A Little Characterization Essay Thing
I don't really know where to start with these things, and I kinda wish I could do this more elegantly but whatever. Once again, probably spoilers ahead but less so than the other thingies.
We've seen multiple times that Kanaya can do pretty unpleasant things without blinking if she believes it's for the best. Chainsawing her lusus and Tavros come to mind, but so does allowing Vriska to continue killing in order to feed spidermom. Could she have stopped Vriska if she really wanted to? Perhaps. But she doesn't really try.
GA: If I Tried To Stop You You Would Regard Me As An Enemy
GA: Instead Of Merely As A Nuisance
GA: And What Good Would That Do
GA: So Im Afraid Mcfussyfangs It Must Be
Probably her romantic feelings have some part in this, but I'm sure so does her knowledge of how events must progress in order for Skaia's will to come about correctly. Her faith in Skaia and the things it shows her being necessary and ultimately for the greater good is absolute.
She is after all one of the few trolls who is aware beforehand (thanks to Rose's guide) that playing Sgrub will ravage the planet and wipe out their species, but she does not try to stop it, because of her faith. That doesn't mean though that she's unaware of how tragic allowing everyone to die like this is, or that she enjoys it, OR that she's claiming she's just a tool for Skaia and refusing to take responsibility for her part in it. The evidence is there in that conversation (one of many as the text says) with Aradia, where she tells her:
GA: I Thought Id Be Friendly Though
GA: And Remind You That You Do In Fact Have A Hand In All The Terrible Things That Are About To Happen
GA: Because Thats What Friends Are For
Essentially, Kanaya believes that Aradia is losing her identity and humanity (trollity?) by not accepting that she is a person actively choosing to follow the wills of the dead rather than just being a mindless piece on a gameboard for them to move around, and Kanaya wants to help her by having her take responsibility and own her actions rather than letting herself be owned by the things she needs to do by virtue of temporal inevitability and whatnot.
"That's thoughtful of you," Rose says. "To strive to pacify me as I scuffle down this black corridor." And this is essentially what Kanaya has been doing. Rather than attempting to stop them from doing terrible things, she's been attempting to keep them from being corrupted totally by the bad things they're doing, so that one day when all this is over and they get the reward and the _____ly ever after that she believes is coming, they will actually have the chance to be sane and make that blank a happi-.
GA: Its Ok To Be Dangerous
GA: Lots Of People Are
GA: And Dangerous People Can Be Really Important
GA: Maybe Even The Most Important Sometimes
GA: But It Just Means Theres Got To Be Someone Around To Keep An Eye On Them
GA: And If Not Me Then Who
GA: Everyone Has An Important Job To Do
What was the point of that rant? Basically it was the long way around to the fact that she is attempting to help her friends while still allowing them to do the messy things that have to be done. And she does that like she does any of the other unpleasant things she does for the greater good. Out of all the essentially "good" characters in the series, (in my interpretation at least?) Kanaya is one of if not THE one who can, with full knowledge and understanding of her actions, most decisively make the really hard choices that the others probably can't.
We've seen multiple times that Kanaya can do pretty unpleasant things without blinking if she believes it's for the best. Chainsawing her lusus and Tavros come to mind, but so does allowing Vriska to continue killing in order to feed spidermom. Could she have stopped Vriska if she really wanted to? Perhaps. But she doesn't really try.
GA: If I Tried To Stop You You Would Regard Me As An Enemy
GA: Instead Of Merely As A Nuisance
GA: And What Good Would That Do
GA: So Im Afraid Mcfussyfangs It Must Be
Probably her romantic feelings have some part in this, but I'm sure so does her knowledge of how events must progress in order for Skaia's will to come about correctly. Her faith in Skaia and the things it shows her being necessary and ultimately for the greater good is absolute.
She is after all one of the few trolls who is aware beforehand (thanks to Rose's guide) that playing Sgrub will ravage the planet and wipe out their species, but she does not try to stop it, because of her faith. That doesn't mean though that she's unaware of how tragic allowing everyone to die like this is, or that she enjoys it, OR that she's claiming she's just a tool for Skaia and refusing to take responsibility for her part in it. The evidence is there in that conversation (one of many as the text says) with Aradia, where she tells her:
GA: I Thought Id Be Friendly Though
GA: And Remind You That You Do In Fact Have A Hand In All The Terrible Things That Are About To Happen
GA: Because Thats What Friends Are For
Essentially, Kanaya believes that Aradia is losing her identity and humanity (trollity?) by not accepting that she is a person actively choosing to follow the wills of the dead rather than just being a mindless piece on a gameboard for them to move around, and Kanaya wants to help her by having her take responsibility and own her actions rather than letting herself be owned by the things she needs to do by virtue of temporal inevitability and whatnot.
"That's thoughtful of you," Rose says. "To strive to pacify me as I scuffle down this black corridor." And this is essentially what Kanaya has been doing. Rather than attempting to stop them from doing terrible things, she's been attempting to keep them from being corrupted totally by the bad things they're doing, so that one day when all this is over and they get the reward and the _____ly ever after that she believes is coming, they will actually have the chance to be sane and make that blank a happi-.
GA: Its Ok To Be Dangerous
GA: Lots Of People Are
GA: And Dangerous People Can Be Really Important
GA: Maybe Even The Most Important Sometimes
GA: But It Just Means Theres Got To Be Someone Around To Keep An Eye On Them
GA: And If Not Me Then Who
GA: Everyone Has An Important Job To Do
What was the point of that rant? Basically it was the long way around to the fact that she is attempting to help her friends while still allowing them to do the messy things that have to be done. And she does that like she does any of the other unpleasant things she does for the greater good. Out of all the essentially "good" characters in the series, (in my interpretation at least?) Kanaya is one of if not THE one who can, with full knowledge and understanding of her actions, most decisively make the really hard choices that the others probably can't.