"Don't you see a pattern here?": self sacrifice, family dysfunction, and heroism in SPN
SO. I have been working on this idea since the last meta, since I read "In the Hunt." And it's kind of taken on a life of its own and eaten my brain.
I have the first essay ready earlier than I thought I would, so I'm gonna post this as an introduction and Master Post. These essays are indebted to dafnap, gabby_silang, and smilla02 for wonderful conversations.
"Don't you see a pattern here?": self sacrifice, family dysfunction, and heroism in Supernatural
Introduction.
One brave deed makes no hero.
--John Greenleaf Whittier
From the earliest days of Star Trek (TOS) to... the recent reboot of Star Trek, fandoms have rallied round characters popularly considered to be heroes. And from Star Wars to Harry Potter to Firefly, the media we love has delved deep into what makes these characters heroic.
Are heroes born or made?
Can our heroes act in unheroic ways? Is every act of a hero heroic by definition?
How do we judge who to call hero? Is this an inherent trait, or do we judge a hero by her actions?
These are some of the great questions the best fiction repeatedly explores.
One act typically held up as heroic in our favorite media is the act of self-sacrifice, where the hero gives up his or her safety, even life, for the benefit of another. The series Supernatural is riddled with self-sacrificial acts from not only the protagonists, but by everyone from supporting characters to characters we see in single episodes. The theme of self-sacrifice for family is especially recurring. The grandfather in 1.03's "Dead in the Water" and the grandmother in 2.11's "Playthings" both give their lives to save their grandchildren. John Winchester gives his life to save his son Dean. Dean gives his life to save his brother Sam. Jo Harvelle gives her life to save Dean as well.
Were all of these acts heroic?
Is self-sacrifice an inherently heroic act?
In the series of five essays that will follow, I attempt to find an answer those questions as they pertain to Supernatural, concluding that the series itself sets out from the start to explore the topic of self-sacrifice and how it relates to patterns of family dysfunction, therefore intentionally critiquing the common conflation of love, self-sacrifice, and heroism.
I'll leave you with two relevant comments from series creator Eric Kripke about his characters, which I will return to in the conclusion to this series:
This idea that on the surface here's this Han Solo devil-may-care persona, but when you really scratch beneath the surface, you see that anyone who has that persona has it because they are just so messed up, and that you would have to be so screwed up and damaged to be the person who always jumps first off a cliff. TV.com Q&A: Supernatural creator Eric Kripke
They keep presenting themselves as targets because they are so obsessed about saving each other; they take self-sacrifice to this pathological level. it actually serves as a character flaw. What they are willing to do for each other is both a strength and a character flaw. And with each occurrence they keep turning further and further against nature. "Supernatural Creator Eric Kripke: "Dean Lives!"
MASTER POST
This series of essays:
1)Will critique how family, self sacrifice, and heroism has been addressed by three essayists from "In the Hunt" ("I didn't deserve what he put on me" : the whitewashing of John Winchester and the celebration of family dysfunction as heroic in "In the Hunt")
2)Will propose an alternate understanding of the Winchester family's cycle of self-sacrifice by looking at it through the lens of family dysfunction ( The stuff heroes are made of: family dysfunction and the Winchester cycle of self-sacrifice and vengeance)
3)Will briefly survey how the horror genre in general and SPN in particular views the resurrection of the dead (OUTLINED)
4)Will contrast several acts of heroic self sacrifice from BtVS and SPN itself with the acts of self-sacrifice by John and Dean Winchester (OUTLINED)
5)Will conclude by proposing that the creators of SPN have set out to specifically critique the idea of a certain type of self-sacrifice as heroic. (OUTLINED)
I'll update this list with links as the essays are posted.
I have the first essay ready earlier than I thought I would, so I'm gonna post this as an introduction and Master Post. These essays are indebted to dafnap, gabby_silang, and smilla02 for wonderful conversations.
"Don't you see a pattern here?": self sacrifice, family dysfunction, and heroism in Supernatural
Introduction.
One brave deed makes no hero.
--John Greenleaf Whittier
From the earliest days of Star Trek (TOS) to... the recent reboot of Star Trek, fandoms have rallied round characters popularly considered to be heroes. And from Star Wars to Harry Potter to Firefly, the media we love has delved deep into what makes these characters heroic.
Are heroes born or made?
Can our heroes act in unheroic ways? Is every act of a hero heroic by definition?
How do we judge who to call hero? Is this an inherent trait, or do we judge a hero by her actions?
These are some of the great questions the best fiction repeatedly explores.
One act typically held up as heroic in our favorite media is the act of self-sacrifice, where the hero gives up his or her safety, even life, for the benefit of another. The series Supernatural is riddled with self-sacrificial acts from not only the protagonists, but by everyone from supporting characters to characters we see in single episodes. The theme of self-sacrifice for family is especially recurring. The grandfather in 1.03's "Dead in the Water" and the grandmother in 2.11's "Playthings" both give their lives to save their grandchildren. John Winchester gives his life to save his son Dean. Dean gives his life to save his brother Sam. Jo Harvelle gives her life to save Dean as well.
Were all of these acts heroic?
Is self-sacrifice an inherently heroic act?
In the series of five essays that will follow, I attempt to find an answer those questions as they pertain to Supernatural, concluding that the series itself sets out from the start to explore the topic of self-sacrifice and how it relates to patterns of family dysfunction, therefore intentionally critiquing the common conflation of love, self-sacrifice, and heroism.
I'll leave you with two relevant comments from series creator Eric Kripke about his characters, which I will return to in the conclusion to this series:
This idea that on the surface here's this Han Solo devil-may-care persona, but when you really scratch beneath the surface, you see that anyone who has that persona has it because they are just so messed up, and that you would have to be so screwed up and damaged to be the person who always jumps first off a cliff. TV.com Q&A: Supernatural creator Eric Kripke
They keep presenting themselves as targets because they are so obsessed about saving each other; they take self-sacrifice to this pathological level. it actually serves as a character flaw. What they are willing to do for each other is both a strength and a character flaw. And with each occurrence they keep turning further and further against nature. "Supernatural Creator Eric Kripke: "Dean Lives!"
MASTER POST
This series of essays:
1)Will critique how family, self sacrifice, and heroism has been addressed by three essayists from "In the Hunt" ("I didn't deserve what he put on me" : the whitewashing of John Winchester and the celebration of family dysfunction as heroic in "In the Hunt")
2)Will propose an alternate understanding of the Winchester family's cycle of self-sacrifice by looking at it through the lens of family dysfunction ( The stuff heroes are made of: family dysfunction and the Winchester cycle of self-sacrifice and vengeance)
3)Will briefly survey how the horror genre in general and SPN in particular views the resurrection of the dead (OUTLINED)
4)Will contrast several acts of heroic self sacrifice from BtVS and SPN itself with the acts of self-sacrifice by John and Dean Winchester (OUTLINED)
5)Will conclude by proposing that the creators of SPN have set out to specifically critique the idea of a certain type of self-sacrifice as heroic. (OUTLINED)
I'll update this list with links as the essays are posted.