Fluffy White Feathers and Divine Eyes: Hunters and the Absentee Higher Power

[bowtrunckle]

Meta-ish blabber lurks below the cut.

Wow, it’s been a long time since I’ve posted meta. First I want to say that

Comments

[blackcat333_99]

Oops! And that's what I get for posting in a hurry. I should clarify that Dean has questioned the morality of the hunter's code/agenda, and it's an interesting breakdown/contrast to the other hunters professing a zealous faith in their actions. I.e. in Bloodlust ("What if we killed things that didn't deserve killing?"), Hunted (Dean questions Gordon's killing people who 1) did nothing evil - yet, (Scott), and 2) an innocent girl, in order to get to the possessing demon. Which then harkens back to Devil's Trap, when Dean questions his own willingness to kill the demon attacking his brother and in the process an innocent man who had no control over being possessed. Which pushes us to Croatoan, when Sam says "we're supposed to struggle with this, that's the point"; a time when Sam was questions his brother's actions as being out of line with his belief system of protecting and saving innocents, rather than blowing people away on a "possibly evil" pretext a'la Gordon. "You don't act like yourself, anymore." Gordon would have pulled the trigger on Duane's "possible" infection, but Sam recognized that Dean doesn't usually operate by that code/belief system. Dean is the "see it with his own eyes/hard proof" kind of guy.

Umm. And now I'm just babbling, so I'll shut up now.

[bowtrunckle]

What a juicy comment! :) Thank for reading.

I wonder where Dean falls in this division of believers, belief and faith vs. sociopathy.

Hmm. It's hard to say because Dean's beliefs seem to evolve. He definitely didn't want to believe in a higher power in S2 "HotH", but, as you pointed out, this shifted somewhere between then and "Sin City". I'm not sure where Dean-o would fit in. *puzzles* I guess to include Dean it would have to be an adjustable designation? ;p

But, you know, who's to say that belief/faith and sociopathy are exclusive to each other? It's quite possible to have someone who is a religious sociopath (could you imagine combining Gordon and Kubic?). *ponders*

You bring up a really interesting point about Dean's "faith" (and the definition of "faith" ... the belief in something greater than oneself). I had this in another section of this meta that I took out because it was tangential to the argument ... but, yeah, what is Dean's "faith"?

Maybe Dean’s faith isn’t in the divine, a omniscient God. Maybe his belief system is rooted in what he can see and touch … the tangible. And for him, that’s his family. His belief system, the greater "good" he’s willing to sacrifice himself for is Sam. And he’s done just that. *wibble*

Dean has questioned the morality of the hunter's code/agenda, and it's an interesting breakdown/contrast to the other hunters professing a zealous faith in their actions.

Yes, for sure. I think that's why it's so easy to love Dean. He may act all cocky and self-assurred on the outside, but on the inside he's searching and questioning just as much as the next person. And, in some cases (early S2 Dean), he seemed even more lost and quietly desperate than S2-emo!boy!Sam, who at least seemed to have a healthy sense of self and his moral compass intact. But Sam and Dean being complimentary opposites is what balances them out; they keep the other in check.

And now I'm just babbling, so I'll shut up now

I quite enjoyed what you called "babble". Feel free to go on...