Despite the anachronism, there’s a reason why Prussia makes
such use of the word. His history in terms of strength is extremely messy,
considering that he fluctuates between being a large and dominant power to a
smaller, subordinate, and less important one.

For example, after the Battle of Tannenberg, then as the
Teutonic Knights, Prussia became a lackey to Poland. He’s also noted to have
mellowed out considerably during this time.

The obvious and simple conclusion is that the use of the
word awesome helps console Prussia when he’s in one of these power slumps. But,
there’s a much deeper insecurity and superficiality lurking behind the word
that I’d like to explore briefly.

There’s a sort of desperation to it that matches well with
one of his character notes. That is, Prussia’s willing to do anything if it
means becoming stronger. In tough situations where he’s been sapped of physical
strength, however, he turns to the pen to help reassure himself.

His diary entries, regardless of the time period, only
record his moments of self-proclaimed awesomeness. It conveniently leaves out a
whole lot of information.

Let’s explore one of these fluctuations in power, as well as
the impact that it had on Prussia’s self-esteem. In the early 1700s, Prussia’s
culture and economy lacked in comparison to other strong-heads in Europe –
France in particular.

When Frederick I confronts Prussia about this, Prussia gets
defensive and says that he looks cool regardless of the clothes he wears.
You’ll see in a second that this is a straight-out denial, as he believes the
exact opposite.

Regardless, what’s important to emphasize is that at this
point, Prussia wasn’t on par with the other “great nations” in Europe. Wanting
to become stronger, Prussia then spies on France’s blooming culture and studies
it rigorously.

Prussia quickly internalizes France’s aristocratic
appearance as something that equates to strength and power, and subsequently agrees
to let France help style his military uniforms.

Once he has a flashy uniform, notice how Prussia’s words
change. It’s not just a cool uniform. It’s an “awesomely” cool uniform. The
fact that he’s vocalizing the word seems to suggest that he’s taking more pride
in his appearance; more than that, he truly believes what he’s saying.

Prussia’s obsession with strength and power is clearly
unhealthy, and Austria is quick to call Prussia out on this… not that he
listens.

Overall, what you see with Prussia is a consistent bouncing back and forth in terms of dominant or subordinate status. He goes
from frugality and relative unimportance to a dominant figure, and then back to
a lesser power again.

His self-image is everything to him, whether it’s preserving
it, convincing himself that it’s something that it’s not, or relishing in the
high that comes upon experiencing a periodic phase of power and prestige.

This strip just before German Unification really reiterates just
how badly he wants to become a powerful nation again. He wants to be the center
of it all…all the time.

To me, Prussia’s arrogant behaviour is a sort of overcompensation
for someone, who, at a deeper level, realizes their inadequacies and inferiorities,
but refuses to accept them. He likes to live in the sun, to flaunt his
achievements, but until he learns to confront the shadow that these vulnerabilities
leave behind, he’ll continue to live an artificial and lonely existence.

There’s a difference between power and control, and a sense
of empowerment and competence that comes with acknowledging one’s true self,
both the good and bad elements of your person.

Considering how lonely Prussia is, it would seem that he’s
unable to reconcile these insecurities into part of who he is. It’s for this reason
I believe that he’s remained single/ hasn’t married, aside from the obvious political
and historical justifications.

Prussia’s very selective in what he chooses to show, whereas
the intimacy of a romantic relationship involves acknowledging one’s strengths
and weaknesses to your partner.

In other words, he doesn’t want to appear small to others,
as in his eyes, that may echo the subordination he’s historically
experienced.