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Poll

First Day of Therapy for Dora in One Word:

Drama.
- 5 (4.9%)
Humor.
- 7 (6.8%)
Tears.
- 20 (19.4%)
Screaming.
- 4 (3.9%)
Silence.
- 17 (16.5%)
Fear.
- 13 (12.6%)
Loathing.
- 8 (7.8%)
Lobotomy.
- 17 (16.5%)
Coffee.
- 3 (2.9%)
Never.
- 9 (8.7%)

Total Members Voted: 92


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Author Topic: WCDT: 6-10 Dec 2010 (1811-1815)  (Read 149861 times)

Olymander

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Re: WCDT: 6-10 Dec 2010 (1811-1815)
« Reply #400 on: 12 Dec 2010, 22:41 »


How about this—just as Penelope gets agitated when Dora doesn't see how obvious it is she's 'right,' it's possible Dora will get agitated when the therapist doesn't simply accept her explanations, or, worse, points out flaws in them. She's also, after all, gotten angry when Marten didn't simply take her side. It all depends on how defensive she really is, of how much debating Dora's really prepared to do.


I think it'll all come down to how the session goes, and how things get approached.  If the therapist comes in as the "mothering type", I can more easily see Dora going off, as her personality has always struck me as the "will run over people if given an inch" sort of thing.  If the therapist is more of a no-nonsense, strictly business type that Dora doesn't feel (rightly or wrongly) that she could somehow cow, we probably wouldn't have an angry Dora, but maybe a sullen or uncommunicative one.

I disagree with A) in that I feel that if Jeph would like to keep Dora in the major circle of characters, we'll need to at least see some definite results from the therapy, if only to "rehabiitate" her in our eyes.  After all, she's largely come out as the villain of the piece, bar the "spineless Marten" bashing that we won't go into again.  So, in that sense, her therapy is vital to the plot, at least in terms of keeping her as a fairly major character within it.  If she's just going to fade away, well, then no, it becomes less important.

I know what you mean about Dora seeming the 'villain' to many readers although I personally don't understand that perception. What's happening to Dora is tragic, and it's pretty clear to me she's suffered the most from her insecurities. How bad is it when you 'know' there's a time limit on your happiness—and you've actualy accepted it?

I don't think Dora being the "villain" is really a proper interpretation. Most people, me included, probably see her as the one in the wrong. She's the one that pulled the trigger and ran away. Yes, it's tragic and yes, she's suffering just like everybody else. But she's still in the wrong though she's not so much the villain as she is the coward. Instead of trying to work things out with professional help, which would be strenuous yes but cathartic in the end, she decided to run and hide. There's no excuse for that when Marten and Faye would've surely given her the space she needed. In most breakups and divorces there is no real "bad guy". But there's often one that's more selfish and cowardly than the other which puts that partner in the wrong, provided of course there's a chance whatever issues are present can be fixed, and makes them an easy target for any resentment other interested parties may feel.

I meant "villain" in the literary sense, as in "the (purported) villain of the piece".  As Jeph has largely tried to keep this fairly realistic, people are, well, people, and apart from a few cutouts (Vespavenger?) there are no real "villains".  I really meant "villain" in the way that it seems that most of the people here identify much more strongly with Marten than Dora, and thus put most of the blame on the relationship breaking up on her, and, like Torlek, seeing her as being the one in the wrong.  I'm not very experienced in relationships myself (finally in my first "real" one), but from my experience with "Issues" both in (other people's) relationships and out, apart from maybe salving hurt feelings or pride, putting someone in the wrong or assigning blame is rarely helpful (except possibly in the case of preventing a repeat), as you're already in a/the situation, and now what matters is dealing with the aftermath.
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