Diksha Sundriyal
In Netflix’s ‘The Tearsmith,’ two young adults navigate their complex feelings for each other while trying to process the trauma they experienced in the orphanage they grew up in. Nica arrives in the orphanage, which is nicknamed Grave by its residents after her parents die in an accident. Rigel has been there for a while and is already familiar with the way things happen. Nica hopes to find friendship and support in her new home, but it is immediately made clear to her that she should not expect to find any happiness there. As a mark of that, her beloved butterfly necklace is taken away from her. But it’s not the last time she’ll see that necklace and all the time apart from it will do nothing to minimize its importance for her. SPOILERS AHEAD
Nica’s Butterfly Necklace is a Mark of Her Life Before the Orphanage
Nica’s parents were biologists, and they named her after a butterfly. Being their only child, Nica received all of their love and attention. Nica’s mother wore a blue butterfly necklace as a mark of her love for her daughter. When she died, the necklace was passed on to Nica, who cherished it because it was her mother’s most prized possession. With her parents gone, the necklace was one of the few things that held immense sentimental value for Nica. It was a mark of her parents’ memory that reminded her of the good days, making her hopeful about the future.
In a strange new place where she knew no one, the necklace would be a source of comfort for her. Even if she had no one, having something that belonged to her mother would make her feel connected to her parents somehow, and this is what Margaret did not want. The warden of the orphanage was a vile person who liked to abuse the children mentally and physically. While the place was called “Sunnycreek,” there was nothing sunny or happy about it. It should have been the place where children, who had no one else in the world, found some semblance of hope and love. But Margaret turned it into a dark hell hole for them. She wanted to suck out all the light from their lives, which is why she didn’t allow them to have any personal belongings. This is why she asks Nica to give up her necklace.
The only child who wasn’t visibly abused in the orphanage was Rigel, but still, he knew what the place could do to a person. When he first saw Nica, he felt like protecting her, a feeling that only grew stronger each year as he fell in love with her, and she found herself strangely attracted to him, even when he was rude and unwelcoming to her. It isn’t until years later that Nica discovers the first act of kindness that Rigel did for her when she arrived at the orphanage. On Margaret’s order, he snatched her necklace but didn’t throw it away. Rather, he kept it safe, hoping to give it to her the day she would leave the orphanage.
Due to Rigel’s act, the necklace now carries another meaning for Nica. While it still serves as her connection to her parents, it is also something that reminds her of Rigel’s unwavering love for her. While he kept her at a distance for a long time and, despite her efforts, always pushed her away, the necklace shows what was really in his heart. The fact that he kept the necklace safe all these years shows that he had buried his feelings deep down, but they were still there, and he’d loved Nica all along. This makes the necklace even more important for her.
Read More: Netflix’s The Tearsmith: Exploring All Filming Locations
