Sumith Prasad
In the fourth episode of Netflix’s teen series ‘Elite’ season 7, Rocío notices that Eric has a semicolon tattoo on his left arm. Although she enquires about the same, he ignores her and doesn’t talk about the tattoo at all. Since she knows what it means, Rocío doesn’t ask more questions as well. The semicolon tattoo has a close connection with Eric’s life and upbringing. Even though he is having a tough period emotionally, he fights the same with all his might, which is indicated through the tattoo. Here’s how the semicolon symbolizes Eric’s battles and victories! SPOILERS AHEAD.
Eric’s Survival
As far as Eric is concerned, the semicolon tattoo represents the continuation of his life. Eric is someone who has been dealing with severe mental health concerns. He loses a part of himself to depression, which affects his life immensely. Due to the prejudice revolving around consulting psychologists/psychiatrists, especially in teen circles, he decides against seeking help from a “shrink.” He battles his demons on his own and he tries his best to hold onto life. Eric wants to survive. He doesn’t want to put an end to his fight or life, which is represented through the semicolon tattoo.
The semicolon on Eric’s arm makes it clear that he is neither seeing nor accepting an end to his life, despite his depression. The tattoo is a symbol of survival not just in the fictional realm of ‘Elite’ but also in real life. People who have a history of battling depression, addiction, and other mental health concerns have embraced the tattoo as a sign of their resilience and victory.
Eric also embraces the same for not losing the fight against depression. Even though his mental health deteriorates toward the end of the season as he considers killing himself, he has fought incredibly well to not lose himself. Irrespective of his decision to not seek help, he manages to give his life meaning and purpose by believing in causes that align with his values and ideologies. That’s the reason why he fights for the community center, even if it means turning against the cops. But he doesn’t want his “fight” to be a piece of public knowledge and his peers to see him differently. He hides his concerns from Rocío, his cousin Nico, and his family due to the same reasons.
The Symbol of Hope
Eric is not the first character in a teen series to have a semicolon tattoo. In Netflix’s mystery series ‘13 Reasons Why,’ protagonist Clay Jensen gets a semicolon tattoo as well. The tattoo is seen as a reference to the real-life organization Project Semicolon, which is committed to increasing mental health awareness. The organization’s tagline reads, “Your story isn’t over,” which promotes the continuation of life. The organization’s commitments also include suicide prevention and the word semicolon means the continuation of life rather than the end of the same. Both Eric and Clay, through their tattoos, stand against suicide.
The seventh season of ‘Elite’ ends with Eric deciding against killing himself. He realizes that he has a bright and beautiful life to live with his cousin Nico and friend Sonia. Although he confronts death at a short distance, he returns to his life, making it clear that “his story isn’t over.”
