someone mentioned the trolley problem below so i'll be borrowing that to talk about this a little bit more. i don't care if you agree or not, but please be polite in your response even if you don't agree.
the trolley problem is a question about, when facing with a switch that can make an ongoing train switch tracks towards either one person tied up on the track or five people tied up on the track, you have to make a decision. most people will choose to switch the track so the train runs over the one person, as saving five people is saving more lives than just one.
but if that one person happened to be a person close to you? would you be able to make that choice?
I understand that a lot of people are angry that he sacrificed his own daughter. But with this dilemma switched into the trolley problem, I think you'd understand that he didn't *want* to switch the tracks to kill Scarlet—the one person. But if he didn't, he'd screw up a lot more innocent people in the country. The nobles are trash, but the common people will be the ones being affected by the war the hardest.
He switched the tracks and lived with the regret and guilt of what he did. It's easy to switch the tracks when it's a stranger, but when it's one own's daughter, it should be a devastating decision.
woah you said that so much better and neater than what I said lmao. It’s still kinda iffy for me imo but these flash back chapters really help his POV on everything. I personally gonna reread the story just to see everything in one sitting
I can understand people saying it's iffy and he was an asshole for sacrificing his own daughter. I'm also not saying he's a perfect father either. Still, the "sacrificing one's loved person for the good of many" is a common story, often depicted as 'tragic but beautiful' — but not here. You can tell that it's not depicted as that, but as just tragic and devastating, something he really regretted and broke him too. For that alone, I can extend my sympathy to him. It's a sucky position to be in and I don't envy him. You lose greatly either way
I resonated so strongly with Scarlet, and if I wasn't born in the modern times I am scared to think what would my own father do to me. At least he was humane enough to mourn, but does not excuse him that he allowed an innocent child to die
The thing is they did nothing. I will not agree with the decision to sacrifice her because In 10 years they did nothing other than the CP getting engaged to the enemy and her running around doing what she wants. They are all letting this happen. Scarlet dying was for nothing. It was sad and tragic and I think the father after the fact understood that it was just tragic and regrets ever making that decision.
But I also understand we all have our own opinions.
I cried at the end of this chapter. I really do. If other readers read it and still drag the father, whatever. It's their perception of him and I can't change it. Just as they can't change my own perception of him and Scarlet, and I truly feel sympathy for him.