending debate, one that I feel is based heavily on how willing you are to humanize different sides of the same war.

The second way of looking at this line is taking into account what Caproni says.

"Artists are only creative for ten years."

Throughout the movie, Jiro has tall dreams, something specific that he wants to achieve, to create. Caproni's words come as a warning. Ten years have started ticking along even as they speak. Jiro, you must try to make the most out of the prime of your life, you must try to amount to something, you must try to fulfill your dreams and leave your mark on this world!

3. The Personal

As an "outsider", or as someone who isn't faced by the moral dilemmas of the film, I'm not obliged to interpret this phrase strictly within it's context.

To me, "the wind rises, we must try to live!" is an expression of pure freedom. It is the one quote that has stuck with me the most. I do not know what I want out of life, nor do I have the same passion as Jiro. And yet, as it happens, I take flight all the same.

The wind that rises is too strong, steering me along to someplace I'm unaware of, and perhaps I'm only riding the current temporarily before I plummet down, but it's okay. It's okay because I am trying to live, I am trying to learn how to flap my wings, and whether it ends in failure or success, it'll be my life all the same.

This is only the tip of the iceberg. I'm sure people have their own interpretations as well, and I'd love to read them :)