The Monogatari Series: A Thematic Breakdown

 

"Is it worshipped because it’s an oddity, or did it become an oddity because it was worshipped?" A question Oshino poses to Araragi when concerning a most peculiar enshrined stone. To Araragi, these distinctions seem somewhat irrelevant to the root issue at hand. And perhaps he’s right, because whether it’s a god, monster, spirit, or something else, these things will continue to exist regardless of the answer. But that’s only in a holistic sense of the world, or Monogatari's world. Because when we look solely at the individual, we can find many oddities manifest with these distinctions in mind. And these distinctions always point to the ladder answer.

Even in the conclusion of the koyomi Stone story, we see the housing around the stone was nothing more than a failed project, and the stone itself wasn’t even a stone, but concrete. Useless when by themselves, but when combined, the structure mimics divinity. Offerings are made to it because it resembles something worthy of being appreciated. As soon as that first offering was made to the combined pieces, they ceased to be just ordinary background filler. To Naoetsu High School, this structure is something to be appreciated, yet to Araragi, it’s an embarrassment that should be thrown away. But which side is true, which side is real? Sure, the wood was a lopsided miniature house. The stone encased in it was a bundle of hardened concrete, but that doesn’t take away from the fact that people acknowledged its existence as something more. Who’s to say that when Araragi threw that statue away, someone wouldn’t look at that flower bed the next day and be unnerved because something vital is missing. 

Value can only be determined by the individual. Gods can only be worshipped by the individual. Spiritual blights can only be brought upon and resolved by the individual. What came first, the mover or the moved? Well, what does that question even matter if the mover has nothing to be moved in the first place? The mover only has a presence as a mover because the moved acknowledges its existence. So who exactly really is in control of this story? Monogatari seems to take the stance that it is ultimately the individual, or more precisely, the individual’s perspective.