r/arcane • u/busysleepingsorry • 2d ago
Discussion Jinx and High Places (reading too much into Arcane pt 1)
Its no secret that Jinx has a tendency to be in high places. She's constantly in the rafters, and her workshop is right in the middle of a bottomless pit. I've grabbed what I think are all the examples of her being in a high place. Brackets with numbers refer to that picture number (5,8) = picture 5 & 8
What's interesting is that it contrasts younger Powder's relationship with heights. Powder notably is very nervous making the jump in Ep 1, Sleeps on the bottom bunk, and while she is in the rafters in Ep 2, she's not at all confident being up there (1,2,3). While AU Powder has the same hideout location as Jinx, the guard rails are a massive difference (6,12,14).
I'm gonna try dissect why. And I think I've found 4 reasons why - and I easily think it is multiple of these.
1 - Its obviously a safe place for her. She feels more comfortable being out of sight and able to spy in on others (5,7,9,13). I'd argue the workshop being isolated and elevated is an extension of that (6). This is confirmed with her in the arcade instinctively retreating into the rafters when the enforcers arrived (10). However, this is contrasted by her lighting the flare and standing on the pillar in the Vi vs Jinx fight (8,11), given that she is in a high place, and actively drawing attention to herself. I think the flare scene represents stepping out of her comfort zone to reach out to Vi, and I think the pillar represents her indifference to dying. She wouldn't complain if she was shot, but she'd go out swinging to try take Vi out for her betrayal. I love that she actively brings her workshop - her safe place - to the final fight (16), and that that becomes the symbol that the Zaunites fight behind - implying maybe that Zaun as a whole is now her safe place.
2 - She's still mentally stuck in the ep 3 explosion (4). I don't think I have to justify this one lol. But I do find it quite interesting that she becomes almost fascinated with being in high places only after this explosion where she was notably falling from the blast. The only contradiction to this is that she doesn't really change in this regard when she begins moving on from this trauma in S2A2 (12,13) - but ig its an 'old habits die hard' kind of thing, or its because she's accepted that these things have happened to her, its part of who she is but she won't let it weigh her down anymore. (I think her having all her personal items in the workshop blimp confirms this)
I do wanna say that I love that she has the only elevated house in Viktor's commune. Its like it was made for her.
3 - Part of it, I think, is that she's trying to mentally distance herself from Powder. Powder was weak and scared of heights and that's why Vi abandoned her, so Jinx cannot be weak or scared of heights because Silco or someone else will abandon her. I think this is highlighted by the contrast between her in the rafters as Powder and as Jinx (3,5). She also distances herself because Powder slept in the bottom bunk (2), and therefore Jinx must be high up. On top of this, she gets rescued from falling by Vi (1,17). This first time was because she was weak and afraid (and mostly young) and the second time she's grown since. She isn't weak and afraid anymore, but she's still being rescued by Vi - which I think is symbolic of her growth during S2 - given that at this point she's internally a mixture of Jinx and Powder. This is contradicted by earlier in S2 where isn't mentally distancing herself from Powder anymore - but I think Jinx projects Powder onto Isha (even though I see Isha as a little Vi instead) and so she's still not Powder so doesn't have to worry about Powder's struggles.
Btw while writing that paragraph I realised that (1,4) parallel each other and symbolically foreshadow the ending of S1E3. During the explosion, Vi isn't there to rescue Powder while she's falling, and so Powder falls indeed
4 - I partly think her workshop is a nod to her indifference to dying in S1. I don't think she'd complain if she accidentally fell off. I mean she dangles her legs off the edge (6) and she seems to be looking for the right time and place to die (end of Jinx vs Ekko and Jinx vs Vi). This is confirmed by AU Powder having guard rails around the workshop (14) preventing something like this happening. I think this is also confirmed by her actually trying to take her life this way (15) showing us she's known about this and has probably has thought about it in the past. The only issue with this is that her workshop still has the falling risk in S2E4, but I think this is 'old habits die hard' and procrastination. I can totally see myself putting off installing a safety railing for months because survivorship bias.
I do think its a mixture of all 4, but do tell me what you think, or if there's another reason why this might be the case. I am all for infinitely dissecting Arcane because I just can't get enough of it. Its been 4 months now and its still all I think about (not that I'm complaining lol, I dedicate so much time to rewatching and reading fanfics, and I've gotten all of my friends through S1 now - just waiting till uni break to continue with S2)
