she is the super-socially-privileged girl who’s the special-est of all the other super-socially-privileged girls because all the boys love her the most.
Heh, this is exactly why I didn't identify with her for the longest time. Caroline and her "It's never me, it's always Elena" speech? SOLD. Elena, not so much. And, actually, I still don't really identify with her. It's more that I like seeing that ideal torn down - the perfect Elena we thought we knew is totally an act, and she's a complete mess underneath.
Does the compulsion work based on what the vampire tells the victim to do, or what the vampire wants the victim to do?
I'm not really sure, but my interpretation was that Damon had been compelling Andie all along not to be afraid of him or bothered by him being a vampire, so she's kind of conditioned not to care that he's completely losing it. And at that point he's too out of his mind to compel her effectively, so she doesn't listen to him. Like, "this is what happens when you mistreat your toys" kind of thing? He's totally destroyed her sense of self-preservation so now when he really wants her to leave, she doesn't care if he kills her.
I like seeing that ideal torn down - the perfect Elena we thought we knew is totally an act, and she's a complete mess underneath.
Yes! I feel like she's ending up being as much of a deconstruction as Stefan was at the beginning - this is what the typical tragic heroine is thinking, and it's not as admirable as we're usually led to believe, without making her in any way bad. Which I think is a really interesting place to take her.
Damon had been compelling Andie all along not to be afraid of him or bothered by him being a vampire, so she's kind of conditioned not to care that he's completely losing it. And at that point he's too out of his mind to compel her effectively, so she doesn't listen to him
oh, that makes sense. Which...actually is a fairly solid metaphor for the conditioning and gaslighting that goes on before an abusive relationship gets as bad as it does.
Heh, this is exactly why I didn't identify with her for the longest time. Caroline and her "It's never me, it's always Elena" speech? SOLD. Elena, not so much. And, actually, I still don't really identify with her. It's more that I like seeing that ideal torn down - the perfect Elena we thought we knew is totally an act, and she's a complete mess underneath.
Does the compulsion work based on what the vampire tells the victim to do, or what the vampire wants the victim to do?
I'm not really sure, but my interpretation was that Damon had been compelling Andie all along not to be afraid of him or bothered by him being a vampire, so she's kind of conditioned not to care that he's completely losing it. And at that point he's too out of his mind to compel her effectively, so she doesn't listen to him. Like, "this is what happens when you mistreat your toys" kind of thing? He's totally destroyed her sense of self-preservation so now when he really wants her to leave, she doesn't care if he kills her.
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Yes! I feel like she's ending up being as much of a deconstruction as Stefan was at the beginning - this is what the typical tragic heroine is thinking, and it's not as admirable as we're usually led to believe, without making her in any way bad. Which I think is a really interesting place to take her.
Damon had been compelling Andie all along not to be afraid of him or bothered by him being a vampire, so she's kind of conditioned not to care that he's completely losing it. And at that point he's too out of his mind to compel her effectively, so she doesn't listen to him
oh, that makes sense. Which...actually is a fairly solid metaphor for the conditioning and gaslighting that goes on before an abusive relationship gets as bad as it does.
Reply
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