Duty and Desire: what drives Chitanda?

In part two of our series on Chitanda Eru, we take a look at the reasons why Chitanda behaves as she does. What compels this girl to do as much as she can for people? Why is she so eager to please and be earnest with what she does? I feel her actions are mostly driven by her role as the future Chitanda family head and the upbringing that was likely associated with it. Not only that, but Chitanda is a person with a great sense of duty, which drives her to do whatever she needs to in order to get a job done. Together, these two parts of Chitanda’s being produce an inexorable desire to please others.

I highly recommend reading Ibu’s article on Chitanda’s two personas either before or after this. The articles were written with each other in mind, so they share a lot of ideas and fit together nicely.

The Public and Private Me: Chitanda or Eru?

In this two-part series discussing Chitanda Eru, Dan and I will each be sharing our thoughts on her character and why she is the way she is in Hyouka. I’ll be focusing on the significance of Chitanda’s public and private persona in contributing to her overall character, and Dan will be delving deeper into other aspects of her character in his article.

Chitanda has always, for me, been associated very closely to Image. Houtarou’s earliest opinions of her revolve around imaginations/images (dog, angel, entangling hair, her in the hot springs) instead of a clear, direct and genuine look at who she really is. He relates whatever he knows about her to a perceived notion or a blatant exaggeration in most cases in the beginning.