Notes and Errata of Mark of the Asphodel

Man, I like Eliwood. Maybe too much, or at least with too sudden a fervor.

Anyway, we've talked a bit about how Eliwood is, far from being a weepy little "pansy," an introspective and resilient young man who really appears to have his act together, compared with some of the other FE game heroes.  

Well, yeah.  He's the only one of the game heroes to date to make it to the verge of adulthood in a stable family situation.  Everyone else falls into three categories prior to their adventure:

Lost everything as a small child, and entire conscious existence defined by some knowledge of deprivation: Alm, Cellica, Celice, Leaf

Lost one or both parents at a pivotal point in development, with obvious impact that is depicted to some extent in-game: Marth, Lyn, Ike

Lost one or both parents in a way that is dealt with less, er, dramatically, leaving more to be inferred by the player: Roy, Hector, Ephraim & Eirika

I dunno what the hell Micaiah's upbringing was like, but I don't get the impression of cozy stability there, either.  Given the whole Sanaki thing and all...

But Eliwood, as much as his life goes off the rails in his eighteenth year, made it there intact.  No wonder he appears to be more capable of dealing with the horrors thrown at him, without retreating into fantasyland or running away from his duties.