#also since i've heard this before *no* i don't think grizabella is the same age as gus

[the-cat-at-the-theatre-door]

And you know what I talked about this in the tags, but the thing is -

At the most basic level of interpretation, the Jellicle Choice is a metaphorical symbol of forgiveness. It may not begin that way, at least not in the way it’s initially framed, but as the narrative evolves, as do the narrative devices. 

It’s not “who deserves to rest or ‘win’ more”, because at the end of the day, the fact of the matter is that both Grizabella and Gus the Theatre Cat are base rooted firmly in their memories of a better time yesteryear, and both suffer from “age related” (though the revival...gets a side eye from me) disability and deterioration. Both are described as “shabby and thin” and “torn and stained with sand”. Both are spoken to have been better in the prime of their lives. Palsy is a general term that refers to a whole plethora of muscle and nerve deterioration (often involving the brain - considering Gus is elderly, it may very well likely be PSP - though again with cats it’s hard to put a pin on that ). 

Until the revival, Gus was presented as no more able bodied or healthy (and of course this varied in severity from performer to performer) than Grizabella was (Gr*wltiger and co. was a flashback, not occurring in the present). He was better cared for because he remained in society vs. occupying the space of the outcast in the narrative, but that doesn’t make the former fact go away. These are crucial points that can and should co-exist with themselves; it’s not who was sicker or closer to death - disability and age related deterioration exist on multiple levels, and no one is in a better camp than the other in that regard. Hell, if you want to take original revival cast interpretation into account, Gus ends up dying that night as well. It’s not about putting them in competition with one another of who is going to take the long nap first, or deserves to go to Cat Heaven more because one is somehow "closer" than the other - it’s a metaphor for how society and community can simultaneously hurt as much as it heals. 

Because the choice exists in the allegory of forgiveness, it is reasonable to then assume that the one chosen must have done something that *requires* forgiveness. Gus...did nothing wrong as far as we know as an audience (interpretation notwithstanding - let’s look strictly at text here - even when Jellylorum implies that he was off drinking with his friends and perhaps frequents those circles more often than he should, it’s not framed as wrong doing). Eliminating the revival, unlike nearly the entirety of the rest of the cast, he wasn’t even *involved* in the shunning of Grizabella. Even Asparagus (if you believe him to be the same cat), is barely (if ever, depending on the staging) involved in the shunning of Grizabella due to the unavailability of the performer. Gus is brought on, with often very little idea of where he is or who is around him, and then he leaves. He does not leave any lasting impression in the community until he is *possibly* (again, depends how you read the chorus costume debacle) brought on stage at the end of the show again in time for Grizabella’s final “Memory”. 

While the community at large learns the lesson that they were at fault for unfairly ostracizing one of their own, giving up any potential chance at being chosen as a further symbol of them needing to earn their own level of narrative forgiveness,  Gus doesn’t need to learn that lesson. We have no idea from what is presented to us in text (again, revival not withstanding) whether Gus was ever even involved in this. He doesn’t *need* to be forgiven to achieve acceptance in society, there is nothing to forgive him *for*. Therefore, he doesn’t *require* the Choice, and he doesn’t require a do-over. 

That’s also why it’s important that Grizabella is not boiled down to “being unfairly judged for having done absolutely nothing wrong” - there are very *few* real innocents in this cast of characters. Grizabella is not one of them, nor should she be treated as one of them. She deserves to be forgiven because she has recognized her mistakes and is seeking to atone for them - not because she didn't do anything. The difference between Gus and Grizabella is not who deserves the honour more - it’s who does and does not require forgiveness for their lives to come to a satisfying conclusion. Gus’ life is already over - the conclusion has long come and gone it’s just a matter of closing the curtain, so to speak. Grizabella is *just reaching* her conclusion - there’s still time before the sun rises on her and it’s too late.  

Semi negative below the cut - 

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