From a child soldier who was used as a weapon to a young woman trying to find her place as a human again, Violet Evergarden becomes an Auto Memory Doll to understand what love is after previously knowing nothing but destruction and blood. The Auto Memory Dolls in Violet Evergarden are tasked to write and convey their clients' feelings into letters. Violet struggled with it in the beginning but eventually became one of the most widely renowned Dolls.
Through her letters, Violet starts to learn the different forms of love and what it looks like. By the end of Season 1, she gets a little closer to understanding the words her beloved major left her with, and comes to terms with his death. Before the finale finishes, she meets one last client and looks surprised at first before smiling softly. It's left ambiguous but many fans have been wondering: Who could this last client be?
Did Violet Meet A Former Client... or Major Gilbert?
Over the course of the series, Violet met many clients who had a critical impact on her perception of the world. In Episode 10, she met a child named Anne, whose mother -- knowing she wouldn't live long enough to see her daughter grow up -- hired Violet to write letters that would be sent to her daughter on every birthday for the next 50 years. Losing Gilbert hurt Violet deeply and she could see herself in Anne, but seeing the unconditional love of Anne's mother reminded Violet that even though Gilbert was dead, it didn't mean he was gone forever. Judging by Violet's reaction, it's unlikely that it was Anne who saw her -- viewers most likely would have heard her voice call out Violet's name.
As much as fans would have wanted it, it's also doubtful the final client is Gilbert for a few reasons. Violet's reaction is a lot softer than it might have been if she saw the major alive. Likewise, the events of Violet Evergarden: The Movie explain that Gilbert would have never wanted to see Violet again.
Did Violet Break The Fourth Wall For The Audience?
Another popular interpretation is one that breaks the fourth wall: the real-life viewing audience is Violet's final client. Violet wrote letters for clients and watched as each of them struggled to say exactly what they wanted. If there's one thing Violet Evergarden teaches, it's that letter-writing is a form of saying "I love you." It shows the writer has sat down and desired to have a conversation with someone else, to give the letter's recipient access to their innermost thoughts. Violet could be asking the audience to be vulnerable with themselves and with each other in these letters.
Letters are also a form of record-keeping and memory-holding. As Violet told Gilbert what she learned about emotions, she's talking about all of the letters she had written while the scenes shift to all the places she traveled to in succession. She will never forget the feelings of those who had asked her to write the letters, and will always remember her own while she was writing them. The whole story could be viewed as Violet's letter to us as she tells her story.
Violet Evergarden Was Reintroducing Herself
When she was young, Violet's only constants were killing in war and her beloved major. Gilbert's last orders were for her to be free but, despite not being a weapon anymore, she was still weighed down by her traumatic past. Even when she was reintegrated into society, Violet was awkward and blunt in her interactions with people, making it difficult for her to glean from her clients' words their true feelings. But she has come a long way since then.
Her first letter to the major in the finale represents her coming to terms with her grief and love for him. Even though she isn't sure if Gilbert will return, she knows she'll still be able to live on with him. Now, she understands a little bit of what he meant when he said he loved her -- and she recognizes the emotions she's feeling are love as well. Violet has grown so much in a short period of time, learning to laugh and cry, and how to be human. At the end, Violet isn't introducing herself -- she's reintroducing herself as Violet Evergarden, Auto Memory Doll.
