Nerd musings
A couple of days ago my geek plot/character comparison module (the same part of my brain that many years ago figured out which LotR character each of the Babylon 5 characters equated to) realised that the Winchester brothers share a lot with the brothers 'Mir.
Spoiler warnings for Supernatural s1-4 below. And LotR.
The first similarity is simply that they're both four years apart in age, but that's nothing. Both brothers lost their mothers at a young age (Tolkien never specified when Finduilas died, but in my head canon it was when her sons were probably about six and ten). Following their mothers' deaths, both pairs were raised by fathers who became increasing crazed, never recovering from their wives' deaths. In both families, there's a rather complicated dynamic between the father and the younger son: their fathers outwardly seem to view their younger sons as inferior to their elder siblings and to love them less, though in truth, in both cases, they may actually love Faramir and Sam more. Eventually, both fathers sacrifice themselves for their sons, leaving the boys parentless.
In both pairs the elder brother is a tough and experienced fighter while the younger is more of a scholar, though Faramir and Sam are both skilled fighters when they have to be. Boromir and Dean will both do whatever it takes to protect what they love (Gondor/Minas Tirith for the former and Sam/family for the latter) and nothing in the world is more important to them. Both would and have died for their cause, leaving their little brothers to carry on the fight for them.
Ultimately, the younger brothers are both woobies while the elder are very easy to paint as villains but actually tick all of the hero boxes.
Yes, I'm reading too much into stuff, but I find the similarities interesting.
Boromir and Dean are my boys.
< /geek>
Who am I kidding? The geek never ends...
Spoiler warnings for Supernatural s1-4 below. And LotR.
The first similarity is simply that they're both four years apart in age, but that's nothing. Both brothers lost their mothers at a young age (Tolkien never specified when Finduilas died, but in my head canon it was when her sons were probably about six and ten). Following their mothers' deaths, both pairs were raised by fathers who became increasing crazed, never recovering from their wives' deaths. In both families, there's a rather complicated dynamic between the father and the younger son: their fathers outwardly seem to view their younger sons as inferior to their elder siblings and to love them less, though in truth, in both cases, they may actually love Faramir and Sam more. Eventually, both fathers sacrifice themselves for their sons, leaving the boys parentless.
In both pairs the elder brother is a tough and experienced fighter while the younger is more of a scholar, though Faramir and Sam are both skilled fighters when they have to be. Boromir and Dean will both do whatever it takes to protect what they love (Gondor/Minas Tirith for the former and Sam/family for the latter) and nothing in the world is more important to them. Both would and have died for their cause, leaving their little brothers to carry on the fight for them.
Ultimately, the younger brothers are both woobies while the elder are very easy to paint as villains but actually tick all of the hero boxes.
Yes, I'm reading too much into stuff, but I find the similarities interesting.
Boromir and Dean are my boys.
< /geek>
Who am I kidding? The geek never ends...