Comic Discussion > QUESTIONABLE CONTENT

Marten's fundamental character

<< < (10/20) > >>

raoullefere:
I don't think that's quite it. I get the feeling it's more of "the one" syndrome. I don't think Marten is exactly conscious of it, but I do get the idea that somewhere in his brain that's what's going on. Whosname in California was "The One," so he followed her East. Then Faye was "The One," and so Marten endured seemingly endless putoffs, not to mention the punches, waiting on her. WHen Dora entered the picture, the idea "hey, why not date Dora some while I'm seeing where things go with Faye" never came up. I realize that dating co-workers, or, worse, boss and underling, not a good idea, but my point is I don't think Marten ever really considered it. What he did consider was whether or not to go with Dora or Faye—in other words, which was "The One."

Then in the relationship with Dora, I don't think the idea of things ending ever entered Marten's head, even though Dora mentioned it quite a few times. As far as Marten was concerned, Dora was "The One." I'm not accusing him of having marriagitus; I simply don't think he saw things ending.

That's why I feel Dora's fears are silly, so far as reality goes*, and why I became quite cross when some naive twit (okay, that's not fair) someone complained that Marten wasn't committed to the relationship. He didn't push it, because pushing is apparently not Marten—it's entirely possible, I suppose, that if Dora had wanted, they'd never have gotten beyond dating—but I think he was committed, so long as committing means "I'm in this, I am, and I ain't studyin' gettin' out, me bucko."** Various and sundry may have wanted Marten to do more, to push things along, to take it to the next level and all that sort of jive, but as far as being committed to what existed between himself and Dora, Marten was there to stay.

If you doubt this, note how surprised Marten is every time Dora thinks he is trying to break up with her, or change her, or what-have-you. And, Jesus, he met the parents. That guy was set, and if Dora hadn't a cog loose about suchlike, she'd'a had him as long as she wanted.

*Which is, of course, kind of the point.
**Don't question the sea-dog slang. It's not worth it.

Is it cold in here?:
I think I follow you but I'm not sure.

"The One syndrome" is different from monogamy in that it can happen even when there's no relationship? Or it's premature overcommitment?

Kazukagii:
Bondage, Black Hoodies and Bad Bands: The Psyche of Marten Reed by Kazukagii


Marten Reed, the protagonist of one Questionable Content webcomic, has been with us since the beginning. Skinny, pale, and meek in appearance. Adrift in a world where he can find no goal or aspiration, and constantly second guessing his own decisions. A fan of all the bands you've never heard of, and author of a blog nobody but his mother reads. We know this, but to truly understand what it is that drives "Marten", we must go back, back to those formative years. These will be our building blocks, with which we will try to create a picture of Marten.

A word of warning: some speculation has been made on the part of the author, due to various gaps within the backstory of Marten Reed. While you may be mesmerized by the vocabulary of your humble author, do note that all information should be taken, as always, with some fine salt crystals.

Chapter One: Development, Divorce, and More Alliteration
Little is known about Marten's early years, though one can assume that being raised as an only child Marten received ample attention from his parents. Also due to his mother's occupation as a fetish model, and his father's (at the time hidden) homosexuality, It is not too far a leap to assume that Marten was aware of many sexual topics early on in his life (though we do not know how early) and was taught to be open to many different beliefs and lifestyles. These assumptions have their basis in the series canon, as Marten has not been shown to have any prejudices against homosexual relationships or fetishes, and even offered to teach Tai how to properly use bondage gear. It can be assumed, then, that Marten had much more knowledge of sexual matters than most his age.

At age 10, Marten's parents were divorced, as a result of his father being unable to hide his homosexuality any longer. It goes without saying that all children this age are devastated by parents' separation, however even more tragic is that it happened under such circumstances. It has been indicated that Marten's parents separated on poor terms, however they eventually reconciled, which will be addressed later. This incident no doubt left a profound impact on Marten's life, but in what way? To this, we can put forth several assumptions. First: it may have shown Marten how devastating the effects of lying about oneself can have. Marten has never, to this author's knowledge, lied about his beliefs in a serious manner, nor has he attempted to hide thing that he felt were crucial to a relationship (regardless of whether the other party saw it as crucial). Marten saw how bad a lie in a relationship could be, and tried to avoid this as much as possible. Second: Marten learned that no relationship is perfect. While we will later discuss how Marten has sadly come to learn this fact over time, this incident may very well have planted the first seeds that any relationship, no matter how solid, can fail in an instant. This divorce may very well have become a point of comparison for Marten in future breakups. Though there are surely many other effects of this divorce that have given rise to the Marten we know today, we shall leave the topic where it is for now.

In summary, we can see that Marten grew up in a very different climate than most of his peers. Both his mother's job, and her openness about it, may have to Marten's own openness and acceptance of different views. His father, whom eventually ended his marriage due to his inability to pretend to be heterosexual any longer, may have taught Marten that it is never good to lie to oneself. Finally the crippling divorce of his parents may have shown Marten both how powerful a lie can be in the demise of a relationship, and how volatile even the most seemingly rock solid relationships can be.

Next Time: Chapter Two: Farewell California, Greetings Heartbreak

akronnick:
*slow clap*
 8-)

Carl-E:
Well, I was going to reply to Raoullefere's interesting "There can be only One" theory, but then Kazukagii's term paper showed up.  

This, by the way, may well be Wiki-worthy.  Can't wait to see the rest, snce I've put forth a theory or two of my own based on his upbringing and his parent's divorce.  

Anyway, back to Marten's "There can be only One" problem, which Kazukagii's subsequent chapters may still address.  There's a comic that I was looking for but couldn't find where he talks about this; I think he's talking with Tai, but that may be why I couldn't find it.  He lists all the other available women, and why he couldn't possibly even think about pursuing them (N\not even Faye!), now that he's involved with Dora.  It's pretty much a rationalization of his actions/inactions.  Any help?

Navigation

[0] Message Index

[#] Next page

[*] Previous page