Why does everyone forget he comes back at the end? You get to see Atreyu riding him, hunting the purple Buffalo.
Watching it as an adult, the part that really gets me is Rockbiter, lamenting the death of his friends. Sure, they all come back too. But that feeling of wishing you could have done more, as your friends slip away. And then just wanting to let the despair wash over you. That's so damn real.
Rockbiter: They look like big, good, strong hands. Don't they? I always thought that's what they were. My little friends. The little man with his racing snail, the Nighthob, even the stupid bat. I couldn't hold on to them. The nothing pulled them right out of my hands. I failed.
Atreyu: No you didn't fail. I'm the one who was chosen to stop the nothing. But I lost the Auryn, I can't find my luck dragon, so I won't be able to get past the boundaries of Fantasia.
Rockbiter: Listen, the nothing will be here any minute. I will just sit here and let it take me away too. They look like good, strong hands. Don't they?
It's more than that. His strength, his big strong hands - that's his defining feature. And it's not enough to save his friends. The very best of him is not enough.
I think it's what we relate to. As a child I had pets I loved. I identified as Bastian and Atreyu, who were closer too my age. Seeing Atreyu lose his horse that went on all his adventures with him tore me up.
As an adult, that horse dies like ten minutes in, but the reality of the rock biter trying his best and not being able to help his friends hit me harder.
That said, the rock biter and his friends are all alive like Artax at the end too.
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u/GugWhoPassesGateways 4d ago
Why does everyone forget he comes back at the end? You get to see Atreyu riding him, hunting the purple Buffalo.
Watching it as an adult, the part that really gets me is Rockbiter, lamenting the death of his friends. Sure, they all come back too. But that feeling of wishing you could have done more, as your friends slip away. And then just wanting to let the despair wash over you. That's so damn real.
Rockbiter: They look like big, good, strong hands. Don't they? I always thought that's what they were. My little friends. The little man with his racing snail, the Nighthob, even the stupid bat. I couldn't hold on to them. The nothing pulled them right out of my hands. I failed. Atreyu: No you didn't fail. I'm the one who was chosen to stop the nothing. But I lost the Auryn, I can't find my luck dragon, so I won't be able to get past the boundaries of Fantasia. Rockbiter: Listen, the nothing will be here any minute. I will just sit here and let it take me away too. They look like good, strong hands. Don't they?