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A character essay on Leon S. Kennedy's psyche. Methinks I've got too much time on my hands.
Alright, I’d like to say that this essay is pretty much the fault of two people, but I love both of you anyway. Tifa (arcesso ), because she asked me once about if Leon ever had therapy for all the shit that happened to him, and Nor (carnality ), because she is win and awesome for bringing in Doc Crane, who we all know is going to try and mindfuck the entire community. Now, then. Down to business. Considering the amount of trauma that the Resident Evil cast has been through, it really begs the question of the mental health of the protagonists (and one Albert Wesker) throughout the series. Several essays could probably be written about each of them, but in this case, I’ll simply focus on one Leon Scott Kennedy.
For starters, his easygoing personality hides a man who has seen many things, most of which can and was used a million times over as fodder for a horror movie. But that’s beside the point. His first day of work at Raccoon City also happened to be his last because of the T-Virus outbreak. Even though the city was quickly going to Hell, Leon tried to keep his composure. He felt the need to in order to reassure not only Claire, Ada and Sherry, but to also reassure himself that they would make it out alive. And with everything that was going on, he needed that shred of hope just to keep sane. This trait of his has also appeared during the Los Illuminados incident. Even with the grim revelation and realization that he and Ashley might become little more than puppets dancing on Saddler’s strings if they didn’t find a cure for the Plagas infecting their bodies, Leon still reassured Ashley that they would find said cure for the parasites infecting them.
But even with this optimism and cool-headed logic, Leon is only human. He’s been prone to doubting himself just as any other person, and even beats himself up emotionally. After Raccoon City and even during the Los Illuminados incident, he’s had his moments of despair. Take, for example, Ada. Even after Leon found out that she was working for Wesker, he still beat himself up for her “death” in Raccoon City, blaming himself for letting her fall. He hates disappointing others, and most importantly, himself. He subconsciously sees himself as a hero, and also seems to get an adrenaline rush from it, which might serve as to one reason why he puts himself in that kind of position.
As expected, Leon was fairly traumatized from the events that had happened to him in both Resident Evil 2 and 4. He had frequent nightmares for weeks on end after Raccoon City, and he’s had therapy for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder as part of his deal to the US Government to take down Umbrella Corp. in exchange for Sherry Birkin’s safety. Even though he had been cleared as far as psychological evaluations went, he still has relapses once in a great while. His main trigger is the sight of excessive blood and gore, although by the time of Resident Evil 4, these triggers are nearly completely gone. However, with him going through that particular incident, that trigger has come back, although nowhere near as strong as it originally was.
Alright, I’d like to say that this essay is pretty much the fault of two people, but I love both of you anyway. Tifa (arcesso ), because she asked me once about if Leon ever had therapy for all the shit that happened to him, and Nor (carnality ), because she is win and awesome for bringing in Doc Crane, who we all know is going to try and mindfuck the entire community. Now, then. Down to business. Considering the amount of trauma that the Resident Evil cast has been through, it really begs the question of the mental health of the protagonists (and one Albert Wesker) throughout the series. Several essays could probably be written about each of them, but in this case, I’ll simply focus on one Leon Scott Kennedy.
For starters, his easygoing personality hides a man who has seen many things, most of which can and was used a million times over as fodder for a horror movie. But that’s beside the point. His first day of work at Raccoon City also happened to be his last because of the T-Virus outbreak. Even though the city was quickly going to Hell, Leon tried to keep his composure. He felt the need to in order to reassure not only Claire, Ada and Sherry, but to also reassure himself that they would make it out alive. And with everything that was going on, he needed that shred of hope just to keep sane. This trait of his has also appeared during the Los Illuminados incident. Even with the grim revelation and realization that he and Ashley might become little more than puppets dancing on Saddler’s strings if they didn’t find a cure for the Plagas infecting their bodies, Leon still reassured Ashley that they would find said cure for the parasites infecting them.
But even with this optimism and cool-headed logic, Leon is only human. He’s been prone to doubting himself just as any other person, and even beats himself up emotionally. After Raccoon City and even during the Los Illuminados incident, he’s had his moments of despair. Take, for example, Ada. Even after Leon found out that she was working for Wesker, he still beat himself up for her “death” in Raccoon City, blaming himself for letting her fall. He hates disappointing others, and most importantly, himself. He subconsciously sees himself as a hero, and also seems to get an adrenaline rush from it, which might serve as to one reason why he puts himself in that kind of position.
As expected, Leon was fairly traumatized from the events that had happened to him in both Resident Evil 2 and 4. He had frequent nightmares for weeks on end after Raccoon City, and he’s had therapy for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder as part of his deal to the US Government to take down Umbrella Corp. in exchange for Sherry Birkin’s safety. Even though he had been cleared as far as psychological evaluations went, he still has relapses once in a great while. His main trigger is the sight of excessive blood and gore, although by the time of Resident Evil 4, these triggers are nearly completely gone. However, with him going through that particular incident, that trigger has come back, although nowhere near as strong as it originally was.