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Old 01-22-2003, 11:53 PM   #1
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Schism

So I've read over this section and have decided to write what I thought of the video one day and see what others think about how I've interpreted it. That being said, here goes.

(NOTE: This thing is HUGE. I go in depth, so prepare to read a lot.)

(In this interpretation, I'm going to use words like "male" "he" "him"...etc...to commonly refer to the second figure in the video, the one who first appears upside down. The female terms "female" "her" and "she" are for the first figure...with the red...branches or roots on the back of her head.)


[MANTRA]

Okay. 'Mantra' opens with a disc-shaped object, similar to a sundial, or a metronome, however to me I think it's actually a scale for measuring one's weight [although the cover is absent].
(It's interesting to note in the first shot that the topmost symbol seen along the disc looks like a yin-yang.)

Other than that...I don't know quite what it means. The motion of the pointed shaft could just mean that the song is beginning (like a metronome counting rhythm), as 'Mantra' is the opening segue for 'Schism'.

[SCHISM]

THE WIRE ROOM

Something to note: If you visit www.happypencil.com (Cam DeLeon's site - the designer of much of the videos set) and examine some of his work, you can scroll to a ? concerning this block room, and he mentions something about tightly strung wires in a block room, where the strings appear to touch but never actually do. When I think of blocks, and look at the room, I see a puzzle set, in a way ("I know the pieces fit"). The strings tightly strung could mean tension, and the fact that they aren't in contact even though they are in an environment of interlocking sections, well, that seems to go with the theme of broken communication, and broken connnection.

Schism begins with the shot of the room, and such...the wires...etc. Then we are introduced to the first character,

THE SINKING

We then see that she is sinking. This might mean something in connection to the lyrics at the time "mildewed and smouldering"...making a reference to sinking in a hole (pain, pity...), effectively rotting.

FEET

In her sadness she sees that the second character, is upside down in comparison to her. Hence, a difference. The lyrics at the time ("fundamental differing" and "pure intention juxtaposed will set two lovers souls in motion, disintegrating as it goes", if I'm not mistaken) give a hint to this too. She pulls him out of the hole that he is in (or perhaps just to her level). Kind of like a "lets sit down and talk" (once again, lyrics = "testing our communication".)

Unfortunately, he is upside down...and the rising up on his head displays this. (Lyrics = "The light the fuel the fire that has burned a hole between us" could mean that what they began with, has caused them to become strange to each other)

THE SPIRAL PUSH

The spiralling and the pushing is a little strange, but here's how I see it. She's pushing him and shoving him (a common theme related to both this song and some others, involving conflict represented physically in a relationship). It's not really working, and in a way, going in circles. BUT, this is where I think the spiral comes in; the fact that Tool is pretty interested in the Phi Ratio (Lateralus, perhaps?), not to mention in one interview of Maynard concerning Lateralus he mentions that life is cyclic, but time continues, and when you display that, you end up with a spiral. So, perhaps as time goes on, her efforts go in circles, yet end up as a spiral. The spiral could doubly represent that it is spiralling to a conclusion, or that it is winding down. In any case, I believe it relates to time and vain efforts.

("so we can not seem to reach an end, crippling our communication" seems to me to show that cyclical, going nowhere effect of making the effort in a detrimental way (in this case, not communicating, but pushing))

LYING DOWN

Next, she relocates him, and he is passively resisting (either for or against his will) by lying down, looking dead.

She then shakes and is desperately attempting to reach to him, looking at him and recoiling all the same, frustrated with the fact that they aren't communicating.

The lyrics "I know the pieces fit cuz I watched them tumble down, no fault; none to blame. That doesn't mean I don't desire to point the finger, blame the other, watch the temple topple over" seem to help illustrate that though nothing can be done to correct what has happened, frustration still arises and blame is placed on the other because she needs to find comfort and reason. But in effect it is only fucking up the relationship, toppling over what has been built.

RECONCILIATION

"To bring the pieces back together, rediscover communication"...is almost like a separate thought from the other lyrics, or at least in this interpretation could be thought of that way...It's like a revalation.

But the male moves away and I suppose hides...forcing the female to search and find him. To make the effort of reconcile.

Lyrics "The poetry that comes from the squaring off between and the circling is worth it, finding beauty in the dissonance" could mean that the effort is something that is just as important as the reconnection, and in conflict there is beauty to the movement towards healing...I suppose it ties in with her searching...etc.

She then finds him, and shows him something (the contorted walking). He (with a veil of skin over his mouth, barring speech?) then partakes in the same movements, and in this way they begin to reconnect.

"There was a time that the pieces fit but I watched them fall away, mildew and smouldering, strangled by our coveting. I've done the math enough to know the dangers of our second guessing, doomed to crumble unless we grow, and strengthen our communication." Could mean that the attraction to what the other had lead to a desire that effectively made them jealous of one another, and as such they fell into conflict. And without teaching eachother, without learning new things, growing, (walking differently?), they will not reconnect or grow.

THE EAR

The ear thing really gets me, as I think it gets other people, but to me it could mean that the blockage of communication was still not complete (as he still has a veil over his mouth and turns from her), and so she pulls his ear out...this could refer to the more deeper sense of communicating, talking, to his ear, connecting with his ear by touching it...

(The lyrics "_______" seem to c-...just kidding)

THE LITTLE MAN INSIDE

I think this guy, as he is moving through the male figure, represents negativity. Like a little tiny devil. Finally, the male touches himself and realizes that something is strange...

THE VEIN

The thorny black vein that comes from the males neck is probably from the little black devil's exploits, and his perforation has left this vein of negativity in the males neck (throat...larynx...voicebox...communication). The female assists by removing the veiny thing, and discards it.

"Cold silence has a tendency to atrophy any sense of compassion" So, we find that the vein has caused this, from the little negative devil that, as it is humanoid in form, could represent a gnatlike, annoying facet of the figure. It could be self doubt, the fear of vulnerability, or second-guessing, anything that hinders a relationship. Since the little guys are scary in some way, I'd think it connects most with fear.

Notice that now, with the removal of the vein, as it turns to bloody liquid and the fear-devil things arise from it, gas now flows through the room. The male characters mouth is now open, and gas flows through. I don't think it matters about the fact that it is gaseous, just the fact that it flows should hint at the fact that communication is now working again. The screaming of the female is a supplement to this.
(The male also seems to be reaching up to embrace the gas, the communication, the reconnection...whatever the smokey stuff may be. Chances our in this intepretation that it is a positive thing.)

LITTLE BLACK DEVILS

So now the little men have run off, and the female now seems to relax. But the little men latch on to her, and cause nuisance to her. They have multiplied in numbers and she must discard them, but they keep coming back. This could represent something cyclic, how the little guys are always bothering us, and we must continually push them aside in order to continue with a relationship.

FINAL SCENE

In doing so, she changes...her movement from difference to one nearly complete with the male. Her red roots cover and change her to the male, but more likely androgynous now, form, and the two now appear to be similar. The light, the fuel and the fire starts back up again (the flame and pulsing fire) and the two merge into one.

Once again, their relationship is complete.



I'd love to read people's responses and opinions to this post.
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Old 01-25-2003, 05:23 PM   #2
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Very good interpretation..

I liked very much your interpretation. You understood more symbolisms than i did and I agree with most of the points you said. It seems you know very much about Tool and have read many articles and interviews.
Read my my post about schism.
Very good thinking
Post about the other videos too.
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Old 02-12-2003, 04:57 PM   #3
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I think this interpretation of the little guys comes prety close, but I am just wondering why they only seem to have a mouth. Any ideas?
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Old 03-12-2003, 05:28 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally posted by XiPHiaS
I think this interpretation of the little guys comes prety close, but I am just wondering why they only seem to have a mouth. Any ideas?
Perhaps because, you can't really..."Talk" to your fears, but they bite and hurt and say things to you. They won't listen to you, but they will attack you still. I don't know.
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Old 03-13-2003, 07:04 AM   #5
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I saw the video again yesterday, this time i paid some attention to it. The interesting thing is that the creatures don't have mouths while they are inside the body, they get them once they leave it.
Maybe it symbolizes speaking out your internal frustrations. Once you do that, you have a chance of saving the relationship, but this micht cause a fight as well. Still better then letting it die slowly (personal expierience...).
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Old 08-08-2003, 02:53 PM   #6
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the little man came out of the man's heart, and thats when the female pulls the vein out of his neck. Its as if she is pulls the bad things out of his heart through communication. He then grows a mouth, he didn't have a mouth at the begininng of the video. The fog pours from his mouth to his eyes as if he can't communitcate because he sees in a fog. The little men that came from his heart don't have eyes(spiritual vision) and no ears that don't listen and they bite and annoy the female.
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Old 09-06-2003, 07:57 AM   #7
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BALANCE, ONCE AGAIN!

Quote:
Originally Posted by XiPHiaS
I think this interpretation of the little guys comes prety close, but I am just wondering why they only seem to have a mouth. Any ideas?

Talk to almost any Christian religious figure in suburbian America. If you were to try to talk about something on the serious side, and they disagreed they wouldn't listen. They (and MANY others) simply formulate what they are going to say next while you are talking. Nothing is taken into consideration. They are waiting for their turn to speak.

Of course, it is quite unfair to generalize like that, but in my experiences, the majority of Christian authority figures are that way.


My point is this: communication is symbiotic on two scales. The mouth and the ear (speaking and listening). And the two parties that are communicating to each other (or any number of parties, really). The metaphor of the "little devils" comes into play, I think they represent a one-sided relationship. They are not listeners, only speakers. These are the majority of flaws in relationships. You need a balance of both. (Always come back to balance.)
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Old 09-26-2003, 03:20 PM   #8
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Hey

Amazing jopb, seriously. Thank you all for taking your time and showing me what I am missing. Thank YOU!

Edit:
My contribution is maybe the little guy is an ego?
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Old 12-08-2003, 09:16 PM   #9
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Re: Schism

To me, the yin-yang on the metronome resembles the Sacred Chao.

Any takers?
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Old 07-30-2007, 08:31 AM   #10
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Re: Schism

Wow, that's an excellent post. Very well thought-out and covers most, if not all, of the symbols.

You've certainly gone to greater lengths to try and interpret this than I have. I haven't really given it too much thought, to be honest, but I always assumed that this video was about how 2 beings (for lack of a better word) appeared to be primitive in the way they treated each other, until they start communicating, and when they do so, they combine to create a magnificent creature which appears to be highly evolved.

Anyway, someone asked why the little men that pop out of the man's vein only have mouths and no eyes or ears.
I believe there could be 3 reasons for this:

1. Ears and eyes are input devices, to put it in geek-terms. They enable us to perceive and accept information, and basically to communicate to and fro. Mouth is basically an output device. It enables you to speak, providing a one-way communication path. Let it also be noted that even if you don't have a mouth, having ears and eyes gives you the ability to accept new ideas and develop, grow or evolve mentally or spiritually.

2. A mouth also represents greed. You can eat and eat and eat and consume some more with your mouth. Of course, all you can consume is material stuff, and nothing that helps your mind grow.

3. As soon as the little man forms, his mouth starts "chattering". I suppose this can be attributed by his desire to bite, harm or latch on something. This, I suppose, could be the main reason for the existence of the mouth.
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