Sam Out of the Box - Redux:

Just as Mr. Wyatt opened the door in the midst of Sam's despair, so did Ruby. Just as it took someone outside the Winchester family system to challenge the view of the validity of "Keep Sam safe," so did it take an outsider to challenge the Winchester family value of "Reject all things supernatural."

( The door out of despair )

From Here Forward:

Once Sam knew about the Yellow-Eyed Demon's focus on him he was no longer innocent, because, from the end of Season 1 on out, Sam knew what risks that presented to his family.

( With choice comes responsibility )

Attach and Die!

And, not coincidentally, it was at this time that we saw the re-emergence of Sam's helplessness and despair.

( Attach and die. )

Captive on The Carousel of Time

Sam is John Winchester's son, no less than is Dean. Though Sam may have spent much of his adolescence and early adulthood attempting to define himself in opposition to his father, one rarely escapes the transmission of deeper, implicit tendencies.

( If you're not going to do what your family did, what are you going to do, believe or be instead? )

The Way out of the Box

I've worked with kids whose families perceive them as "bad," or somehow different than the rest of the children in the family. It tends to draw for really strong reactions from the kids. I've seen them withdraw, become sullen, resentful and feel misunderstood by everyone around them.  I've seen them comply with the implicit ( Read more... )

Sammy's Box

What, then, was Sam required to sacrifice in order to remain within good standing in the Winchester family?

( In the Box )

AN:  This Sam-analysis seems to have a mind of it's own.  It's grown to Jared-sized proportions, so I'm going to give them to you in two series of posts.  This first series of posts are going to focus mostly on Sam's early years and into Season 1 experiences, setting the stage for the next series of posts that will explore the later implications of ( Read more... )

The Functions Served

There are clear benefits that both Dean and his family garner from his identification with John. It supports Dean's survival after the loss of his mother. But not only that, it also supports the survival of both individual members and the family's survival.

( Sometimes I feel, like a motherless child... )

What Once Was and Shall Never Be Again

Dean suffered more than just the loss of his mother when Mary died.


( Read more... )

Boundaries

Boundaries are those unwritten rules about who gets to do or know what. Who gets included and who doesn't.

In some families, the boundaries are permeable. You know those homes in the neighborhood in which all the kids of a certain age wander in and out kitchen, one of the son or daughter's close friends gets semi-adopted into the family ( Read more... )