About Leah's "Showing Off" In Eclipse
Mar 26, 2014 18:52:02 GMT -8
Post by Chaotic Neutral on Mar 26, 2014 18:52:02 GMT -8
If there was one part of Eclipse I hated most, it was the "lets be mad at Leah for getting Jacob injured even though he made the choice to step in and we don't know if she could have handled the situation on her own without him".
You know, something about this bit never sat right with me. Sure, maybe it has to do with me being a major fan of the character. Or it's probably due to my bias as she's one of the extremely few characters I actually like or feel I can sympathize with in the whole of this series. But for the longest time, the portrayal of her recklessness causing "poor Jacob" to get injured really bothered me. Sure, I know it's a plot device to allow for a wounded Jacob for Bella to cry over without actually allowing any personal responsibility on her part by making her the direct cause of itonly indirectly cause it, but that's okay, because we don't pay attention to those things, but let's ignore the blatant poor writing and focus on Leah.
Why, Leah? Why would she put herself in that position? Edward and the boys all claimed she was "trying to show off" somehow and prove she could be just as good as the guys. Okay, but why? For the longest time now, we've been told over and over that Leah was a bitch who didn't give two shits what anyone else thought of her. Part of me wondered if this wasn't some sort of attempt on her part to end her life by going out in a "blaze of glory", but that seemed too Bella-like, and Leah showed she still had reasons to live for even if those reasons didn't love her back (Here's looking at you, Seth ) So then why put herself in harm's way like that? Why act like she had something to prove?
Well actually, she DID have something to prove. She was the first shifter and the sole girl in what used to be the "boys only club". A club that was fully dedicated to belittling and looking down on her in every way. Not just because she was upset over Sam and Emily, but because as stated in canon, her being there made things "uncomfortable" for them. They couldn't run around naked as they pleased anymore. They had to watch what they thought around her (almost as though they'd been enjoying mental porn and group masturbation before she came along and YES I WENT THERE!). And then, of course, there were her still lingering feelings for Sam and anger over what he and Emily did, and now the rest of the group could feel that (but not empathize or sympathize or in any way even TRY to understand because that might make them gay or something because apparently common-fucking-decency or feeling for others is a "girl" thing ). It was regularly stated she was a nuisance and unwanted, and while admittedly some of her statements were cruel, that isn't to say she didn't have a point when she made them (AKA: that they never said they wouldn't kill Bella, who WAS the cause of all the troubles they've had up to that point and was knowingly and WILLINGLY stepping on their centuries-long treaty in her completely selfish desire to be young and pretty forever). Okay, so maybe she was trying to prove herself to the guys.
Um....why? Or perhaps the more accurate question was "What difference would it have made?" Thinking back, Leah was already the first female shifter. The first and only to EVER exist. That right there is an accomplishment. Also, it was stated and known to all that Leah was the lightest and FASTEST of the pack. That's another accomplishment. And before her "screw up", Seth had already taken down a vamp all on his own. What would anyone have cared if Leah had as well? They've already shown themselves to be hypocritical jackasses by telling Leah to get over her years long relationship (with engagement and intent of MARRIAGE) to Sam, but were coddling and cooing over "poor Jacob" who couldn't seem to be able to "save" Bella from Edward. Bella, who he wasn't even involved in for all of the 6 months Edward was gone. There's a clear double standard here. How was that expected to change? What difference would it make if she DID take down the vamp? It's not like Leah was shown to have ever gotten any support from the guys before.
That right there hit me. She never got any support from the guys. At all.
So if they never supported her before when she was still very much in need of it, how exactly was she supposed to know they WOULD back her up now? In the middle of a freaking life or death situation? Whether it was the battlefield of emotions or against an army of crazed vampires who really could have been doing better things with their time than trying to attack one girl their creator just happens to hate, at what point was it shown, indicated, or even remotely implied that Leah was supposed to be able to count on the other pack members? Given their attitude towards her, my bet is "none". How was Leah supposed to know she could count on the rest of the pack for ANY sort of help? When they'd done nothing but belittle her and begrudge her and just overall let her down again and again? When they made it clear they wanted her to disappear? When they flat out stated at times they wished she would DIE? She had certainly been shown by this point she was the odd one out, and that she couldn't expect support or sympathy when she was hurting (albeit emotionally). So if she couldn't even trust these guys with her feelings (like at the very least NOT using said feelings against her), then how the HELL was she supposed to trust ANY of them with her life?
Simple. She couldn't. So she went into a fight alone. Judged the opponent she was facing as though she would be standing alone--because for a long while in a lot of ways, she had been.
Then Jacob changed the rules and "saved" her, and everyone got angry with her for not expecting him to. When he'd flat out stated at one point that nobody would miss her or care. When he, at NO point, gave...ANY indication of the slightest concern for her as a fellow sentient being, much less as a pack member. And we're supposed to think she's the bad guy?
Yeah, no. It's just Leah trying to survive the way they FORCED her to up till that point. And as reckless at it may have been, I can't fault the girl for acting on what they'd taught her to expect of them.
You know, something about this bit never sat right with me. Sure, maybe it has to do with me being a major fan of the character. Or it's probably due to my bias as she's one of the extremely few characters I actually like or feel I can sympathize with in the whole of this series. But for the longest time, the portrayal of her recklessness causing "poor Jacob" to get injured really bothered me. Sure, I know it's a plot device to allow for a wounded Jacob for Bella to cry over without actually allowing any personal responsibility on her part by making her the direct cause of it
Why, Leah? Why would she put herself in that position? Edward and the boys all claimed she was "trying to show off" somehow and prove she could be just as good as the guys. Okay, but why? For the longest time now, we've been told over and over that Leah was a bitch who didn't give two shits what anyone else thought of her. Part of me wondered if this wasn't some sort of attempt on her part to end her life by going out in a "blaze of glory", but that seemed too Bella-like, and Leah showed she still had reasons to live for even if those reasons didn't love her back (Here's looking at you, Seth ) So then why put herself in harm's way like that? Why act like she had something to prove?
Well actually, she DID have something to prove. She was the first shifter and the sole girl in what used to be the "boys only club". A club that was fully dedicated to belittling and looking down on her in every way. Not just because she was upset over Sam and Emily, but because as stated in canon, her being there made things "uncomfortable" for them. They couldn't run around naked as they pleased anymore. They had to watch what they thought around her (almost as though they'd been enjoying mental porn and group masturbation before she came along and YES I WENT THERE!). And then, of course, there were her still lingering feelings for Sam and anger over what he and Emily did, and now the rest of the group could feel that (but not empathize or sympathize or in any way even TRY to understand because that might make them gay or something because apparently common-fucking-decency or feeling for others is a "girl" thing ). It was regularly stated she was a nuisance and unwanted, and while admittedly some of her statements were cruel, that isn't to say she didn't have a point when she made them (AKA: that they never said they wouldn't kill Bella, who WAS the cause of all the troubles they've had up to that point and was knowingly and WILLINGLY stepping on their centuries-long treaty in her completely selfish desire to be young and pretty forever). Okay, so maybe she was trying to prove herself to the guys.
Um....why? Or perhaps the more accurate question was "What difference would it have made?" Thinking back, Leah was already the first female shifter. The first and only to EVER exist. That right there is an accomplishment. Also, it was stated and known to all that Leah was the lightest and FASTEST of the pack. That's another accomplishment. And before her "screw up", Seth had already taken down a vamp all on his own. What would anyone have cared if Leah had as well? They've already shown themselves to be hypocritical jackasses by telling Leah to get over her years long relationship (with engagement and intent of MARRIAGE) to Sam, but were coddling and cooing over "poor Jacob" who couldn't seem to be able to "save" Bella from Edward. Bella, who he wasn't even involved in for all of the 6 months Edward was gone. There's a clear double standard here. How was that expected to change? What difference would it make if she DID take down the vamp? It's not like Leah was shown to have ever gotten any support from the guys before.
That right there hit me. She never got any support from the guys. At all.
So if they never supported her before when she was still very much in need of it, how exactly was she supposed to know they WOULD back her up now? In the middle of a freaking life or death situation? Whether it was the battlefield of emotions or against an army of crazed vampires who really could have been doing better things with their time than trying to attack one girl their creator just happens to hate, at what point was it shown, indicated, or even remotely implied that Leah was supposed to be able to count on the other pack members? Given their attitude towards her, my bet is "none". How was Leah supposed to know she could count on the rest of the pack for ANY sort of help? When they'd done nothing but belittle her and begrudge her and just overall let her down again and again? When they made it clear they wanted her to disappear? When they flat out stated at times they wished she would DIE? She had certainly been shown by this point she was the odd one out, and that she couldn't expect support or sympathy when she was hurting (albeit emotionally). So if she couldn't even trust these guys with her feelings (like at the very least NOT using said feelings against her), then how the HELL was she supposed to trust ANY of them with her life?
Simple. She couldn't. So she went into a fight alone. Judged the opponent she was facing as though she would be standing alone--because for a long while in a lot of ways, she had been.
Then Jacob changed the rules and "saved" her, and everyone got angry with her for not expecting him to. When he'd flat out stated at one point that nobody would miss her or care. When he, at NO point, gave...ANY indication of the slightest concern for her as a fellow sentient being, much less as a pack member. And we're supposed to think she's the bad guy?
Yeah, no. It's just Leah trying to survive the way they FORCED her to up till that point. And as reckless at it may have been, I can't fault the girl for acting on what they'd taught her to expect of them.