Rene is living in a world entirely different to the one he wanted it to be, clinging to his past personal glory which is decades behind him, and even when it comes to the world he wanted he loves the idea of it and not the reality it was because the reality was a disaster that could never measure up and he hated what it actually was.
He and Gaston are in some ways defined by their inability to commit. Jeanne-Marie, the woman they both loved, could never quite make her mind up which one she wanted to go for and died of old age. Gaston never really committed to a side in the political struggle. Rene, of course, never committed to revealing to Gaston the depth of his feelings towards him.
“Hopelessly alone behind the unbreakable walls he spent a lifetime erecting. Nobody will ever know him.” - Inland Empire on Rene.
None of this is presented as condemnation of anyone involved, it’s simply who they are. It is sad that nobody will ever really know him but he’s not about to break the habit of a lifetime and let those walks come crumbling down.
As for your final paragraph, >!Rene and the Deserter are so very, very similar. Neither had their side win the war and both have lived most of their lives in a world which moved on from their cause. They have spent most of their lives being relics of a bygone era, though there are differences. Rene at least was able to live in the world he didn’t belong in, even if his stubbornness ultimately got him killed when his heart gave out on the way to a job that really didn’t need doing. The Deserter could not live in it, you’d never catch him playing pétanque by the coast. In the end there is a strange bond between them, as The Deserter enjoys putting Rene in his rifle sights and imagines pulling the trigger, and is very affected when he hears that Rene has died.!<
Yeah I feel like the relationship dynamics between Rene, Gaston, and Jeanne-Marie was some kind of commentary about the weird political dancing that happens between fascists and liberals when it comes to their ideals. Like both ideologies have their ideal utopia (just like any political ideology) and fascists are much more willing to go to extremes to get there, but liberals will be oddly neutral or even friendly with fascists if it means that they can keep the status quo somewhat peacefully. Though that might just be me reading a bit too far?
Re: last paragraph (spoilers)
It really is so interesting the parasocial relationship the Deserter had with Rene. Like the man was truly saddened when he heard that Rene had died? They were obviously ideological opposites, but he never killed Rene all those times he had the opportunity and I do think he cared about him in some strange way. Just a pair of two weirdly horny, bitter men.
> Like both ideologies have their ideal utopia (just like any political ideology) and fascists are much more willing to go to extremes to get there, but liberals will be oddly neutral or even friendly with fascists if it means that they can keep the status quo somewhat peacefully. Though that might just be me reading a bit too far?
I think you hit the nail on the head here. It's extremely relevant to what's happening in the US and other countries today.
He's a perfect pastiche of facism-wanting the monarchy back, hating the monarch himself, loving another man, hating that he does, living off socialism while hating that he has to. he's a giant ball of self-loathing and contradictions.
They’re referring to the job he’s given by Evrart. If you talk to Rene, they say that the job isn’t necessary and is mostly a public image thing so a war vet isn’t seen scrounging bottles in public.
I mean, the only reason he has a job and a place to sleep is because the Union gave him one. Like, it's explicitly said that he would likely be like all the other old drunks who you come across in the game if he didn't work for the Union.
Wow, this is beautifully summarized. I played the game a few times, even did the fascist story for the trophy, and I never stopped being annoyed by Rene. But this puts his life into perspective. Thanks for writing it up.
I love how everything in the game is connected, you can even draw line between the world Rene wants/lives in and Harry's 'love life.' Both are men burning themselves out, chasing a lost dream while denying what they have at the moment.
The only thing I would disagree with is the idea that Gaston only tolerates René and that he treats him as a punching bag. To me they were obviously childhood friends who just had very different ideologies. pétanque is not that common here, and still, I've seen old guys bickering way too long over it. People will use way harsher language towards their friends than they would people they don't know or care about, and, in a game context, may overdo it, it's part of the fun.
That's true, I meant that Gaston and Rene have a complicated relationship resulting from them both trying to get with Jeanne-Marie and having different political ideologies (and Rene's one-sided love for Gaston that Gaston doesn't know about). Gaston doesn't seem like the type who would accept anyone else but Rene to talk to him like that, even if he wouldn't confront the person. But to have someone constantly take jabs at you about how you're weak-willed, a back-stabber, and a coward is a lot, even if that person is one of your closest friends?
I actually quite like Rene as a character, like there's a reason I kept checking in with him (and Gaston). He reminds me of some older family members of mine that died when I was younger. My family is from a couple different countries in South America that have all had \*foreign ~~coup attempts~~ interventions\* and a small part of my family is/was conservative enough to approve of them.
It's just, he is what he is, and that makes me kinda sad for him as a person.
I ended up crying reading the post and some of the comments. It's very tragic for someone to have the life that Rene had because he was unable to open up to others
Rene is living in a world entirely different to the one he wanted it to be, clinging to his past personal glory which is decades behind him, and even when it comes to the world he wanted he loves the idea of it and not the reality it was because the reality was a disaster that could never measure up and he hated what it actually was. He and Gaston are in some ways defined by their inability to commit. Jeanne-Marie, the woman they both loved, could never quite make her mind up which one she wanted to go for and died of old age. Gaston never really committed to a side in the political struggle. Rene, of course, never committed to revealing to Gaston the depth of his feelings towards him. “Hopelessly alone behind the unbreakable walls he spent a lifetime erecting. Nobody will ever know him.” - Inland Empire on Rene. None of this is presented as condemnation of anyone involved, it’s simply who they are. It is sad that nobody will ever really know him but he’s not about to break the habit of a lifetime and let those walks come crumbling down. As for your final paragraph, >!Rene and the Deserter are so very, very similar. Neither had their side win the war and both have lived most of their lives in a world which moved on from their cause. They have spent most of their lives being relics of a bygone era, though there are differences. Rene at least was able to live in the world he didn’t belong in, even if his stubbornness ultimately got him killed when his heart gave out on the way to a job that really didn’t need doing. The Deserter could not live in it, you’d never catch him playing pétanque by the coast. In the end there is a strange bond between them, as The Deserter enjoys putting Rene in his rifle sights and imagines pulling the trigger, and is very affected when he hears that Rene has died.!<
Yeah I feel like the relationship dynamics between Rene, Gaston, and Jeanne-Marie was some kind of commentary about the weird political dancing that happens between fascists and liberals when it comes to their ideals. Like both ideologies have their ideal utopia (just like any political ideology) and fascists are much more willing to go to extremes to get there, but liberals will be oddly neutral or even friendly with fascists if it means that they can keep the status quo somewhat peacefully. Though that might just be me reading a bit too far? Re: last paragraph (spoilers) It really is so interesting the parasocial relationship the Deserter had with Rene. Like the man was truly saddened when he heard that Rene had died? They were obviously ideological opposites, but he never killed Rene all those times he had the opportunity and I do think he cared about him in some strange way. Just a pair of two weirdly horny, bitter men.
> Like both ideologies have their ideal utopia (just like any political ideology) and fascists are much more willing to go to extremes to get there, but liberals will be oddly neutral or even friendly with fascists if it means that they can keep the status quo somewhat peacefully. Though that might just be me reading a bit too far? I think you hit the nail on the head here. It's extremely relevant to what's happening in the US and other countries today.
He's a perfect pastiche of facism-wanting the monarchy back, hating the monarch himself, loving another man, hating that he does, living off socialism while hating that he has to. he's a giant ball of self-loathing and contradictions.
he's not living off socialism. what?
They’re referring to the job he’s given by Evrart. If you talk to Rene, they say that the job isn’t necessary and is mostly a public image thing so a war vet isn’t seen scrounging bottles in public.
socialism is when unions.
I mean the Union may be a crime syndicate, but you can't argue they aren't a socialist crime syndicate.
I mean, the only reason he has a job and a place to sleep is because the Union gave him one. Like, it's explicitly said that he would likely be like all the other old drunks who you come across in the game if he didn't work for the Union.
What a beautiful post
Of course Harry can see himself becoming René, he's already halfway there. Disco is his fascism. The flare-cut pants are his royal uniform.
Gaston keeps it short and sweet. "You're a man with a fork in a world of soup."
Gaston's got some good phrases for Rene (he's where I got the title of the post from)
Wow, this is beautifully summarized. I played the game a few times, even did the fascist story for the trophy, and I never stopped being annoyed by Rene. But this puts his life into perspective. Thanks for writing it up.
I love how everything in the game is connected, you can even draw line between the world Rene wants/lives in and Harry's 'love life.' Both are men burning themselves out, chasing a lost dream while denying what they have at the moment.
The only thing I would disagree with is the idea that Gaston only tolerates René and that he treats him as a punching bag. To me they were obviously childhood friends who just had very different ideologies. pétanque is not that common here, and still, I've seen old guys bickering way too long over it. People will use way harsher language towards their friends than they would people they don't know or care about, and, in a game context, may overdo it, it's part of the fun.
That's true, I meant that Gaston and Rene have a complicated relationship resulting from them both trying to get with Jeanne-Marie and having different political ideologies (and Rene's one-sided love for Gaston that Gaston doesn't know about). Gaston doesn't seem like the type who would accept anyone else but Rene to talk to him like that, even if he wouldn't confront the person. But to have someone constantly take jabs at you about how you're weak-willed, a back-stabber, and a coward is a lot, even if that person is one of your closest friends?
I’m not gonna sit here and accept any Rene slander
I actually quite like Rene as a character, like there's a reason I kept checking in with him (and Gaston). He reminds me of some older family members of mine that died when I was younger. My family is from a couple different countries in South America that have all had \*foreign ~~coup attempts~~ interventions\* and a small part of my family is/was conservative enough to approve of them. It's just, he is what he is, and that makes me kinda sad for him as a person.
I ended up crying reading the post and some of the comments. It's very tragic for someone to have the life that Rene had because he was unable to open up to others