Why I think what happened to Azula works
Sep. 2nd, 2010 04:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
gryphonseggIn comments to my previous post about Katara on Dreawidth, a friend suggested I do a post about Azula. So I'm going to expand on what I said in comments there.
As I've mentioned before, I don't think Azula's breakdown in the finale is sexist, inconsistent with her previous characterization, or a narrative cop-out. Some fans of earlier parts of the series who didn't like the way it ended have claimed that it's flawed storytelling that the protagonists couldn't defeat Azula until she went insane. I don't see that as a flaw at all. If anything, it was good, consistent storytelling. Azula is brilliant. She's a prodigy at firebending, martial arts, and battle tactics, and she operates in her everyday life at level of perfectionism that would be impossible for most people to maintain for so long. Therefore, it would have been a complete cop-out to have Azula get defeated while she was functioning at her best. I suppose she could have had some debilitating illness or injury acquired by chance when her enemies came for her, but that would have been just as much of a cop-out by fictional standards; sure, it could happen, but it wouldn't make a satisfying ending for the arc.
I have seen people argue that the breakdown was sexist because Azula is a female character who supposedly went insane "when she got too much power," but I don't think the series supports such a reading. There are two kinds of power Azula can be said to have: personal power as an extremely gifted bender and political power as a member of the royal family of the nation that is in the process of conquering the world. When it comes to bending power and the other traits, such as intelligence and strength of will, that enable a character to use it effectively, Azula has equals or near equals in at least two other female characters who are portrayed as heroes and who did not go insane: Katara and Toph. In fact, Katara was the character who finally defeated Azula with a combination of waterbending skill and quick thinking. As for political power, Azula did not have any more of that at the end of the series than she did when she first appeared. When someone says that Azula gained power toward the end, what they are usually referring to is her receiving the title of Fire Lord from her father. However, Azula did not gain any power when Ozai bestowed this title. In fact, the final straw that broke her sanity was the realization that Ozai had stripped the title of everything that made it meaningful to her. She thought power was in her grasp-- and probably thought her father was giving her the greatest honor any parent possibly could by passing his position onto her while he was still alive and to all appearances quite healthy. But a moment later he declared himself Phoenix King, a new, greater position of his own invention. He wasn't really giving Azula any more power or honors than she had before; he was just giving her his castoffs. He gave her the hollowed-out husk of the dream he had trained her to strive to prove herself worthy of her entire life. What finally snapped her was that he appeared to be granting her greatest wish . . . and then in the next moment, he yanked everything that made it meaningful to her out from under her.
Finally, I disagree with the opinion I sometimes see stated that Azula's breakdown "came out of nowhere" and is inconsistent with her prior characterization as a perfect warrior/princess. I have to wonder if those who think flipping the fuck out is inconsistent with being a perfect tactician, martial artist, politician, and princess for fourteen to fifteen years have ever considered how exhausting it is to try to be perfect. In her first appearance, Azula gets freakishly peeved about having a hair out of place, so I always thought of her as having the kind of unhealthily extreme perfectionism that causes an extremely talented person to crumble or blow up in the face of one setback too many. And I think she was telling the truth when she said that it hurt to know her mother was afraid of her and considered her a monster. I actually think Ursa's feelings for Azula were positive or at worst mixed, and Ozai convinced Azula that Ursa was afraid of her in order make her feel that he was the only adult she could trust and therefore the only one to whom she should be loyal. I find it very telling that after Ozai lets her down (as discussed in the previous paragraph), she sees a vision of her mother. When Azula accuses not-really-there Ursa of having been afraid of her, Azula hears Ursa say that Ursa was never afraid of her but instead felt only love for her. Was this a true vision from the spirit world sent to reveal a truth Azula had genuinely not known? Or was it a hallucination from Azula's own mind, reminding her of a truth she had known deep down but suppressed because it conflicted with what her father told her? Whatever the "real" answer is, the scene indicates that Azula was deeply affected by the notion that her mother thought she was a monster.
Also, what is the main "theme" of Azula's madness? Paranoia-- the fear that she can't trust anyone. This all takes place after not one but both of her best (perhaps only?) friends turn on her. It's bad enough that Mai chooses Zuko over Azula, but then Ty Lee, who had been the more affectionate and devoted of the pair, attacks and incapacitates Azula to protect Mai. Ty Lee has spent her every appearance up until that scene acting like Azula is her favorite person in the world. Ty Lee is adoring, almost worshipful, gushing about how perfect Azula is, and then . . . well, from Ty Lee's point of view, she might well feel exactly that way about Azula, but from Azula's point of view, Ty Lee's decision to protect Mai instead of siding with Azula in all matters feels like betrayal. Then Azula's father betrays her by naming her Fire Lord and immediately removing the authority from that role. No wonder Azula is thrown off her center! Isn't she good enough? Isn't she perfect? Maybe not . . . and if she's not perfect, what is she? Just a political tool? Just a figurehead? Just a monster nobody really likes? Azula was always tightly wound, constantly operating at a level of perfectionism that would be impossible for most people to maintain that long and impossible for anyone to maintain forever. To me, it makes perfect sense when she snaps.
As I've mentioned before, I don't think Azula's breakdown in the finale is sexist, inconsistent with her previous characterization, or a narrative cop-out. Some fans of earlier parts of the series who didn't like the way it ended have claimed that it's flawed storytelling that the protagonists couldn't defeat Azula until she went insane. I don't see that as a flaw at all. If anything, it was good, consistent storytelling. Azula is brilliant. She's a prodigy at firebending, martial arts, and battle tactics, and she operates in her everyday life at level of perfectionism that would be impossible for most people to maintain for so long. Therefore, it would have been a complete cop-out to have Azula get defeated while she was functioning at her best. I suppose she could have had some debilitating illness or injury acquired by chance when her enemies came for her, but that would have been just as much of a cop-out by fictional standards; sure, it could happen, but it wouldn't make a satisfying ending for the arc.
I have seen people argue that the breakdown was sexist because Azula is a female character who supposedly went insane "when she got too much power," but I don't think the series supports such a reading. There are two kinds of power Azula can be said to have: personal power as an extremely gifted bender and political power as a member of the royal family of the nation that is in the process of conquering the world. When it comes to bending power and the other traits, such as intelligence and strength of will, that enable a character to use it effectively, Azula has equals or near equals in at least two other female characters who are portrayed as heroes and who did not go insane: Katara and Toph. In fact, Katara was the character who finally defeated Azula with a combination of waterbending skill and quick thinking. As for political power, Azula did not have any more of that at the end of the series than she did when she first appeared. When someone says that Azula gained power toward the end, what they are usually referring to is her receiving the title of Fire Lord from her father. However, Azula did not gain any power when Ozai bestowed this title. In fact, the final straw that broke her sanity was the realization that Ozai had stripped the title of everything that made it meaningful to her. She thought power was in her grasp-- and probably thought her father was giving her the greatest honor any parent possibly could by passing his position onto her while he was still alive and to all appearances quite healthy. But a moment later he declared himself Phoenix King, a new, greater position of his own invention. He wasn't really giving Azula any more power or honors than she had before; he was just giving her his castoffs. He gave her the hollowed-out husk of the dream he had trained her to strive to prove herself worthy of her entire life. What finally snapped her was that he appeared to be granting her greatest wish . . . and then in the next moment, he yanked everything that made it meaningful to her out from under her.
Finally, I disagree with the opinion I sometimes see stated that Azula's breakdown "came out of nowhere" and is inconsistent with her prior characterization as a perfect warrior/princess. I have to wonder if those who think flipping the fuck out is inconsistent with being a perfect tactician, martial artist, politician, and princess for fourteen to fifteen years have ever considered how exhausting it is to try to be perfect. In her first appearance, Azula gets freakishly peeved about having a hair out of place, so I always thought of her as having the kind of unhealthily extreme perfectionism that causes an extremely talented person to crumble or blow up in the face of one setback too many. And I think she was telling the truth when she said that it hurt to know her mother was afraid of her and considered her a monster. I actually think Ursa's feelings for Azula were positive or at worst mixed, and Ozai convinced Azula that Ursa was afraid of her in order make her feel that he was the only adult she could trust and therefore the only one to whom she should be loyal. I find it very telling that after Ozai lets her down (as discussed in the previous paragraph), she sees a vision of her mother. When Azula accuses not-really-there Ursa of having been afraid of her, Azula hears Ursa say that Ursa was never afraid of her but instead felt only love for her. Was this a true vision from the spirit world sent to reveal a truth Azula had genuinely not known? Or was it a hallucination from Azula's own mind, reminding her of a truth she had known deep down but suppressed because it conflicted with what her father told her? Whatever the "real" answer is, the scene indicates that Azula was deeply affected by the notion that her mother thought she was a monster.
Also, what is the main "theme" of Azula's madness? Paranoia-- the fear that she can't trust anyone. This all takes place after not one but both of her best (perhaps only?) friends turn on her. It's bad enough that Mai chooses Zuko over Azula, but then Ty Lee, who had been the more affectionate and devoted of the pair, attacks and incapacitates Azula to protect Mai. Ty Lee has spent her every appearance up until that scene acting like Azula is her favorite person in the world. Ty Lee is adoring, almost worshipful, gushing about how perfect Azula is, and then . . . well, from Ty Lee's point of view, she might well feel exactly that way about Azula, but from Azula's point of view, Ty Lee's decision to protect Mai instead of siding with Azula in all matters feels like betrayal. Then Azula's father betrays her by naming her Fire Lord and immediately removing the authority from that role. No wonder Azula is thrown off her center! Isn't she good enough? Isn't she perfect? Maybe not . . . and if she's not perfect, what is she? Just a political tool? Just a figurehead? Just a monster nobody really likes? Azula was always tightly wound, constantly operating at a level of perfectionism that would be impossible for most people to maintain that long and impossible for anyone to maintain forever. To me, it makes perfect sense when she snaps.
(no subject)
Date: 2010-09-03 12:39 am (UTC)