Character Analysis: Spike · 7:07am Jan 5th, 2014
Alright, so I have a few things to talk about, but I've decided to do this one first.
A couple of days ago, WandererD posted a blog about his thoughts on Spike.
While he is entirely entitled to his opinion, and the criticisms of the fandom were not without warrant, I feel his analysis on Spike was unfair...So I thought I'd try and give my best explanation on our small, reptilian friend.
Again, everyone is entitled to their opinion, and this one is mine:
Nature:
Let's start with the basics, shall we? What is Spike?
Well, he's a dragon. Good start. Well, what is a dragon, how do they behave? Well, there are two separate ideas on what that, the good dragon and evil dragon. What makes on dragon good, and the other a prideful hoarder like Smaug?
Well, we can make some good comparisons in other lores. I'm going to start with D&D (since they're owned by Hasbro anyway), and then we'll move on to Skyrim.
Dungeons and Dragons has several good and evil dragons, but we're only going to look at the two biggest ones, Bahamut, and Tiamat:
Bahamut, God of the Metallic (good) Dragons, the Platinum Dragon, etc.
Bahamut is very stern and disapproving of evil. He accepts no excuses for foul deeds. However, he is very compassionate, and has boundless empathy for the weak and downtrodden. He urges his followers to promote good, but to let people fight their own battles when they can, providing healing, information, or temporary safe refuge rather than fighting alongside those who can fight for themselves. He is also not exceptionally vain or greedy, something odd in dragon kind. The metallic dragons hold him in high regard, while the evil ones respect him only on the basis of strength and wisdom.
Tiamat, Bahamut's Sister, The Dragon Queen, The Dark Queen, etc.
Tiamat is a greedy, vain, and arrogant goddess who embodies all the strengths of evil dragonkind, and few of their weaknesses. She is most concerned with spreading evil, defeating good, and propagating chromatic dragons. She never forgives a slight, and while she is not averse to razing the occasional village, her true schemes are subtle and hard to detect. She has been compared to a puppeteer manipulating her creations from within shadows.
The Queen of Evil Dragons demands reverence, homage, supplication, and tribute from her subjects.
Skyrim has one good dragon that we know of, while the others are under the rule of Alduin. Paarthurnax, however, is against him, and while his name may say bad things about him (Ambition Overlord Cruelty), he exhibits none of those qualities.
Paarthurnax, brother of Alduin, served as his lieutenant in the Dragon War, and witnessed terrible crimes being committed against mankind. He betrayed his brother when Alduin claimed godhood, and taught man how to use the Thu'um. He also knew that the lust for power was innate and still strong within him and if left unchecked, he would surely revert to his old ways. To overcome this, he retired to the peak of the Throat of the World and lived in seclusion so that he could meditate and focus on the Way of the Voice, a pacifist creed developed by Jurgen Windcaller that preached the Thu'um should only be used for the worship and glory of the gods rather than martial exploits.
Alduin was the first dragon among many that ruled over men and mer. The dragons, as a whole, viewed humanity as a lesser species, and kept a tyrannical hold over them. Alduin's peers considered him the most acclaimed creation of Akatosh. And he basked in arrogance at these accolades. In favor of conquering Mundus for himself and his fellow dragons, he forsook his "proper role" as World-Eater.
All that without even touching on Spike...whew.
Alright, so we have the idea that a innate urge to hoard is in Spike, but he can overcome it. We see this in Spike's everyday life by him not turning into a greed-based godzilla, so the poor kid is constantly fighting this monster, whether or not he knows it. He has been raised and nurtured to be good, even though his nature says otherwise.
Maturity:
What else is a dragon? Near-immortal.
Spike may not seem to change much in the show, he just kind of exists in a status qo of goofiness that we know him for. Why? Because dragons change very slowly. Very slowly. By the time the CMC's grandkids' grandkids die, Spike may hit puberty. Maybe.
In terms of actual age, Spike is only a few years younger than Twilight, who is within a year of all her friends. If Twilight's 20, Spike is about 15-16. But, he's a baby dragon, and therefore has not fully developed, either mentally or physically. This helps explain Spike's apparent immaturity, as well as his random bursts of wisdom. He has been around the block, but he's not mentally capable of using it all.
Personality:
If there is one thing we have seen time and time again about Spike is that he just wants to be useful. He fears being alone and left out. He just wants to be a part of it.
Why does he fear this so much? Well, there are two reasons that I can see. The first is, he knows he's going to outlive them all. He knows this, fears this, and wants to enjoy their company as much as he can.
The other reason, possibly, is because of low self-esteem. He's just a baby dragon. He's too short. He accidentally burns books. He's not a real dragon. So what does he do? Set out to prove he's useful. Go out of his way to be important because he wants to be a great, noble dragon rather than just a little, useless wyrmling.
Shipping:
"He's too young for Rarity!"
"He's perfect for her!"
"He should date one of the Crusaders! like Sweetie Belle!"
Okay, okay, guys. Enough...
I'm not going to debate Sprarity. I'll use shipping as I'll see fit.
That being said, the argument that "Spike is too young" is BS.
Spike, like I said, is only about four or five years younger than the Mane Six. If Rarity is twenty, Spike is not of legal age (assuming it's eighteen). If Rarity is twenty-five? He's twenty/twenty-one.
That's not unheard of.
"But it's about the physical body!" I hear someone cry.
Well then he's too young for Sweetie Belle too. When she get's to be Rarity's age, Spike will still be his size and build. When she dies of old age, he'll still be a baby dragon. If you want Spike to be physically older for a shipping pair, then we're talking great grandkids.
...
That was way too many words.
Alright guys, that's my analysis about Spike. I may do another character analysis, I might not. Tell me what you think.
Spike is useless. He makes a good doormat. The End.
1684698 I dislike him also... but that's a bit harsh...
Damn, those arguments should fight off any Spike haters that bother to read them. Poor Spike though
This is a pretty solid analysis. I like it.
Spike on a personal note, I like him. Regardless what happens, he can be pretty useful when the situation calls for it.
You hit the nail on the head there. Anyone who reads this and still dislikes Spike to any noticeable degree is a parasprite, plain and simple, and you know what they say about parasprites and feeding them.
Keep up the good work. Deus tecum.