A Critique of Ana-Lucia

[D-Roc]

Ok, as you requested Murg..here is my critique of Ana's faults:

She has a tendency to be rather abrasive and even condecending at times. Though this i believe is part of her defence mechanism - there was a time when she used to try so hard to get folks to like her..she gave up and i guess she is now a product of those emotional set-backs and deflated ego. I dont think she's a horrible person and so i cant say something that i dont believe to be true..this is a honest assessment and so you may find many negativces being followed up with positives.

Sometimes she perhaps thinks too much like a cop. Not suprising really because she was one. But this can often make her seem rather authoritarian and dare i say, 'bossy'. I sincerely do believe that she goes into 'cop-mode' when she feels threatened or under attack. Like when the others attacked her people, for instance. This is her support mechanism. This makes her feel safer. This makes her feel in control. And for a woman who has lost her child, being in control (i would imagine) is so so important. She doesnt want to make the same mistake..she doesnt want to let another man "reach". This is clearly the wrong way to go about things..but it's not easy for her. It's not easy to trust again. BUt at the same time it's not right to lose faith in humanity..because not everyone out there is a 'Jason'. It's so sad that she didnt get to truely see that..

Yes, i admit that Ana treated Sawyer badly. Not that Sawyer can really complain since he hasnt exactly treated Hurley, Sayid or Jack with much respect has he. But nevertheless, she was a bit over-zealous in her suspicion and harsh treatment of him.

Sometimes Ana took the law into her own hands (eg, Nathen, Goodwin..). She was wrong about Nathen. She was wrong to put him in the pit and to deprive him of food. Essentially what she was doing was against everything the democratic world stands for. I stand by the fact that hse was in the wild and therefore different laws and value systems apply. However, the loss of innocent human life should not be washed over. However, out of this dreadful situation came the making of Ana. She didnt hide the fact that she was wrong and she didnt try to make any excuses. We later witnessed how sorry she was about both Nathen and Shannon. That for me is vital because it showed that she had faced up to her mistakes. Even better was the fact that she didnt want to make the same mistake with Henry. She effectively saved his life twice as Sayid would surely have tried to kill him before she managed to appease him with the map extraction.

To conclude, Ana has many faults, but she is not a bad person. SHes often rude, blunt, authoritarian and sometimes agressive. But i think all of those traits are derived from a traumatic past. She's a human being..she copes the best way that she knows how. She puts up these walls and barracades because this is how she survives from one day to the next. She cant afford to let anyone in because that requires too much trust. (I imagine that) she feels that even a smile might break her..because it lets someone in..it reveals her inner soul. You see, she cant afford to be hurt in that way again..the next time might very well push her over the edge..and so she snarls and bites. She pushes people away and often subjects them to her rules. But i cannot judge her harshly because i havent walked in her shoes..seeing her story was painful enough. Yet it was also beautiful. To witness such strength in a woman..to see a woman not merely rely on her looks but also her mind and courage was awesome. Ana is real. She is a hero. There are not many TV depictions of people like her.

I guess the thing which makes me fond of Ana is all of the above..but also the fact that I can see the beauty in her character..despite the bad, the goodness in her intentions outshines all.

She truely is Mis-Understood.

[Murgatroyd]

Thanks, Korevo - makes for interesting reading. And all you have to do is take out the 'perhaps', 'little bit's and all the positive stuff at the end, and we're in total agreement! :P

[Mantis Zero]

It sounds more like an appraisal to me :P

I think you actually turned a major fault into an excuse - she lets her past rule her future.

[D-Roc]

Originally Posted by Murgatroyd,October 19, 2006 06:02 pm

Thanks, Korevo - makes for interesting reading. And all you have to do is take out the 'perhaps', 'little bit's and all the positive stuff at the end, and we're in total agreement! :P

haha..we'll probably never agree on Ana/MR :winky:

[D-Roc]

Originally Posted by Mantis Zero,October 19, 2006 06:04 pm

It sounds more like an appraisal to me :P

I think you actually turned a major fault into an excuse - she lets her past rule her future.

lol, but i suppose many people let their pasts rule their future.. Ana is a very human character imo and theres something so endearing about her and her story. I dare say if i had an unborn child killed in my womb, i too would be a perpetual fireball of rage, emotion and confusion. I respect Ana's character so much though because she never runs away from the fact that she is flawed. And at the end of the day..arent we all...

[Magnovey Phoenix]

Originally Posted by D-Roc

Though this i believe is part of her defence mechanism - there was a time when she used to try so hard to get folks to like her.. (...) I sincerely do believe that she goes into 'cop-mode' when she feels threatened or under attack.

Yes, as I said. Thank you. I think she hadn't had many confidence in herself when she was a kid and that resulted her aggressive stand in later ages. She had to fight trough and so she became very cautious with people. As she said, people don't like her much. It is the main reason why they removed her character. Yes, she may be unpopular for someone but there were some who loved her (and too much!). Are all the people on this planet popular? No, but they stay, they do not get removed. That is the life. Ana should have also stayed and I think she could have contributed to the story much more that we can imagine.
All those who hate her personality are the people who don't go deep into someone's souls. Maybe there is good beyond that aggressiveness. And she tried many many times to be good to the other members of the camp (I remember one scene when her, Sayde and Charlie went on a search for a balloon, she helped Charlie not to fall into but he was so repulsive to her.).
Still, I think she was worth of attention.

Originally Posted by D-Roc

Yes, i admit that Ana treated Sawyer badly. Not that Sawyer can really complain since he hasnt exactly treated Hurley, Sayid or Jack with much respect has he. But nevertheless, she was a bit over-zealous in her suspicion and harsh treatment of him.

He deserved worst! Not that I have anything against him, but he was too much cynical with the other members of the camp. She was a good therapist for him!