/If you compare that to Nora and Patch here, you see Patch is completely unchanged. He, like Edward, is considered "perfect" as is, so why change him? Despite the fact that the bad boy appeal comes COMPLETELY with change. You want a bad boy so you can change him. By having Patch remain the exact same, he isn't given the most important part of the bad boy, the redemption./
Maybe because if Patch redeemed himself, then he wouldn’t be “exciting” and “edgy” anymore. (Even though, as Zelda Queen said in an earlier comment, there are Jerks with Hearts of Gold who manage to be both rebellious *and* decent people). After all, Fitzpatrick never condemns Patch for his abusive ways nor has anyone call him out on his behavior, leading to the unfortunate implication that he’s supposed to be “sexy” and “thrilling” for being a manipulative, abusive scumbag.
/Nora DOES change. She becomes violent, jealous and clingy, to the point of worry. Her need for Patch is almost drug like. It wouldn't be hard to believe Patch secretly shoots her up with drugs to make her feel so dependent. This is such a negative change it's hard to see why you'd want it to happen. She wasn't a great character to begin with but this is awful./
This almost seems to be a reversal of the bad-boy redemption trope. Instead of the bad-boy becoming good, the good girl becomes bad and not in a good way, like if she stopped restricting herself, realized her inner desires and potential, and felt free to express herself and go against the stifling rules of her family/society/etc. No, she becomes bad in the sense that she becomes, like you said, a violent, jealous, and clingy mess. So, instead of representing the desire to redeem the bad-boy, Patch/Nora represents the desire to…make the girl just as bad as the guy? Drag her down to his level? I don’t think that that’s a common fantasy for women *or* men.
/Also, it makes her seem childish which makes you feel like, in a few years, she'll grow up or find someone else and switch her feelings to them. Or maybe she'll get healthier and realize this is irrational love./
Ah, if only. The problem is that Patch wouldn’t be willing to let her go.
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Date: 2012-06-19 02:24 am (UTC)Maybe because if Patch redeemed himself, then he wouldn’t be “exciting” and “edgy” anymore. (Even though, as Zelda Queen said in an earlier comment, there are Jerks with Hearts of Gold who manage to be both rebellious *and* decent people). After all, Fitzpatrick never condemns Patch for his abusive ways nor has anyone call him out on his behavior, leading to the unfortunate implication that he’s supposed to be “sexy” and “thrilling” for being a manipulative, abusive scumbag.
/Nora DOES change. She becomes violent, jealous and clingy, to the point of worry. Her need for Patch is almost drug like. It wouldn't be hard to believe Patch secretly shoots her up with drugs to make her feel so dependent. This is such a negative change it's hard to see why you'd want it to happen. She wasn't a great character to begin with but this is awful./
This almost seems to be a reversal of the bad-boy redemption trope. Instead of the bad-boy becoming good, the good girl becomes bad and not in a good way, like if she stopped restricting herself, realized her inner desires and potential, and felt free to express herself and go against the stifling rules of her family/society/etc. No, she becomes bad in the sense that she becomes, like you said, a violent, jealous, and clingy mess. So, instead of representing the desire to redeem the bad-boy, Patch/Nora represents the desire to…make the girl just as bad as the guy? Drag her down to his level? I don’t think that that’s a common fantasy for women *or* men.
/Also, it makes her seem childish which makes you feel like, in a few years, she'll grow up or find someone else and switch her feelings to them. Or maybe she'll get healthier and realize this is irrational love./
Ah, if only. The problem is that Patch wouldn’t be willing to let her go.