Buffy deconstructs
the traditional literary notions of good and evil by the complexity of its
characters. Each of its characters has a multifaceted personality, meaning one
person is neither completely good nor evil. Braun (2000) refers to Klein’s
theory which states that this mentality that we have is developed from infancy
and that we are conditioned to expect and deal with both “good” and “bad” from our
close and loved ones throughout our lives. Furthermore, Braun relates this
theory to Buffy and Angel’s relationship. In the series the shift of Angel’s
character from good to the evil Angelus (and back again) and the change in
Buffy’s feeling towards him are firstly caused by sex and then the solution is
mirrored and remedied by more
“thrusting” in the form of a sword (Buffy ends up stabbing Angel). The
intricacy of the characters in Buffy and their relationships demonstrate that
each of them is capable of both good deeds and bad which aptly reflects the
complexity of human nature.
References:
Braum, B. (2000) The X-files and Buffy the Vampire Slayer: The ambiguity
of evil in supernatural representations. Retrieved 11 October 2012 from:
http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0412/is_2_28/ai_64688900
I like your entry! It definitely goes straight to the point (unlike my post on the same question). I definitely agree with your points, and I have stated similar points in my post, too. You're definitely right about good and bad deeds reflecting "the complexity of human nature".
ReplyDeleteHi Nazia,
ReplyDeleteGood entry. You develop some good points in a short post, and I really like the way you mentioned Klein's theory of our mentality that we develop from infancy, in terms of the how we are expected to deal with both good and bad form those that we love. I think that throughout the Buffy series she learns to predetermine what is good and what is evil. I think you have showed great understanding with good links to the primary text.