[roslin and the meaning of "cure"]

[tellitslant]

OK, I started talking about Cain as a mannish woman stereotype here, and jennyo spun off and started talking about Roslin and cancer here, and now I have more thoughts.

I guess it took thinking about how much we're told about Cain without actually seeing her interact with any of the other characters that got me to realize how much physicality plays a part in this show. I mean, it shouldn't be surprising – after all, it's an action show, right? And given that it's an action show, audiences were probably looking at certain characters' bodies and not others. Wink wink nudge nudge. And then there's me, and I'm thinking about Roslin's legs. I mean Roslin's body. No, I do mean that this time. ;)

I would argue that Roslin's cancer is really indicative of a larger theme of the show, which is, because we love the cliché, that outward appearance has nothing to do with interior truths (OK, I was trying to find a better way to say "don't judge a book by its cover" and I failed, so sue me). jennyo talked about how cancer has been used as a symbol rather than as a plot point, which is entirely true: Roslin is a master manipulator, and has been using her illness in an incredibly cold-blooded manner. Having cancer allows her to be virtually ignored by both the audience and the other characters. But what allows her to transcend that stereotype of "cancer sufferer"?

The same plot point that allows Cylons to walk undetected among humans.

What is physical is not always true.

No one really believes that Roslin is going to die of cancer, do they? There's no way the focal point of the show is going to disappear in the second season. Obviously she has cancer, but just as obviously she's going to overcome. She's been portrayed as a stereotypical cancer victim, and she's used that stereotype, and it's going to be shown to be a lie – because she's certainly not going to triumph in the regular way of things.

So if this entire arc of Roslin's is going to culminate in the reveal that our perception of Roslin's physicality is wrong, then how is that different from suddenly discovering that someone we thought was human is a Cylon? And to take that one step further – if having cancer and worrying about whether or not she will survive is what makes Roslin human, then what happens when you take that away?

It's amazing how many layers this show has.

(See, this is why I'm upset that Cain got short shrift, because this show can do so much better than they did for her. Sigh.)

Comments

[violettandblue.livejournal.com]

Okay, I've been thinking about Cain and gender roles and all...

Wondering that if Cain WERE a man, would the audience be more or less shocked at the things she's done? You can look at this from many perspectives. The way society is and the way we're conditioned, I think we usually expect a MAN to do the sort of things that Cain has done. However, and I've come across this in my Film classes, particularly Gender & Film, there's always the idea of the monstrous feminine -- the mysteries of the woman, her sexuality, her 'hold' over men and her impact on society...there are plenty of films that exploit this, especially in the horror genre.

With BSG, it's hard to say whether the writers were trying to sway the viewers into thinking that Cain was a monster, or to make them realize that BOTH men and women on the show were capable of violence. Normally we don't expect a woman to make the kinds of decisions or say things that Cain has said...society 'expects' women to be nurturing and innate caregivers. (In an episode of seaQuest, it's said that most ships *prefer* female captains, because they exude a calming presence...which I thought was interesting.)

I think that if Cain were male, there'd be more understanding, on the part of the audience, of the acts that were committed. The whole sense of the 'resolute admiral who put his crew/ship first no matter what it took'. It seems like there's more excuse for actions if the character is male...like you'd expect those kinds of actions.

Cain was a great foil for Roslin, and you touched a lot of that already. I was thinking about the physicality, and Cain definitely carries herself like a man. She acts like a man. But...that's *this* society's view of a man. Personally, if she'd been around longer, if they'd given a little more depth to her, I think we might've seen some more 'female' characteristics. Then again, like you said, we know so little of her and her background...we don't really know what she's been through and what of herself she's had to sacrifice. Roslin, on the other hand, is the consummate woman, and you touched on that, too. The writers are messing with us now, though, when they had her say that Adama had to kill Cain. You don't expect that from the 'earth mother' type. Roslin is nurturing; she's understanding. She's trying to look out for the fleet, yet taking a different route than Cain. Had she been in Cain's place, how would that have changed her, and would that have changed her at all?

I could probably go on and on about this ;o) Personally, I'm a fan of characters who are well-balanced, who exhibit both (contrived, because I don't think traits should be labeled...they're just traits, after all) male and female traits/personality flaws/characteristics.

That was fun ;o)

[tellitslant]

I do think that if Cain were male, there would be a much bigger groundswell of fannish affection for her. I've seen a few people on LJ coming out in defense of her - but if she were male, we wouldn't be defending the evil bitch, we'd just be talking about this exciting new hardass character!

I'm not entirely sure what the BSG writers meant to do with her, just that they failed, and that makes me sad - she could have been interesting! I think there would definitely have been more layers to her had she been kept around longer, but whether she would have become more traditionally feminine I find hard to predict.

I like this comment of yours, though: to make them realize that BOTH men and women on the show were capable of violence. Because I think Cain stands as a foil to Roslin, it's interesting that you point out that she's a reminder that women can be violent too.