Since starting True Blood
and observing everyone’s reaction to it, I have come to the conclusion that
everyone’s most hated character is the lead, Sookie Stackhouse. Most of the
common complaints I have heard tend to consist of how she seems so willing to
give up her independence to men, her all about me attitude, and how she
constantly makes dumb decisions. Many would also seem to cite her as an example
of the continuing problems that male writers have when it comes to female
characters, making them obsessed with men and having them constantly failing
the Bechdel Test by bringing conversations back to the men in their lives. With
all of these in mind, I have to ask, why is it that nobody likes her? Honestly,
she probably fits plenty of the definitions of feminists, only in a strange,
roundabout way that requires looking at some of her actions and how a normal
person would react in the situations that she gets into. The most notable way
that she screams feminist power fantasy to me is in, ironically, her
relationship to Bill. As a vampire, Bill is hated by the rest of the town, with
the exception of Sookie and her grandmother. Literally everyone, from Sookie’s
brother Jason to her boss Sam to her best friend Tara, thinks that getting
involved with Bill is a terrible idea. Despite this, Sookie ignores all of
their comments and continues her relationship with Bill. The reason why this
screams feminist power fantasy to me is because it’s Sookie’s choice to remain
with Bill. When it comes down to it, things would probably be easier for Sookie
if she, metaphorically speaking, rolled over and acquiesced to the wishes of
the people in town, most of whom are male. Instead, Sookie stands by her
decision to be with Bill, despite the disapproval she receives. Sookie makes
her own choices and stands by them, until she sees evidence staring directly at
her that she is wrong. Ultimately, that is what I believe that the core goal of
feminism is, to be able to make your own choices and stand by them until proven
wrong. As to Sookie’s tendency to be somewhat deferential to the men in her life,
most of the men in her life that she interacts with on a regular basis have
some way of threatening her. The most obvious are Bill and Eric, who are both
ancient vampires with superhuman speed, strength, hypnosis, immunity to
conventional weapons, and possibly magical powers that haven’t been revealed
yet, powers that include, based on traditional vampire lore, weather control,
transformations into a bat, wolf, or mist, the power to control the foul things
of the night like rats, bats, and wolves, various magic spells, and a whole
host of potentially deadly abilities if modern vampire lore is to be believed.
So naturally, a twenty-something bar waitress who has a rather unathletic build
and can’t use her signature mind reading ability to help her totally stands a
chance against hundred year old immortals who can turn a mobile home into what
looks like the aftermath of tornado. Really, it’s a wonder Sookie can get away
with saying some of the things she does, particularly toward Eric, a much older
vampire than any we have seen so far who is used to getting his way and not
having to deal with back talk. Honestly, I don’t think anyone in their right
mind would say that they would react any differently than Sookie would if they
were in the situations that she gets into. Overall, while I do see some
problems with Sookie, I honestly don’t get the extreme amount of hatred toward
her. Maybe it’s just me, but to me, Sookie is a decent character who deserves
more credit than she gets.
Sookie Stackhouse is an example of white cis-woman feminism. While it is admirable that Sookie is empowered and doesn't bow down to the wants of the male demographic in her town, she looks down upon every other woman in the book and show essentially. She uses her feminism as a means to beat down other woman who aren't just like her. Feminism thought includes that men and women who are sexually active are depicted in the same way, and there are equal opportunities of objectification in both manners if the characters/plot call for it. Sookie herself obviously doesn't believe this when she usually ignores Jason's behavior (and her own), and pretty much blames the murder victims for their own death because of their own promiscuity. Sookie is also a terrible friend towards Tara, who has defended her and comforted her in a time of need, and Sookie's supposed sassiness, in my opinion, doesn't come across as a badass feminist portrayal, but rather as someone who won't empathize with others and take the time to think things out. I agree with you that given the circumstances, Sookie should be allowed some leniency, but I think she takes it too far, and it's just her own personality that's terrible.
ReplyDeleteYou have some points, but I believe Sookie is terrible. Granted, she could be worse, and she may have some “redeemable” qualities, but overall she has a ‘holier than tho’ attitude and wants the whole universe to revolve around her.
ReplyDeleteFor example, when Tara is excited because her mom is being loving, something she has never had and always wanted, how does Sookie react? Sookie goes apoplectic because her Gran is dead and she thinks Tara shouldn’t be happy when the great Sookie Stackhouse is sad.
Sookie is also very selfish. In the book, when it looks like Jason is about to be convicted of murder, Sookie calls Blood in the Quarter for Bill before she calls Jason’s lawyer. It was far more important for her to have comfort than it was for her to do everything she could for her only remaining blood relative.
Lastly, I understand your point about Sookie standing up for herself and talking back to the vampires. Granted, this does take a lot of backbone, but it doesn’t necessarily make her brave. Discretion is the better part of valor. A significant part of being brave is knowing when to pick your battles. When Bill tells her to be nice because Erik is stronger than him, she does just the opposite. She goes in and is extremely rude to Erik. To me, this doesn’t make her brave. It makes her foolish. It’s like seeing a rattlesnake on the ground and poking it with a stick just because you can. Just because you possess the ability to do something doesn’t necessarily mean you should. All in all, I think that Sookie is a narcissistic, foolish character who thinks herself humble, intelligent, and brave.