Cordelia Chase | btvs/ats | 2/?knowmypurposeMarch 1 2011, 05:05:21 UTC
Her relationship with Xander and the fact that he cheats on her (and with Willow, someone she sees as beneath her) is important because despite herself, she had really fallen for Xander. And being used to getting whatever she wants, it becomes very clear to her by his callous behavior after they break up that he never cared about her the way she did about him. She's not used to rejection.
But the real turning point in Cordy's personality is when she comes to live in Los Angeles. She helps Angel turn his work into a business, and befriends both him and a demon named Doyle. She dislikes Doyle at first, dismissing him and thinking he's a loser, but as she gets closer to him, she realizes there's a lot more to him. She begins to consider a relationship with him despite the fact that he's part demon. This is particularly important because before this she had been very prejudiced against all demons, and she had considered them to be nothing but evil. Her friendship and almost-romance with Doyle help expand her world view, much like her relationship with Xander did, but on a much larger scale.
When Doyle dies and passes his visions onto her, she's frightened and scared at first. They're painful, and she doesn't want the responsibility that comes along with them. But she soon realizes just how many people in the world are suffering, and becomes determined to help them. Despite the fact that the visions hurt her, she refuses to give them up, though she is given several opportunities to do so. She knows that they make her who she is: a hero. And even when she knew they might kill her, she also knew that if she accepted Skip's offer to live in a world where she never got them, her friends, specifically Angel, would suffer greatly, and she couldn't do that to them. So instead, she insisted on being turned into a half demon, despite her previous prejudices against demons, so she could help her friends and not die.
Another big aspect of Cordelia's personality is that she says what she's thinking more often than not. Being tactful is not a skill she uses often. She doesn't believe in beating around the bush or sugar-coating things, and she says what she means and means what she says. Even if you're a friend or loved one, she's not afraid of telling you you're wrong. She's honest to a fault.
The closest she gets to really lying are lies of omission. If something is wrong with her (like when her visions were slowly killing her), she's likely to just keep it to herself and not tell her friends about it. Part of this comes from the belief that she can overcome things without help, but part of this also comes from the fact that she doesn't want to cause her friends worry.
Despite the fact that Cordelia develops and becomes a true Champion of good, she never loses her femininity. She still gets excited about new clothes, the chance to dress up, and the idea of a whirlwind romance (like the one she has with Groo). She becomes a strong balance between hero and woman, and wears both roles like a glove. Despite becoming a much deeper person throughout the two series, some of her old shallowness still shines through, like getting super excited over presents for her birthday, or new clothes being a means to mending her friendship with Angel.
She also develops very maternal instincts later on in the series. We see it with Connor, Angel's son, but we also see it with her relationship with Fred. She puts a lot of effort into helping the other girl assimilate back into the real world. This probably is due to her own time in Pylea helping her to empathize with Fred's situation.
But the real turning point in Cordy's personality is when she comes to live in Los Angeles. She helps Angel turn his work into a business, and befriends both him and a demon named Doyle. She dislikes Doyle at first, dismissing him and thinking he's a loser, but as she gets closer to him, she realizes there's a lot more to him. She begins to consider a relationship with him despite the fact that he's part demon. This is particularly important because before this she had been very prejudiced against all demons, and she had considered them to be nothing but evil. Her friendship and almost-romance with Doyle help expand her world view, much like her relationship with Xander did, but on a much larger scale.
When Doyle dies and passes his visions onto her, she's frightened and scared at first. They're painful, and she doesn't want the responsibility that comes along with them. But she soon realizes just how many people in the world are suffering, and becomes determined to help them. Despite the fact that the visions hurt her, she refuses to give them up, though she is given several opportunities to do so. She knows that they make her who she is: a hero. And even when she knew they might kill her, she also knew that if she accepted Skip's offer to live in a world where she never got them, her friends, specifically Angel, would suffer greatly, and she couldn't do that to them. So instead, she insisted on being turned into a half demon, despite her previous prejudices against demons, so she could help her friends and not die.
Another big aspect of Cordelia's personality is that she says what she's thinking more often than not. Being tactful is not a skill she uses often. She doesn't believe in beating around the bush or sugar-coating things, and she says what she means and means what she says. Even if you're a friend or loved one, she's not afraid of telling you you're wrong. She's honest to a fault.
The closest she gets to really lying are lies of omission. If something is wrong with her (like when her visions were slowly killing her), she's likely to just keep it to herself and not tell her friends about it. Part of this comes from the belief that she can overcome things without help, but part of this also comes from the fact that she doesn't want to cause her friends worry.
Despite the fact that Cordelia develops and becomes a true Champion of good, she never loses her femininity. She still gets excited about new clothes, the chance to dress up, and the idea of a whirlwind romance (like the one she has with Groo). She becomes a strong balance between hero and woman, and wears both roles like a glove. Despite becoming a much deeper person throughout the two series, some of her old shallowness still shines through, like getting super excited over presents for her birthday, or new clothes being a means to mending her friendship with Angel.
She also develops very maternal instincts later on in the series. We see it with Connor, Angel's son, but we also see it with her relationship with Fred. She puts a lot of effort into helping the other girl assimilate back into the real world. This probably is due to her own time in Pylea helping her to empathize with Fred's situation.
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