Ariel: Simon's Strength

POSTED BY: GoramMan
UPDATED: Wednesday, December 15, 2010 10:43
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PLATONIST

Thursday, February 7, 2008 3:39 AM

Well, since we see Inara brushing Kaylee's hair and chiding her about washing her face (Train Job), I'm going with Kaylee representing "Hope" rather than motherhood? And Inara represents motherhood. (River are you hungry, Sweetie?)

If Inara represents a Christian figure it would be The Madonna or Mary Magdalene (for some time thought to be a whore), and not JC. If you're using Christmas as a reference point, the Madonna would certainly be present, and in some denominations, Mary is considered divine (born without sin), and able to give absolution, as we see Inara do with Book, in Serenity.

SCHOOLBOYSWINK

Thursday, February 7, 2008 11:07 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Platonist:
Well, since we see Inara brushing Kaylee's hair and chiding her about washing her face (Train Job), I'm going with Kaylee representing "Hope" rather than motherhood? And Inara represents motherhood. (River are you hungry, Sweetie?)

If Inara represents a Christian figure it would be The Madonna or Mary Magdalene (for some time thought to be a whore), and not JC. If you're using Christmas as a reference point, the Madonna would certainly be present, and in some denominations, Mary is considered divine (born without sin), and able to give absolution, as we see Inara do with Book, in Serenity.

We see Inara showing some motherhood in specific scenes, but in general she is never going to match the way Kaylee mothers over the entire crew. She, more than anybody, is the person driving this group of people to be a family. Certainly Kaylee represents hope and youthful spirit as well, but in her treatment of the crew she is always trying to take care of everyone, and she feels shame and blames herself whenever she is unable to protect them (e.g. OoG, OiS response to WS). These are very maternal instincts, to say nothing of the fact that her painting of flower trim in the kitchen/dining room and decoration of her bunk entrance could certainly be interpreted as "nesting" behavior (though I don't like pop psychology terms, I can't think of a better way to make sure everybody knows what I am talking about). She also mantains the ship that keeps everyone alive, giving of herself, and of an innate, mysterious power, no less (not unlike historical views of woman's power to create and nurture life) to keep everyone breathing, warm, and fed, not just in a gunfight or a crisis, but every single day, and she without a doubt thinks of Serenity as an extension of her even if not an actual offspring ("There's my good girl"). While the examples are less concrete, this prevailing attitude throughout the show I think is a stronger argument for the mother representation than some of Inara's more specific but less omnipresent actions, if we are forced to choose one or the other for that role (and I'm really not saying that we are).

"When you can't do somethin' smart, do somethin' right!" -Jayne Cobb quotes Shepherd Book

VETERAN

Friday, February 8, 2008 12:28 AM

If the crew is a family, Kaylee is the "little sister." Aside from Mal being a default father figure and Jayne being a rebellious teen, the rest of the characters don't fit into a family model.

MRMGRAPHICS

Friday, February 8, 2008 12:30 AM

+

According to JW (commentary in the Firefly DVD box set), Kaylee is a character full of life; someone who embraces and is passionate about all life has to offer. She is openly sexual; she likes good food (so much so that Jewel Staite had to gain 20 pounds to play the role); she is the heart of the ship. Jewel Staite makes similar comments (Firefly Official Companion Vol I): Kaylee is a flirt, she loves her ship (considers it a tenth crew member), and desperately wants everyone to get along.

I don't so much associate "maternal" with Kaylee as I do "passion" -- and not passion solely in the sexual sense. She is passionate about everything, from the strawberry Book gives her in the pilot, to the pink frilly hoop skirt dress in "Shindig" (kept in her bunk), to the food at the dance. ("Don't make yourself sick," Mal tells her, as she heads to the buffet.)

A telling line is in one of the scripts, which refers to Kaylee entering a scene "in all of her Kaylee-ness." She is so well defined in that Kaylee-ness, too: passion, plus joy, friendship, caring...caring for the ship and crew as one. Wanting everyone to get along. Never revealing, for example, what happened (with River and the gun) in War Stories, until OiS (and Mal, himself, makes it clear she should have spoken up sooner), because River's her friend. (The depths of her caring for River are also seen manifested as guilt, when she is tied up and talking to River's VO in OiS. She's betrayed her friend, River, and it is tearing her up, even as she is fearing being raped or killed.)

In addition, her open sexulaity (and this is noted on the script) shines not just in OoG (when Mal first meets her), but at the end of Trash: Mal is walking up onto Serenity naked, Wash and Zoe are dumbfounded, and Kaylee isn't even phased.

Does this make her a mother figure? I don't think so. Nor do I think Inara is, but it should be mentioned that in OiS, Inara is the one told by Jubal: "Man is stronger by far than woman. But only woman can create a child. That seem right to you?"

Food for thought.

To go back to the original subject of this post, Simon's strength: I think a lot needs said about the moment in Safe when he climbs up onto the platform with River. He has failed to free her; failed to save her life. Now he offers the only thing left to her that he can offer: He won't let her die alone.

So just as Kaylee is the pasison of Serenity, Simon is its nobility. That's the word I always think of when I think of Simon: noble. And it his very nobility -- he puts caring fo River above everything -- that conflicts with Kaylee's passion.

It is also his nobility that, in BDM (after getting shot), makes him utter what may be his last dying words: "River...I'm sorry." He is dying, they all might die, and his only thought is that he's sorry he can no longer care for River.

Again, nobility.

So I vote "voices" of Serenity's crew as follows:

Simon -- the voice of nobility
Mal -- the voice of honor and rebellion
Zoe -- the voice of strength and duty
Wash -- the voice of humor
Kaylee -- the voice of passion
Jayne -- the voice of practicality
Inara -- the voice of reason
Book -- the voice of morals (dubious as his own past might be)
River -- the voice of (hell she's a choir, I'll get back to that)

and

FOX -- the voice of true gorramn stupidity

mrmgraphics
(website under serious reconstruction, if not life-saving surgery)

RIVERFLAN

Friday, February 8, 2008 12:43 AM

While Joss is the voice of true brilliance

#~%~~*~~~&~~~*~~%~#\/#~%~~*~~~&~~~*~~%~#

\~~~*~~^~~*~~~/$$\~~~*~~^~~*~~~/
98% of teens have smoked pot, if you are one of the 2% that haven't, copy this into your signature.

PLATONIST

Friday, February 8, 2008 12:58 AM

I intepretate Kaylee's behavior as more of a "peace keeper" within the family. She aborhs confrontation (let's not do anything hasty). Some may consider that mothering, I don't. The warm and fuzzy sister, yes. But, she really doesn't take care of anyone's physical or emotional needs.

She plays and runs around with River (the apple and the jacks) as an older sibling would. Her room door decoration is that of a teenager. Mal sees her interest in Simon as a "crush". She asks her folks if she can take an off world job. When she cooks, it is a cute Birthday Cake for her boyfriend, Simon. And, I’m not really sure if Kaylee painted the kitchen. Is that canon?

I don't really see her protecting the crew, either. In, the Train Job, it is Inara that grabs her to safety when Crow boards. It is River who does the math and takes out Niska's men. Mal doesn't expect that of Kaylee.

She may take care of Serenity's engine and keep them flying, but when in Out of Gas they break down, it is Mal that gives her the emotional support to stay focused. When Simon says something idiotic, she goes to Inara for solace.

Kaylee just doesn't have the experience or wisdom to be a mother persona to a complex group of adult crew members. Cheerful and hopeful yes, but, "Mom make it better, the worlds been mean to me today” no, I don't see it.

ASARIAN

Friday, February 8, 2008 1:40 AM

In earnest, I don't see 'motherly' coming from Kaylee. For one, because she's simply too young for such a role. 'Sisterly'? Yes. "No power in the 'Verse can stop me" and all, playing with River and such. But caring for and nurturing the crew? She's not making wife-soup (or any other food, for that matter) for the crew; and Inara is grooming HER (and not 'mother' Kaylee doing the hair of one of her children). 'Child'? Yes, also; in many ways Mal takes on a fatherly role to her. But 'motherly'? I just don't see it. She represent 'hope'; and 'faith' (and the hope of faith). She's got a delightful 'joie de vivre' -- one I admire deeply. But psy.. err, I mean, motherly? Mothers worry too much for that. ) She's too untainted with the world for that. Too innocent at heart. Couldn't fully cope with River going 'woolly' on her in War Stories (to borrow a Jayne term). And gladly so. It endears me to her greatly. But 'motherly'? It don't make no sense.

Not to derail this thread for too long, but I'd attribute 'motherly' ere to Zoe; yep, not even to Inara; though she 'ministered' well to Book in the Pilot, it felt too much like a standard Companion 'rescue op' to me. I believe it's really Zoe who is the true mother of them all: "River, honey, he's putting the hair away now." Zoe is mostly in the background; but always watching and caring for her nest. The silent protector.

--
"Mei-mei, everything I have is right here." -- Simon Tam

PLATONIST

Friday, February 8, 2008 2:23 AM

Zoë, the protector, talking care of the crew in a more physical sense, yes, I see that, as motherly.

Inara nurturing and caring for their emotional needs, as the flip side of that coin, a shared responsibility perhaps.

Simon, heroic and strong, definitely! Does that help?

SPACEANJL

Tuesday, February 26, 2008 12:15 PM

I love the family dynamic on the ship, even if my view of it might be a little skewed.

There's really two generations, near enough (perhaps three when Book was aboard.) Simon, Kaylee and River are distinctly younger than the other crew, not quite young enough to be the children of, but a different perspective. We saw that River was upped a couple of years at school so I imagine Simon might have been, too. A bright and lonely child perhaps? But he's only ever had a baby sister to deal with, sibling-wise. Now he's got the equivalent of bigger siblings.

This is how I see the Tam relationship with Jayne working out, you see. We know Jayne has at least one brother, and there is something in the way he is with Kaylee and occasionally Zoe, that makes me think he grew up with either sisters or a mess of girl cousins, probably both. Once the Tams are crew and inside the circle of what Jayne considers 'his', he's going to react to them in a similar fashion.

There's a lot of fun to be had from the friction between Simon and Jayne, particularly if the malice is taken out of it. Simon's smarter, Jayne's tougher, and both of them mutter if Mal has a hissy fit at them.

I suppose the problem I have with the idea of Mal or Zoe in a parental role is that I'm the same age, and the mere idea of it makes me want to run up the curtains like a panicked ferret. But I can get behind the idea of them as older siblings.

After all, isn't that the Joss thing? Making a family.

MDBROWNCOATGIRL26

Wednesday, February 27, 2008 3:09 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by SpaceAnJL:
I love the family dynamic on the ship, even if my view of it might be a little skewed.

There's really two generations, near enough (perhaps three when Book was aboard.) Simon, Kaylee and River are distinctly younger than the other crew, not quite young enough to be the children of, but a different perspective.

I take it you're not including Inara as crew? I see her as being only a couple years older than Simon.

Quote:

There's a lot of fun to be had from the friction between Simon and Jayne, particularly if the malice is taken out of it. Simon's smarter, Jayne's tougher, and both of them mutter if Mal has a hissy fit at them.

Reminds me of the interaction between Wash and Jayne. They seemed to enjoy baiting each other.

Anyway, I clearly see sibling dynamics come into play: I see Mal and Kaylee as big brother and little sister (Mal's response to Kaylee's comment about "twixt my nethers" seems a bit like what Simon would say if River made a similar comment.)

Mal and Zoe seem almost sibling-like as well, as well as (IMHO) Jayne and Kaylee (sorry Jaylee fans). I kind of see River becoming everyone's mei-mei, not just Simon's.

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