Friday, July 15, 2016

Love Triangle Dynamics in the Force Awakens [Finn] 2.0

[Update: This is a 2.0 post. I'm editing it to be stand-alone, and I also wanted to clarify more the literary focus of this, because it seems the message could use greater clarity. A lot of the sarcasm has been removed to further this goal, and the pictures are mostly gone; collateral damage is sad, but c'est la vie]

Archetypes/Tropes/Patterning an Explanation
It is a truth of storytelling, for as long as it has existed, that stories fall into patterns. There are many variations of said patterns, but the underlying structure is the same. There are many reasons for this. The shared structure gives the audience an idea of what it's getting in to. Humans are similar in many ways--we like hearing about adventure, high stakes, love and loss, etc etc.  
These patterns, if they are particularly long/far-reaching, are called "Archetypes". A great example of an archetypal story is the "Hero's Journey", in which a person with a destiny receives a call to action, accepts it, and fights against an enemy, sacrificing along the way until they ultimately beat the odds. A "Tragedy" is a story about a tragic hero who has a fatal flaw which ultimately brings him/her and everyone around him/her to a nasty end. You get the drift.
A "trope" is like a smaller pattern within the larger pattern. This is like commonality in Rom-Coms of a sloppy-ish guy and a slightly anal-retentive woman being the main characters, or how car chases are used in almost every action movie. These archetypes/tropes/patterns are great because they give a common structure while simultaneously providing a chance for creativity; they can be tweaked, twisted, or elsewise manipulated. When this happens, it's especially important to pay attention to them, because it's usually done for a reason. (All art is deliberate)
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Star Wars
The whole Star Wars franchise follows the archetypal Hero's Journey. Each section is about a hero with a destiny receiving a call to action and pursuing it. Along with this, Star Wars is sci-fi, action-adventure, space-fantasy, epic, and so on. Point being, it follows the archetypal story while also fitting into other categories.
Appearance of Love Triangle Dynamic
Star Wars is a space fantasy epic Hero's Journey, so when a trope from another type of story shows up, even just a little, that's interesting. It's an additive to the base pattern, a change, an irregularity. This irregularity of patterning is what brings us here today. I don't know if there's an official name for it, but I can break it down like this:
In romance-driven stories, it's very typical to get a love triangle. In female-based love triangles, there's one type I'm going to call the Good Guy/Bad Guy. The GG/BG trope is very common and shows up in books, musicals, movies, etc etc., and it's very predictable:

  • There is a central female character who, at one time, has two men interested in her
  • One man is the Good Guy
    • He has typically "good" traits--he's friendly, conventionally handsome, driven to be good, and holds some respectable position in society
    • This guy is usually the one the female character's family/friends like
  • The other man is the Bad Guy
    • He has typically "bad" traits--a temper/emotional issues, violent tendencies, etc.
    • This guy is usually disliked by the female character's family/friends
In most modern stories where this trope occurs, it's a given the girl will eventually choose the GG over the BG. It's whatever; it's a story, but this pattern is also interesting. It was not always so. For example, during the Victorian age, a lot of female writers wrote their stories where the BG was chosen instead (Pride and Prejudice, North and South, Jane Eyre, etc. (though not Victorian, "The Beauty and the Beast" follows this as well.)
Now, the point of love triangles is tension. There has to be doubt about which man the woman will ultimately choose. This drives that aspect of the plot. The audience is meant to weigh and measure along with the heroine--who is the better choice?
The issue comes in where one choice is considered the automatic "right" one. This is problematic:

  • It discourages critical thinking in the audience. If the choice is obvious, why scrutinize it?
  • It sets up/reinforces a cultural "norm" for these situations. This further discourages critical thinking.
Oftentimes, this "obvious choice" comes from the audience rather than the writer. The goal of a story, remember, is tension. It's a poor writer who fails to provide tension. So, a quick run-down of the oft-ignored aspects of these GG/BG love triangle dynamics.

  • Good Guy
    • Usually image-driven. He cares so much about being "good" that he often misses the mark.
    • Despite being "Good", GG is dishonest to the heroine
      • GGs often withhold information in order to "keep the heroine safe"
      • GGs (especially in longer stories) typically have some sort of dark secret about themselves. They hide this secret from the heroine until externally forced to fess up.
    • The dishonesty directly results in the heroine encountering BG
    • GG, when pressed into me-or-her situation with the heroine, will either choose himself or sacrifice his life for the heroine; it's 0 or 100 for these guys and rarely in between.
  • Bad Guy
    • Usually driven by self hatred/revenge/passion/some strong "dark" emotion
    • Despite being "Bad", BG is honest with the heroine
      • BG usually tells the heroine important-but-unpleasant information that he feels she ought to know
      • BG is very up-front about their dark secret/past. They openly admit to misdeeds and often share their darkest secret with the heroine (and only her).
    • BG does not physically harm the heroine
      • One of the most obvious actions of a BG is the kidnapping of the heroine. This goes back to "Hades and Persephone" (and probably further).
      • During this event, the BG goes out of his way to put the heroine at ease/ensure her safety
    • BG, when pressed into a me-or-her situation, rarely chooses 0 or 100, but sits somewhere in the middle, opting for suffering for himself in order to benefit the heroine.
This patterning of character is very common in stories with love triangles, but it doesn't show up in other genres (like war stories, revenge tales, chase stories, children's stories, etc).
Where Feminism Comes In
Feminism comes in where critical thinking ends. It's very easy for people to side with GG because he's, well, good. However, when the choice is that easy, GG's negative traits are ignored, and the nuance of the story is lost. His motivations are considered, but not the fallout or implication of his actions and choices. This automatic choice also creates a sexist, man-centered way of thinking about the love triangle. It boils down to, "GG deserves the heroine", as if the female character is some prize in a video game that enough "good" points unlock.
The most negative aspect of GG is his lying. By lying to/misleading the heroine, he takes away her ability to choose for herself--her ability to consent to anything. He does this because he doesn't trust her. "I didn't want you to know" "I was protecting you" "Well, because I knew you'd react like this" "I didn't want you to get the wrong idea about me" are all different ways of excusing the removal of the heroine's agency (ability/freedom to act). When he is reinforced as the "best choice", his patronizing actions are reinforced as well. However, because GG is the "obvious choice", this aspect of his character is completely ignored. He is celebrated for being good despite removing the agency of the female heroine. This is insidious, especially if people apply this sort of thinking to their real lives (I hope they don't).
The Force Awakens
This love-triangle dynamic for romance stories had been floating around in my mind for a little while when I rewatched The Force Awakens this past week. It struck me immediately that though not a romance story, TFA employs the typical romantic triangle character patterning. What does this mean? I'm not sure. The story is not a romance as of yet; the writers might be employing this patterning to add another layer to the story, to add another level of tension, to give the audience something else to pay attention to, but it is there nonetheless, and art is deliberate.
Types of Analysis Employed
For the sake of this writing, I'll be using a mix of literary criticisms.
1: New Criticism--involves intensive dissection of the story as far as internal consistency, cause and effect, etc.
2: Feminist Criticism--rather than focusing on how "deserving" or "undeserving" the male characters in the dynamic are, I will instead be looking at how their actions fit the pattern/affect the heroine, making her--the protagonist--the center of it all (as it should be).
The Dissection: Finn and how he fits
For today, we'll start with Finn. The other posts will follow, and I'm saving Rey for last because she's the most interesting and the one who most subverts the triangle pattern.


Finn is Goodness (Image)-Driven
  • He quits the notorious First Order at his first battle/massacre
    • The first inkling of doubt we see is when his fellow stormtrooper is shot by Poe in front of Finn. He freezes and seems very affected by this person's death
    • His shell-shock is further compounded when the villagers are killed. He does not participate.
    • Therefore we can glean this: Finn cares about human life. 
    • The shot that started it all.
  • The writing for Finn's dialogue shows the image-driven tendency, as well. During his heartfelt confession to Rey on Takodana, he reveals where his interest in Rey began, "You looked at me like no one ever had" (emphasis mine). "Looked". Art is deliberate. He does not say, "You were such a wonderful person, I had to help," or "I knew we shared the same noble goal", etc. He says, "You looked at me". She saw an image of Finn that he liked, so he went with it.
  • He is very affected by being called "traitor", despite believing himself to have made the right choice, showing he's touchy about how others perceive him. Twice, the writers open a fight for Finn with a left-screen enemy yelling "traitor" to Finn's back, and Finn responding to the word. This distinction is less clear in his fight with 'Tr8r' (who, by the way, should really be called Tr8r-H8r, but I digress), as Finn only becomes aware of Tr8r's presence when he yells. But, in Finn's fight with Kylo, he turns around only/draws his light saber when Kylo yells "traitor"--not when he first sees him, not when Rey is knocked out, not when Kylo advances or swings his lightsaber, only when "traitor" is yelled. Art is deliberate.
Finn's Goodness/desire to appear Good leads him to missing the mark

  • Finn quits the first order because he values human life; however, this does not prevent him from taking human life throughout the rest of the story. 
    • Yes, much of these killings spring from self-defense, however, we are not given a scene showing him to be sorrowful about this waste of life, despite his care for human life.
    • The people he kills are storm troopers. He was a storm trooper. 
      • We know they are taken as children and indoctrinated to become the killing machines they are. 
      • It is played as a point of empathy for Finn--"isn't it sad? What a horrible thing.", but though he is aware of this backstory, he kills storm troopers without the flicker of an eyelid. 
      • Each storm trooper is a potential-him. Each one has experienced the same things. Each one could, like Finn, defect and join the "good side", but this potential is not acknowledged by him onscreen.
  • Despite Finn's care for human life, he's willing to risk all free life in the Galaxy in his trip to Starkiller base (more on this later)
Despite being "Good", Finn is dishonest

  • Finn lies to Rey about his appearance on Jakku, "I'm with the Resistance."
    • He fears, perhaps, her rejection, so he chooses another persona for himself, a fighter for the Resistance. This story grows to include that he's a "big deal". He could have invented another story for himself, but he makes himself a heroic rebel fighter; he wants to come across as good/heroic.
  • Even after he gets to know Rey better, he keeps this lie going. This is problematic:
    • It leads to a false sense of security: A "big deal" in the Resistance, Finn would have contacts, resources, and knowledge to help him/his party avoid capture by the First Order. However, he does not have these things.
    • It keeps Rey in the dark about the truth of their situation: she doesn't know how alone they are in their fight. She doesn't know who, precisely, is after them. She doesn't know the true character of her 'friend'/travel-mate. Would this knowledge change her decisions? We don't know, but she's entitled to knowing the entirety of what she's getting herself into. [trust is, after all, the basis of consent and relationships both].
    • Finn does eventually come clean, but only when it has a chance of benefiting him. [Especially for this moment, I don't much care for his motivations/emotions. The situation of his reveal bears the following out]
      • He tells Rey his past to lend more credence to his argument, "we have to leave".
      • He could have told her at any other time if his reasoning was "she needs to know (because she's my friend)", but he waits until it's an all-or-nothing situation. If she rejects him, he's leaving anyway, and if she comes with him, it's a win-win.
The dishonesty directly results in the heroine encountering BG
  • Rey goes alone into the forest because she is upset after viewing the visions of the light saber. She wandered into the basement and found the lightsaber because she was upset at Finn after he revealed his plans to leave/his past.
  • Finn completely fails to warn Rey of the extremely terrifyingly violent, force-using lightsaber-tornado that is Kylo Ren. Finn knows about Kylo. He knows Kylo is hunting for the droid. He knows Kylo is super-strong at the force. He knows Kylo tortures people and commands the murder of villagers. Kylo keeps the ashes of his enemies in his bedroom. Finn doesn't tell Rey.
    • Rey is not stupid. If she knew the extent of the power of the First Order, I doubt she would have gone off by herself, no matter how upset she was. (Speculation, but really, she has strong self-preservation)
    • In the forest, Rey stays behind to cover for BB-8's escape. This shows she assumes A) She'll succeed, at least long enough for BB-8 to escape B) the location of the map will remain secret even if she is captured.
      • Fighting Kylo renders both of these assumptions void. A) It takes him less than a second to incapacitate her with the force. BB-8 can't have gotten far in that time. B) He's a powerful force user; he can get the location of the map from her mind.
      • Rey is not stupid. If she knew what she was up against in that forest, I think she would have booked it.
                                      
                                                        But she doesn't know.
And she runs too late.
And, well, "Heroine meets BG"
This is why we can't have nice things.
Finn exhibits 0-or-100 reasoning/action
  • He is willing to leave Rey on Takodana after about a minute of argument despite the risk he perceives. (0)
  • He is willing to risk the lives of everyone in the galaxy to get Rey back from Starkiller base. (100)
    • The continued existence of the Resistance (and, by connection, the hope of freedom in the galaxy in perpetuity) is pinned on this desperate, last-ditch effort to blow up Starkiller Base. Finn lies, leading them into a false sense of security (sound familiar?) in order to get Rey back, to prove himself a true friend (image, again).
    • At the end of the day, if his plan hadn't worked, everyone would have died. Leia, Chewie, Han, Poe, himself, and probably even Rey eventually, not to mention everyone else left who opposes the First Order. Now, this is a story, so, of course, he and Han run into the person they need to run into (Phasma) right when they need it, and, of course, she folds like wet paper to their demands, and the galaxy is saved. This does not change what Finn was willing to risk going in.


Finn's Overall Conflict/Motivations
Finn, understandably, has an identity problem. He never got the chance to grow up properly, so he's having to figure it all out as he goes. He doesn't know who is he quite yet, and he's on the road to becoming. This struggle leads to the problems we face; Finn doesn't lie and endanger others for no reason. It all has to do with Finn's character arc. His struggle, internally experienced and externally expressed, is about finding his place and realizing who he is. That's what he cares the most about. It's what motivates him more than anything else. 
Curiously, this is also the typical struggle of the GG in the triangle dynamic. Again, always, art is deliberate. Finn's struggle could have revolved entirely around violence/the fight against his training and bypassed all the dishonesty, unintended consequences and 0-or-100 choices entirely, but it doesn't. Finn's character is written to fit the GG character in the triangle dynamic.

Conclusion/Application of Analysis
Finn, through his actions, demonstrates himself to be a character fitting the Good Guy trope in love triangle dynamics. If the rabid defense of his fans is any indicator, his characterization has had the same effect  as the GG seen in actual romantic triangles; his negative aspects are ignored in favor of his positive ones. He is seen to "deserve" romantic rewards for his pure motivations, regardless of the fallout of his actions. Because of his struggle, his mistakes are ignored. 
It's not the character of Finn who is harmful or bad, it's this narrow interpretation of his character. When he is interpreted thusly and as an actual romantic interest for Rey, it minimizes the agency (and importance) of Rey, who, remember, is the protagonist. The violation of consent is not excusable because someone is otherwise "good". (This is what the current fight in our country about sexual assault is all about.......). Consent under false pretenses does not count as consent. I don't care if you think Finn and Rey should get together; do it all you like, but you should not sweep this under the rug. 
Disregarding for a moment the cultural/romantic implications, saying, "Finn is just a good guy" insults his character and the work put into the building of his character. He's not one-note. He's complex, dynamic, human. He has flaws. I'm strong proponent of the idea that loving a person (or character) includes acknowledging and accepting their flaws. Otherwise, what's the point?

12 comments:

  1. The Constant Demonising and dismissal of black characters is absolutely insidious.

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  2. I don't mean to demonize or dismiss Finn at all; I like him. He's a strong character with an interesting journey ahead of him. If he was another race, I would have the same things to say about how his character is written (in fact, I did, in Parts I and II of this post series). He fits into a character type that has more than meets the eye, and that's what I hope to point out. It's not about the individual characters, it's about how they're used, again and again, in the same/similar patterns, and about trying to figure out why we have those patterns.
    Thanks for your time.

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  3. This is a perfect deconstruction of Finn if there was ever one. Bravo! Especially that he fought Kylo because Kylo insulted his image and that his love is conditional (means not real love...you'll see the difference when he starts caring about the new female character in Episode VIII).

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    1. Thanks! I'm glad you liked it.
      I've definitely heard rumors that will happen (?) but I guess we'll just have to wait and see ^^
      I just hope they don't go the no-romance-at-all-for-anyone option. I'm a sucker for a love story.

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  4. The romance will be between Rey and Kylo. Finn lied too much throughout the movie. The actor recently came out and said they weren't playing romance, and "it's not going to go the way you think". I believe he'll get a love interest in episode 8. A woman that he'll be honest with from the beginning.

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    1. Wow! I didn't know that.
      I hope so! A relationship founded on honesty would show he'd learned his lesson about lies.
      Thanks for the info and comment <3

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    2. So Finn lies to Rey when they first meet but comes clean later.

      Kylo kidnaps her, murders her father figure in front of her, puts her friend in a coma, and tries to kill her.

      And you think Kylo is a more suitable romantic partner? You're kidding me, right?

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    3. Your points are true, but you're not representing the whole story.
      Kylo murders HIS DAD as a ploy to try to get deeper into the darkness/as revenge for Han being a terrible father. It doesn't have anything to do with Rey when it happens. (Does this make him a good guy? No. Did he do it to hurt Rey, though? Also no.)
      Similar thing with Finn. Kylo puts him in a coma because he's a better fighter. They fight because they're on opposing sides. There's the personal layer, too ("traitor!" and whatnot), but I think they would have fought without it, if Finn had just been 'some guy' in the Resistance. War sucks, y'all.
      As for the "tries to kill"; watch the fight scene again. He has many, many chances to kill her. (Why did he just baff her into a tree when he could have crushed her windpipe? Why does he fight her instead of freezing her with the force and running her through? Why does he call to Luke/Anakin's saber instead of running to finish her off if that was his goal? etc) When it comes down to it, he doesn't aim for her directly. His blows are to her sides, hitting her lightsaber rather than trying to hit her body. Also, when he has her backed up against the chasm, he SO could have pushed her off. She was unbalanced to the extreme. But he doesn't. He offers to teach her instead. She starts using the force (rather obviously) and he STILL doesn't push her off. He doesn't want to kill her. Now, the "why" is very much up for interpretation. Maybe he has ulterior motives. Maybe he wants to bring her to the dark side. Maybe he feels kinship after he read her mind. Maybe he's still trying to follow Snoke's orders. But until we have a solid answer, there's no "right" or "wrong" when it comes to the "because".

      As far as "romantic partner", you'll just have to wait until my Rey post to get the answer to that, and I doubt it will be what you think.

      Cheers

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    4. Your points are true, but you're not representing the whole story.
      Kylo murders HIS DAD as a ploy to try to get deeper into the darkness/as revenge for Han being a terrible father. It doesn't have anything to do with Rey when it happens. (Does this make him a good guy? No. Did he do it to hurt Rey, though? Also no.)
      Similar thing with Finn. Kylo puts him in a coma because he's a better fighter. They fight because they're on opposing sides. There's the personal layer, too ("traitor!" and whatnot), but I think they would have fought without it, if Finn had just been 'some guy' in the Resistance. War sucks, y'all.
      As for the "tries to kill"; watch the fight scene again. He has many, many chances to kill her. (Why did he just baff her into a tree when he could have crushed her windpipe? Why does he fight her instead of freezing her with the force and running her through? Why does he call to Luke/Anakin's saber instead of running to finish her off if that was his goal? etc) When it comes down to it, he doesn't aim for her directly. His blows are to her sides, hitting her lightsaber rather than trying to hit her body. Also, when he has her backed up against the chasm, he SO could have pushed her off. She was unbalanced to the extreme. But he doesn't. He offers to teach her instead. She starts using the force (rather obviously) and he STILL doesn't push her off. He doesn't want to kill her. Now, the "why" is very much up for interpretation. Maybe he has ulterior motives. Maybe he wants to bring her to the dark side. Maybe he feels kinship after he read her mind. Maybe he's still trying to follow Snoke's orders. But until we have a solid answer, there's no "right" or "wrong" when it comes to the "because".

      As far as "romantic partner", you'll just have to wait until my Rey post to get the answer to that, and I doubt it will be what you think.

      Cheers

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  5. This is a brilliantly-written essay. I am delighted to see that there is at least one person who is willing to point out Finn's flaws and mistakes and his love for Rey is not as wholesome, pure, and deep as his fans make it out to be. He barely knows Rey, insists on being dishonest with her even as they get to to know each other, and willing to sacrifice the lives of everyone in the galaxy to save her and doesn't even feel any remorse for trying to do so.

    I also read your previous posts and see that you are a Zutara shipper or at least someone who seems to support it. Did you ever consider comparing Aang and Finn and Zuko and Kylo? Because I feel like the Finn vs. Kylo shipping debate is a rehash of Kataang vs. Zutara.

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    1. Hey, thanks! I glow under your praise.
      I do 'support' it, as much as one can support something that never happened (haha). To me, it seemed like they were writing it to have Katara and Zuko together but changed it at the last minute.
      I 100% agree on the rehash bit, at least as far as we have info for Star Wars now (The movie makers could take it in a totally different direction in the next movie). That's why this post and the earlier post were originally linked, because there are those similarities. I unlinked them when I realized most people weren't reading them together and were thus missing important contextual info.
      But yeah, they both fall under the same Good Guy/Bad Guy romantic triangle patterning. We have the good, earnest guy who the girl meets first who badly wants her attention even though she doesn't reciprocate. This is is "good", but he messes up along the way, especially in regards to the girl. We have the guy with the dark past, tragic family history, and anger issues who kidnaps the girl, yadda yadda. :) We'll just have to see if Kylo gets a redemption arc like Zuko did, if Finn learns about honesty, or where Rey is going at all (because she's the most flexible one).
      Anyway, sorry for rambling, and thanks for your comment!

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  6. Han Solo lied many times, cheated, initially refused to help the Resistance, and shot several people. Luke Skywalker vanished and left the galaxy to deal with a menace he indirectly created for 20 years. Leia ordered the destruction of an entire planet with millions of people on it.
    But I haven't seen anyone demonizing them!!!! Why could that be???? Is it because they're white???? and Finn is black??? Will we ever discover the truth? ???

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