Comic Discussion > QUESTIONABLE CONTENT
Marten's fundamental character
Is it cold in here?:
Is Marten over-controlled?
He's been walking around with these resentments inside all along. Would it have been healthier if he'd had an "it hurts but I want you to be happy" talk with Faye, as Faye did with him when the Dora relationship began?
raoullefere:
I don't know if he's been walking around with these resentments, or has noticed that, by golly, this is one way of looking at it, and it jolly well should be resented. 'Cause that's what I see—a whole heapin' case of the shoulds. Dora should have stayed with Marten, but she didn't; she should have believed he was over Faye (and I really think he is, sot-talk notwithstanding), but she didn't; Faye should have given him a chance so he could have had evidence he and Faye had tried and failed, but she didn't; and so on. Because, if you notice, Marten is really making this about him losing Dora. At the worst, the narrative I see is: "I did everything as right as I could, and now you have someone and I'm alone. It's not fair, and it shouldn't be that way—make it up to me." Not "You never gave me a chance. I love you" or any variation thereof.
They don't call 'em the 'terrible shoulds' for nothing. They hurt, man, if you let them, which Marten is.
In other words, it's Dora who Marten resents, or the situation she left him in, not Faye. Faye's simply handy. Also, Marten wants to use her (apparently in the traditional sense) to feel better, which is a helluva thing to do to a friend. Like I said in the weekly, he actually deserves that punch.
Carl-E:
A lot of this is the bourbon talking, too. It's simplified his outlook and view of the situation, 'cause face it, you can't analyse anything complex when inebriated. Drunken epiphanies are garbage in the sober light of day.
I can actually hear his slurring of "Commere an' gimme a..." (Why do "stinkin" drunks seem to always wanna kiss someone?)
In some ways it's unfortunate that he probably won't remember this. Because Faye will.
Always.
Sorry, this isn't shedding much light on Marten's fundamental character, but it's more along the lines that what we're seeing in 1818 isn't really his fundamental character - it's a proto-Marten, like a laptop running in "Safe" mode - severely impaired at best.
That's a helluva lot of bourbon for a skinny kid, even counting Hanner's glass (which he probably finished off after she left).
Is it cold in here?:
Faye will remember it, but she seems like the type who is violent in the moment, is satisfied by that, and doesn't hold a grudge.
This was all prefigured, too:
--- Quote from: a very early comic ---PANEL 2 / Pintsize: Fay is nice. Is she going to be your girlfriend now? / Marten: Heh. No, she said she wasn't interested.
PANEL 3 / Pintsize: I'm sorry. You look disappointed. / Marten: Yeah, I guess I am. Which is fucked up, because I should be happy to at least have made a new friend.
--- End quote ---
trclocke:
--- Quote from: raoullefere on 15 Dec 2010, 10:48 ---I don't know if he's been walking around with these resentments, or has noticed that, by golly, this is one way of looking at it, and it jolly well should be resented. 'Cause that's what I see—a whole heapin' case of the shoulds. Dora should have stayed with Marten, but she didn't; she should have believed he was over Faye (and I really think he is, sot-talk notwithstanding), but she didn't; Faye should have given him a chance so he could have had evidence he and Faye had tried and failed, but she didn't; and so on. Because, if you notice, Marten is really making this about him losing Dora. At the worst, the narrative I see is: "I did everything as right as I could, and now you have someone and I'm alone. It's not fair, and it shouldn't be that way—make it up to me." Not "You never gave me a chance. I love you" or any variation thereof.
They don't call 'em the 'terrible shoulds' for nothing. They hurt, man, if you let them, which Marten is.
In other words, it's Dora who Marten resents, or the situation she left him in, not Faye. Faye's simply handy. Also, Marten wants to use her (apparently in the traditional sense) to feel better, which is a helluva thing to do to a friend. Like I said in the weekly, he actually deserves that punch.
--- End quote ---
Knowing the way jeph writes, I'm quite sure you're right. I think innate feelings for Faye would make for a large interesting amount of drama, and I'm a sucker for a good love triangle, but I have a feeling jeph would consider that sort of thing to be contrived, derivative, all that. If it's crossed his mind, he'd immediately go "nah, too obvious".
Time will tell, I guess.
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