Supernatural meets Classical Myth

[inmyriadbits]

I had a thought about Supernatural. Therefore, I'm sharing. .

My Classical Myth professor--first of all, she's awesome. She truly deserves the adjective erudite; she's also eloquent, precise, and often witty. Anyway, she has this one theory about Greek and Roman mythology that she's repeated a few times: the only fathers are dead ones. And by that, she means the only good fathers are dead ones, and that the fathers usually end up dying if they don't start out dead. One rationalization she's given for this prevalence of dead fathers is that a hero can't fully realize his (and in classical myth, it's always "his", not "her") potential. The latest example I can give you from the class is Aeneas being held back by Anchises (this is from the Aeneid, non-classics people), who persists in looking to the past. Anchises has to die in the story for Aeneas to step into a leadership role, and for him to look to the future so he can lay the foundations for Roman civilization.

This theory leads me to a worrying thought about my current obsession of a TV show. If you think about it, Dean and Sam are in the same boat as those virile, muscular, angst-driven classical heroes that they resemble so much. (Mmm...can you imagine them in the leg-baring get-ups the Greeks wore in battle? researchgrrrl, you feel me, right? They're so tall and built...*happy thoughts*) Which is a problem for Daddy Winchester, you see. Because that means he's going to have to DIE for his sons' own stories to be realized, according to my professor, and Dean just had to bring up the "What if Dad dies?" question in "Dead Man's Blood", didn't he? Oh, Dean.

Whether they resent it or not, both his sons are being held back by the father. Dean follows his orders, and his mission, without questioning. And Sam rebels against him without question--by which I mean, it's almost reflex for him to argue with his father about everything now, although I feel like he's not as averse to "this life" as he claims. I think if his father were removed from the equation, Sam would probably realize that his commitment to the hunt goes deep into his psyche, rather than merely being something John imposed upon him. I keep going back to this, but Sam was pre-law. He has a deeply-rooted sense of justice and need to protect people, whether he's doing it by killing evil beings or not.

As for Dean...the point has been brought up again and again in this show that he follows his father's orders like a good little soldier. Because of the way his father directs his life, Dean's never really questioned the way things are. He wants his family back together, but I get the sense he wants it back the way it was before Sam left, and Sam was right when he told him it would never be that way again. What will happen to him if the person who has directed his life so far goes away (i.e., dies)? I mean, besides even more issues to pile on the ones Dean already has? He's going to be pretty lost, and not in a good way.


In other news, yesterday was a good day. This was surprising, because I went to sleep at 5:30 in the morning for absolutely no reason. LJ. Email. Watching things. Not doing any homework AT ALL. And then I actually woke up for my 9:10am class, took a short nap, and went to my other two classes. Then, I joined ladyjaida and orangeaddict and watched (re-watched, for me) three episodes straight of Supernatural ("Shadow" through "Something Wicked"). They were both lovely and friendly and amusing, and I had a lot of fun. That was followed by another nap, dinner, and then the glorious movie It Happened One Night for my seminar. And then I went to bed *gasp* before midnight. That hasn't happened in a really, really, ridiculously long time. So, good day.

Comments

[researchgrrrl.livejournal.com]

Mmm...can you imagine them in the leg-baring get-ups the Greeks wore in battle?

Not only do I feel you on this (with both hands, baby!) but now that you mention it, I demand to know what has gone wrong with fashion's priorities that these two are not required to dress this way ALL THE TIME.

Very nice choice of adjectives to describe Sam and Dean, too, btw.

You make a fascinating, insightful argument and thrill me to no end along the way. *g* Not only do you get your geek on beautifully, but your point dovetails with a thought that had recently begun to bang about in my own head over here. (I started you toward the top of the thread so you can see how my brain has slowly been grinding into action.)

I think if his father were removed from the equation, Sam would probably realize that his commitment to the hunt goes deep into his psyche, rather than merely being something John imposed upon him.

I absolutely agree. Whereas as Dean is the Good Son, Sam is actually Just Like John. Reading this remark from you has completely solidified my own thoughts regarding what would happen with Sam in the aftermath of John's death.

To be honest, I actually thought John might already be dead when we saw him pull the trigger of the gun -- that that was Vampire!John rather than Our!John. On some level, I think I'm kind of braced for SPN to make the very point that you've suggested regarding the process of actualizing the boys' potential. *trembly lower lip* I really hope that's not the case but I think you've nailed the most significant and timeless element in this particular type of quest.

[inmyriadbits.livejournal.com]

Not only do I feel you on this (with both hands, baby!) but now that you mention it, I demand to know what has gone wrong with fashion's priorities that these two are not required to dress this way ALL THE TIME.

That's right; you need one hand for each boy. :P And you make an excellent point. Contemporary dress means people who want to look at girls are in luck with all the miniskirts and tank tops. Why can't we get a little leather armor for the guys back in style? (Um...was it leather? Or leather and bronze? Or something else? I bow to your superior knowledge). I guess Dean's leather jacket is as close as we're gonna get. But it makes me happy, too.

Very nice choice of adjectives to describe Sam and Dean, too, btw.

Did you like the "virile, muscular, angst-driven classical heroes" or the much more coherent "so tall and built"? Because both are absolutely true. ;)

(from that other comment)
If John turns up dead, well, the boys have been prepared for that as much as they can be all of their lives. If anything, I see John's death as the one thing that could make Sam hesitate to resume the normal life that he's so determined to have if he's unable to persuade Dean to retire from the Hunt at that point.

Hmm. You know, that's interesting. I've been worried about Sam just taking off after they kill the Big Bad Demon, like he told Dean he would. I worry because that would just break Dean, you know it would; that goes double if John were to die. Sam would be leaving Dean all alone--alone with his emotions and alone fighting evil. I don't think he could do that, as much as he says he wants a different life. Mixed up in that sticking-around-for-support would be Sam's growing realization that he's more deeply involved in this fight than he used to think. But I'm so uncertain about how they're going to resolve things, which just makes me so excited. I love unpredictable shows! It's so refreshing! I just hope they don't screw up the mythos to play to the audience with cheap twists; I know well the path that takes my TV shows. *looks sadly at Dark Angel, Alias, etc*

Thanks for all the enthusiastic response to my thoughts! Geeking about fandoms is one of my favorite parts of being a fangirl. It's like those rare, really great discussions in an English class when everyone has gotten into the reading and is engaged and passionate about exchanging ideas on it. I usually geek with Dear Twin (three HOURS on Saturday), but it's fun having other people to bounce ideas around with. :)