Saturday, October 24, 2015

Thrall: a study in romance and the art of image crafting

1. He left his people at the mercy of a hot-blooded Mag'har (with whom he was constantly at odds with), because the dragons were calling him to super-herodom.

2. While the rest of the world was literally burning to the ground, he had a lavish, international wedding. While finding love is important in times of war, perhaps he should not have held such a public spectacle, so public that he was kidnapped and killed at his own wedding. Or maybe he could have waited, but no... He had to have his wedding at THE WORLD TREE. BECAUSE HE COULD.

3. While the blood elves lavished themselves in luxury (after his warriors helped to cleanse their land of the scourge), his people continued to live in hovels made of crude stone and wood. He made no apparent attempt to better the lives of his people, even while his elite soldiers protected his allies.

4. After the establishment of Orgrimmar, he named notable locations after the war criminals who helped to destroy the orc home planet, because he had a romantic fascination with them. It would have better to name the locations after orcs who helped free the orcs but captivity and set them free, but Thrall is a romantic fool who cares more about image than reality.

5. He kept the name Thrall for most of his life. You may argue, yes that was his name, and I would argue he kept that name primarily because of the power it had in reminding his people of their painful history. He was a literal living image. He kept this name even after meeting Drek'thar, who knew who he was.

6. Most of his life, he has tried to live up to the expectations others had for him. Whether it was being the first shaman, becoming Doomhammers second-in-command, becoming Warchief, acting as the troll's savior, or even becoming the World Shaman, Thrall has continually submitted himself to the dreams of others and their expectations. Even his former master as he lay dying after Thrall had killed him in anger, claimed that Thrall had lived up his every expectation and he could not have been more proud. Thrall has always struggled with this.

7. Thrall chose Garrosh because he saw in him his father, not because he saw Garrosh. Thrall continued to invest himself in Garrosh and Garrosh continued to prove him wrong.  Thrall continued to defend him and even gave him the most powerful seat in his country, because he saw the image of sacrifice Grom made against the Legion. Would Doomhammer have been so blind?

8. As he grew older and more respected, the image others grew more powerful in his mind. He laughably took on Archimonde by himself in the battle at Hyjal. He placed the Warchief's throne at the entrance of Orgrimmar, instead of the rear like nearly every other racial capital. He felt it was his right to kill Garrosh, when others had done the work. He held the maelstrom alone, inviting the personal wrath of the elemental lords.  He alone wielded the Demon Soul, when there did exist others who could also wield it. (Rhonin, as example, who not only used it but destroyed it. And he WAS alive during the battle at Dragonblight.)

Finally: Thrall is an absolutely fascinating character study of how image and perception affect even those with hearts of gold. I believe that Thrall is in-fact, in thrall to the hopes of who he should be by those who surround him. This explains so many paradoxes in his character, such as his slaughter of alliance soldiers after meeting Aggra. He is powerful, no doubt, but strangely carries the insecurity of finding his self-identity and meaning from who judge him.





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