Willow Rosenberg and Slytherin (And Much More): A Study of Ambition
A few weeks ago, I queried whether it was ethical/polite to argue with a Tumblr post on LJ. After hearing a resounding "It's kosher", I thought I'd take a stab. I had some rage at this Original Post putting Willow in Slytherin and actually MEGA BLINDING RAGE at the tags below where xlivvielockex agreed and described why
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LOL.
I agree that it's not a big leap to put Cordelia in Slytherin, no matter what that Tumblr poster said. Cordelia's main Slytherin quality is that she's very into social pecking orders and giving extra respect and special treatment to the powerful, even at the expense of the humble. Ambition doesn't equal assertiveness. The Death Eaters take a lot of crap from Voldemort and probably some of them do evil that they wouldn't otherwise do because Voldemort is powerful enough to give them not just power, but promise order, promote family values by entrenching pure wizarding families.
However, AI/Scooby ambition never feels as especially self-interested as Salazar Slytherin anticipated (which I'll admit is a weakness in my argument above re: Willow). Buffyverse heroes all toil and risk their lives in obscurity. Cordelia's more self-interested than your average heroic Buffyverse bear by choosing to move outta Sunnydale to get a job as an actress or turn AI into a profit-driven enterprise- but Cordelia was just doing what basically everyone does. All types of people move to another city to find a job.
Cordelia's definitely altruistic.Yes, AI charges to fight evil but you couldn't pay me to take on their risks (and work for Angel). But still, Cordelia actually does not "pull a Willow" and reject clear, easily obtainable opportunities to go to Ivy League schools or practice whatever the hell magic she wants. In the Wishverse and Normalverse, Cordelia may drop acting for love of Angel but she doesn't reject opportunities to be a movie star just to help dying Joe Schmoes. Willow deliberately rejects advancement in academics/employment/magics to help dying Joe Schmoes.
I think Cordelia is a mix between Hufflepuff and Slytherin.
Willow is tough to place, IA. I think I'd put her with Wesley on that knowledge-is-power Slytherclaw cusp. She'd do well in either place, but ultimately I don't think Willow in her formative years would've felt entitled enough to power to accept a place in Slytherin.
Wesley and Willow fit in all of the Houses. Slytherin/Ravenclaw are about equal fits for both of them. Willow's got more Hufflepuffosity and Wesley's got more Gryffindorness- but they're all-rounders. I do feel similarly that while Willow and Wesley have more *drive* and *targeted focus* than most any other Buffyverse characters and they're both resourceful and cunning, it's still not quite the same as self-interested ambition. They both could have led much more charmed lives but didn't to help others and limit their dangerous potential from hurting others. Most self-abnegating, martyr-y Slytherins ever.
Also, their intelligence has a lot of utility because of their Gryffindor commitment to the good fight and Hufflpuff loyalty to their team/superpowered special snowflake and work ethic just as much because of their Slytherin cunning and ambition. Willow and Wesley both love fun, pointless intellectual games as much as anyone. Pre-series Willow hacked aimlessly, played the piano alone, and researched imaginary medical symptoms. Unlike Willow, Wesley was closely bred to just consider the fight from the cradle on but even he still was enthusiastic enough about knowledge for knowledge's sake to get into word puzzles or the etymology of flowers or write an article on the genetic make-up of demons without genes. Why don't they spend more time lazily reading books or watching Jeapordy without a motive? There's a crucial war going on and people/being that they love are deeply embroiled.
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I'm not sure Cordelia would do well in Hufflepuff? She values exclusivity too much for the come-one-come-all house, IMO. I don't know if she's more of a glory-seeker or a power-seeker, but she'd be good at either.
Wesley and Willow fit in all of the Houses.
Yeah, I mean, it's tricky because Sorting is meant to happen to kids, before they have the kind of life experience that spurs people to become more well-rounded and develop their less instinctive traits.
I could see Wesley as wanting very badly to be a Gryffindor, actually, though I don't know if he'd ultimately be happiest there.
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Good point on Cordelia. I said that she could be a Hufflepuff because a lot of her heroism on AtS is painted that way. She endures painful vision, she's the Team Mom, she cleans the hell blues out with love, she's loyal and comforting to Angel no matter what he does. Her Platonic Ideal of heroism is not usually a Gryffindor charge into a physical fight and actually, she does that *less* in AtS S2-3 than BtVS through AtS S1 as she's increasingly painted as Practically Perfect.
However, yes, Cordelia doesn't exactly value "The meek shall inherit the earth" at any point. However, increasingly, AtS gives most Gryffindor combat roles to the guys but even then, I think Fred clocks more field time than Cordelia.
I do think I can compare sorting Betty Draper in Hufflepuff with sorting AtS Cordelia in Hufflepuff. IMO, they're both reactions to how women are "good" even though it's really not where either woman belongs or what they value beyond their conditioning. i.e. I think Cordelia and Betty have Hufflepuff expectations of women that they'll never hold of men. Classic example is I Will Remember You Cordelia attacking Buffy for enjoying Angel becoming human instead of looking out for Angel's career as a heor and Cordelia's career as Angel's employee but never saying "boo" to Angel, the ACTUAL PERSON WHOSE HUMANITY IS MAKING SHIT HARD FOR CORDY.
Yeah, I mean, it's tricky because Sorting is meant to happen to kids, before they have the kind of life experience that spurs people to become more well-rounded and develop their less instinctive traits.
Great point.
I could see Wesley as wanting very badly to be a Gryffindor, actually, though I don't know if he'd ultimately be happiest there.
I agree. I see him begging the Hat to please put him in Gryffindor. I think he'd be happy in the Gryffindor class of Harry Potter where Harry Potter, the Weasleys, Hermione, et al. all seem like good kids. I think he'd be about as miserable as he was in the show if the Gryfindors were his AI compatriots of Angel, Gunn, teen!Connor, and Cordelia without even Ravenclaw Fred or Hufflepuff Lorne softening/diversifying anything.
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