Well, up till now, the only cases when he has been angered by something is when he feels he has been wronged or tricked.
Like when he thought his teachers were giving him low grades for no reason, and when he thought his uncle and aunt had neglected to meet with him. And when he was suspicious that he wouldn't get a fair share of book-money.
Coupled with his panic wherever he fails to make a good impression, my guess is that he is rather insecure (of course he KNOWS that he's awesome, but he has to make sure that OTHERS know it as well)
Mmmhmm, and well--one of Emil's defining traits to me is his insecurity. It seems to be fading into the background as he gets to know Tuuri and Lalli and feel more comfortable around them, but it seems to me that earlier on (before the train scene, roughly) practically everything we
saw of Emil was him feeling insecure and acting out to make up for it. Boasting, putting on airs (have you noticed that his style of speech has simplified somewhat over time, becoming less overeducated-prissiness and more straightforward? particularly with Tuuri, whom he seems to have stopped trying to impress as they become closer), panicking about making good first impressions, "freaking out in the bathroom over nothing" to use Minna's words, panicking over breaking the rearview mirror...
Honestly, I tend to think of Emil as somebody whose compass isn't pointing north: reality just doesn't match up to his perceptions. Through no fault of his own. *casts a glance at his parents* And his insecurity says to me that, despite all his bluster, he's
aware of that--and doesn't quite know what to do about it. But dude, he's only 19, he's got time to figure it out. And let me point out a few of the things a kid in his situation
could've been:
- manipulative--many spoiled children are, because that's what their parents respond to consistently
- in denial about his abilities and aggressive/angry/hurtful toward anyone who tried to set him straight
- pathologically mistrustful of others, particularly of praise or compliments
- deeply depressed: look at what an impostor he is, how could he have been so stupid? etc.
- directionless: the one thing he thought he was good at turns out to be a lie just as the rest of his life and livelihood falls completely apart, so now what?
He is... none of those things, as far as we can see. Instead he's open and friendly (for all the Emil/Lalli shipping, he and Tuuri also seem to be becoming fast friends); he's compassionate, even towards people who are strange or confusing or hard to understand (Lalli, anybody?); he
can take criticism and adjustment without getting angry (check out his first scene with his aunt and uncle again); he's willing to go outside of his comfort zone and take risks to improve his life (both joining the military--a bold step to be sure--and going on this expedition); and he's found something to do that's useful to the world, where he can easily
see the work he has done and measure it himself instead of trusting to someone else's word, something he clearly enjoys and thus is probably quite good at.
And that's
remarkable. I think we can forgive him some anxiety and bluster.
