Fern's Character Corner #1: Squirrelflight
Oct 16, 2020 21:09:24 GMT -5
Showers, silentbreeze, and 2 more like this
Post by Fernshiine on Oct 16, 2020 21:09:24 GMT -5
It's almost Halloween so what better than to scare my anxious self by reviewing and expressing my thoughts on a controversial topic?
I'm going to be analyzing Squirrelflight based on the two main arguments people have about her: her personality and her choice of mate. These two, I've discovered, tie together and explain why she is the way she is.
Many people complain that Squirrelflight's personality sucks, but the real debate is on whether people prefer the way she is now or in the past. In my opinion, I liked her better before. I find that the way she is now isn't how she was meant to be, and I liked how fiery and expressive she was in the past. I feel like her calmness isn't "maturity" and has been caused by her relationship with Brambleclaw and Ashfur, as well as her adopted kits who despised her for so long.
Obviously I expected her to change a bit after the journey, which I feel would make any young cat become more mature. She had to face a lot during the journey. The way she acted directly after being given her warrior name I feel was how her personality was meant to be. Usually by that point a cat's morals and personality is set in stone unless something major happens that would influence growth or decline in their personality. She wasn't "whiny" like she was as an apprentice, but she was still short-tempered and expressive. She also had a sense of responsibility but not to the point where it changed her character. Her responsibility was paved by how she and her friends were responsible for the safety of all the Clans, along with how she had to stay loyal to ThunderClan despite having friends who were not a part of it. She had a blaze of passion and defensiveness about her but was more mature and her opinions were that of a cat who knew more about life than when she was an apprentice.
However, I think her personality took a drastic change due to how she was treated by her Clanmates...specifically Ashfur, Brambleclaw, and her adoptive kits, which I guess I already mentioned but I will explain in detail soon. I think that between the secret, the fire scene, and Brambleclaw's treatment of her, she was forced to grow up extremely fast even for a cat who saw a lot during the journey. She wasn't meant to mother kits during The New Prophecy, yet she made the choice to raise Leafpool's kits and was forced to exert a lot of patience and time toward them when her instincts told her to go out and hunt. She didn't have an instinct yet for mothering and suckling kits (plus she couldn't provide milk), and so she was always restless to do something other than sit in the nursery. I give her props for doing her best to mother them despite this, as she was caring for them to no end even though she didn't have the instincts that a cat would after giving birth. It was clear Leafpool did and had to hide it, and Squirrelflight had to force it a bit. Obviously she's smart and loved the kits, but she didn't have the same fierce passion Leafpool would have had by instinct. This was a huge responsibility for her.
Ashfur coming out to her and telling her he was in so much pain while also threatening to kill her kits to harm her was shocking too. The guilt must've affected her a lot, and she must have felt helpless. She obviously didn't love Ashfur but she would have never wanted to cause him such agony. He was her friend and they were nearly mates at one point, and he had been soft, gentle, and kind to her before. She would've been in so much shock and pain, and even more so when she felt forced to reveal the secret about the kits. That scene alone would have caused her tons of trauma and would be hard for her to overcome. Heck, she ended up facing repercussions for it (mostly through Brambleclaw's treatment of her) for well over a year after the event! The entire year after that was miserable and she was forced to take on responsibility to prove herself to her Clanmates, mostly Brambleclaw. Then suddenly she was chosen to be deputy. After the fire scene she was forced to hide her feelings and be more closed than she was in the past. Actually, no, after having to keep a secret for a long, long time, she had to hide her inner feelings, which was something she wasn't really good at as shown before. She was always open about how she felt and would express herself pretty good in order to get those feelings and thoughts across. Plus there's her having to hide her jealousy with how some kittypet, Jessy, started flirting with Brambleclaw even though she spent well over a year trying to tell him why she did what she did, only to get a cold shoulder for AGES.
Brambleclaw made her suppress her emotions a lot. Between him, the secret, and responsibilities she never asked for, it only makes sense that she became an outwardly dull character, forced to not speak up and be the way she was born to be. I honestly do not think she should have been deputy. Not because she isn't fit for it, but because she needs a break from the raw tiring responsibility that has been forced onto her shoulders for far too long.
I think that Bramblestar and Squirrelflight were never really soulmates, which was my first initial thought when I was a child. I disliked Ashfur because I thought he nearly stole her from Brambleclaw, and I believed they were meant to be because of the bond they shared during the journey. I no longer feel that way, however, and I feel that Brambleclaw has always treated her unfairly. He always exerted his power over her, starting from being a warrior while she was an apprentice during the journey, to practically every other moment after. People think Ashfur was controlling but I never saw how, aside from the instinct that every tom would have to protect their mate and beg them to be careful, regardless of how independent they are. Brambleclaw always punished her when they disagreed, giving her the cold shoulder for DAYS and tried to make her suppress herself. I don't ship him and I think he was harsh. He disliked her temper but liked her independence. He even sneered at her for wanting Ashfur at one point because Ashfur was "soft" and would "smooth out her path". This may have even manipulated her decision. He was also a jerk when she mentioned having kits.
Ashfur was kind and gentle. He wasn't controlling back then and he gave her everything she deserved, treating her like a true queen! He didn't like how Brambleclaw treated her and he was a light in a dark place. I always saw him as a better mate. I don't see how he is controlling by defending her. I mean, hell, I would love it if my partner defended me from a dude that always said cruel things after me thinking I loved him. I think he would have been hurt by her secret but would have forgiven her and not torutured her for a year. He would have never gone insane like he did when she ditched him. I don't blame her for his actions or even himself for the pain he was in. It's not like the Clans have therapy, plus they're cats. He was a bit obsessive but not when they were together. Pretty much more so after he felt she was torn out of his life. I am sure she felt guilty about how she hurt him but she had no choice in the matter of who she loved. She was close to being his mate, though, and I felt Brambleclaw was manipulative.
I don't think Squirrelflight and Bramblestar are meant to be, or should be together.
Overall: Squirrelflight suffered immense mental pain that changed her life forever. Yes, many were a result of her choices but those aren't the kind of choices that had foreseeable outcomes. I didn't like her choice of mate and while I dislike her personality now, I see why it happened and how it was shaped.
I'm going to be analyzing Squirrelflight based on the two main arguments people have about her: her personality and her choice of mate. These two, I've discovered, tie together and explain why she is the way she is.
1. Personality
Obviously I expected her to change a bit after the journey, which I feel would make any young cat become more mature. She had to face a lot during the journey. The way she acted directly after being given her warrior name I feel was how her personality was meant to be. Usually by that point a cat's morals and personality is set in stone unless something major happens that would influence growth or decline in their personality. She wasn't "whiny" like she was as an apprentice, but she was still short-tempered and expressive. She also had a sense of responsibility but not to the point where it changed her character. Her responsibility was paved by how she and her friends were responsible for the safety of all the Clans, along with how she had to stay loyal to ThunderClan despite having friends who were not a part of it. She had a blaze of passion and defensiveness about her but was more mature and her opinions were that of a cat who knew more about life than when she was an apprentice.
However, I think her personality took a drastic change due to how she was treated by her Clanmates...specifically Ashfur, Brambleclaw, and her adoptive kits, which I guess I already mentioned but I will explain in detail soon. I think that between the secret, the fire scene, and Brambleclaw's treatment of her, she was forced to grow up extremely fast even for a cat who saw a lot during the journey. She wasn't meant to mother kits during The New Prophecy, yet she made the choice to raise Leafpool's kits and was forced to exert a lot of patience and time toward them when her instincts told her to go out and hunt. She didn't have an instinct yet for mothering and suckling kits (plus she couldn't provide milk), and so she was always restless to do something other than sit in the nursery. I give her props for doing her best to mother them despite this, as she was caring for them to no end even though she didn't have the instincts that a cat would after giving birth. It was clear Leafpool did and had to hide it, and Squirrelflight had to force it a bit. Obviously she's smart and loved the kits, but she didn't have the same fierce passion Leafpool would have had by instinct. This was a huge responsibility for her.
Ashfur coming out to her and telling her he was in so much pain while also threatening to kill her kits to harm her was shocking too. The guilt must've affected her a lot, and she must have felt helpless. She obviously didn't love Ashfur but she would have never wanted to cause him such agony. He was her friend and they were nearly mates at one point, and he had been soft, gentle, and kind to her before. She would've been in so much shock and pain, and even more so when she felt forced to reveal the secret about the kits. That scene alone would have caused her tons of trauma and would be hard for her to overcome. Heck, she ended up facing repercussions for it (mostly through Brambleclaw's treatment of her) for well over a year after the event! The entire year after that was miserable and she was forced to take on responsibility to prove herself to her Clanmates, mostly Brambleclaw. Then suddenly she was chosen to be deputy. After the fire scene she was forced to hide her feelings and be more closed than she was in the past. Actually, no, after having to keep a secret for a long, long time, she had to hide her inner feelings, which was something she wasn't really good at as shown before. She was always open about how she felt and would express herself pretty good in order to get those feelings and thoughts across. Plus there's her having to hide her jealousy with how some kittypet, Jessy, started flirting with Brambleclaw even though she spent well over a year trying to tell him why she did what she did, only to get a cold shoulder for AGES.
Brambleclaw made her suppress her emotions a lot. Between him, the secret, and responsibilities she never asked for, it only makes sense that she became an outwardly dull character, forced to not speak up and be the way she was born to be. I honestly do not think she should have been deputy. Not because she isn't fit for it, but because she needs a break from the raw tiring responsibility that has been forced onto her shoulders for far too long.
2. Squirrelflight's Relationships With Ash & Bramble
Ashfur was kind and gentle. He wasn't controlling back then and he gave her everything she deserved, treating her like a true queen! He didn't like how Brambleclaw treated her and he was a light in a dark place. I always saw him as a better mate. I don't see how he is controlling by defending her. I mean, hell, I would love it if my partner defended me from a dude that always said cruel things after me thinking I loved him. I think he would have been hurt by her secret but would have forgiven her and not torutured her for a year. He would have never gone insane like he did when she ditched him. I don't blame her for his actions or even himself for the pain he was in. It's not like the Clans have therapy, plus they're cats. He was a bit obsessive but not when they were together. Pretty much more so after he felt she was torn out of his life. I am sure she felt guilty about how she hurt him but she had no choice in the matter of who she loved. She was close to being his mate, though, and I felt Brambleclaw was manipulative.
I don't think Squirrelflight and Bramblestar are meant to be, or should be together.
Overall: Squirrelflight suffered immense mental pain that changed her life forever. Yes, many were a result of her choices but those aren't the kind of choices that had foreseeable outcomes. I didn't like her choice of mate and while I dislike her personality now, I see why it happened and how it was shaped.