After reading Amelia’s post, I began thinking about the differences between Guido in Mary Shelley's Transformation and Willow in "Doppelgangland" in terms of their respective transformations. We discussed a lot in class how Guido doesn’t really seem to undergo a major change because he doesn’t even recognize the dwarf as his doppelganger. He is so blinded to the horrible aspects of his own personality that he is unable to see himself reflected in the monster in front of him. He thinks the dwarf is hideously ugly and evil; however, these are actually his own characteristics mirrored in the dwarf. He grows jealous of the dwarf's selfish attentions to his lover, and feels tricked; however, he spent his fortune seeking selfish pleasure, and, like the dwarf, used trickery to create a false facade that he still had money. The things he hates the most in the dwarf are his very worst faults. I think this stems from the fact that people hate that most which they reject or refuse to see within themselves. The main realization Guido has while embodying (literally) the dwarf is that his physical form is beautiful. Thus, although we are lead to assume he has experienced an emotional as well as a physical transformation at the conclusion of the story, Guido really only changes and learns to appreciate physical appearance. He is unwilling to put in the difficult work to transform himself into a better human being. Like I mentioned in class on Wednesday, he was able to make the grand gesture of killing himself and the dwarf for the girl; however, he was previously unable to change his life for her, to live for her. It’s much easier to die for someone than to life for him/her, in my opinion.
Unlike Guido, Willow recognizes the darker aspects of her personality after meeting her doppelganger, and seeks both completion and redemption at the end of the episode. At the beginning of the episode, she wants to be more badass and seeks to bring out those characteristics within herself that she had previously suppressed. When faced with her doppelganger, she realizes that she has the ability to stand up for herself while also still being the same, reliable Willow that does homework and helps with Scooby Gang research. Being faced with her alter ego allows her to see herself more clearly and to grow because of it. In the scene where she pretends to be her doppelganger, she speaks about herself and realizes that most of her frustration and desire to be dangerous came internal judgment and assumptions rather than actual, external feedback from her friends. By refusing to kill her doppelganger and physically embracing her at the end of the episode, Willow embraces her darker self while also accepting and appreciating the nicer aspects of her personality. At the end of the episode, she jokingly says that she wants to enter a convent to atone for the sins of her dark doppelganger. This demonstrates that she has truly experienced a transformation. She faced her darker self and learned from the encounter, rather than rejecting or killing a different part of herself.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!
No comments:
Post a Comment