Generosity · 2:50pm Feb 12th, 2015
NOTE: I tagged "Something Magical" intentionally, because I already visited this concept in that fic as well. If you're interested, try finding the relevant section after reading this blog.
So, this won't be one of my typical "Rariteh" blogs, but a more serious attempt at discussion. Specifically, I want to talk about her Element, as well as how it relates to her zig-zagging between "a ridiculous tightwad" and "throws gemstones at people to pay for the smallest favors..."
Over the five years of the show's existence, I imagine Rarity's character had been dissected by fans to the point that not one fiber of her being had managed to avoid scrutiny and discussion. That said, I still feel as though a lot of people misinterpret her character, often not even in a way that makes them hate her and/or see traits of her as flaws. In fact, some even try to use said traits to make her look good, yet they only end up misrepresenting her.
Oh, I'd gladly give it to you, Rarity... and maybe a whole lot more...
Well, either that, or the writers somehow ended up writing two polar opposite personalities for her over the course of four seasons. Oddly enough, she was consistent for the first three, and it was the Manehattan episode where things got mixed up. Up to that point, Rarity pretty much became the butt end of jokes along the lines of "her element is revealing the generosity in others by being a greedy bitch herself." I imagine that, to offset that perspective, they wanted to show her off as being the most charitable pony in the whole world, tossing money and swag at everypony who happened to be close enough.
By the way, note how both instances of the aforementioned zig-zagging relate to money, or rather: material possessions. While I wouldn't go as far as to say Rarity is downright greedy when we see her "at her worst," she definitely doesn't shy away from a chance to gain something valuable, and she seems uncomfortable with giving away expensive stuff. In fact, her "discorded" self is a lowly hoarder, no doubt intended to be the polar opposite of her element. Better yet: even when she's "normal," she seems willing to exploit Spike's affection for her (which she's clearly aware of) and seduces him into giving her the gem he intended for himself.
Geez, what a fiend she is, right?
Well, before we jump to conclusions, let's start with that last example, shall we? So everyone noticed what a "dick" Rarity was for exploiting Spike's emotions so she could "rob" him. A couple of details, however, seem to have slipped their minds:
1) Sure, Rarity had Spike give up the gem, but once the exchange happens, she's no longer interested in the thing specifically. It's subtle, but Rarity seems genuinely surprised when he does give the ruby to her. You might argue that she's just acting, but later on she even parades the gem, defends it, and declares proudly who gave it to her, all of which show that her emotions related to the jewel go way beyond just "loving her new bling..."
2) Rarity only gets worked up when she learns that Spike intends to eat the ruby. At first, she must have assumed Spike was planning to give it to her as a present (and were he to do so, he'd have scored instantly) only to learn that he actually intended it as a present to himself. I'd go into detail about how dumb that sounds to me, but then again, Spike did only get books as presents up to that point, so it's understandable that he'd want to treat himself.
I might be stretching things here, but to me, the following idea is far more pleasant than the "greedy Rarity" interpretation: Rarity saw the gem, loved it, and learned what Spike intended to do to it. Aside from her hots for the thing, she also figured Spike was too young to make a very simple, yet crucial observation: he could enjoy the gem for the whole second it takes him to eat it, or he could give it to the mare he loves -- the mare who is clearly mesmerized by it. Since the dragon was not mature enough to figure that out, Rarity decided to give him a nudge in the right direction.
After all...
Valuable lessons indeed...
Yeah, okay... It's the "women and jewelry" cliche again. If you ask me, however, it kinda fits. Also, it was a win-win for both: Rarity got fancy bling, Spike got Rarity's love. 
Some additional speculation: at first, Rarity only desired the gem, and her "generosity" was merely an intent to teach Spike how he should "use bling to get bitches." However, once the kid gave her the ruby -- which revealed that his heart was stronger than his belly -- she became aware of her own emotions (which she must have buried up to that point), and her perspective changed completely. In other words, Rarity started off wanting a jewel, and she ended up letting Spike into her heart.
If I went a step further, I'd say she hesitated in giving Spike a jewel for him offering to take care of Opalescence because she could see that Spike was going down the wrong path again...
And herein lies the lesson: Rarity isn't trying to be "generous" in the material sense. Spike had to give up on something he thought was great in order to get something far better. Her generosity is about giving up on things in favor of more important things, instead of just "being charitable." This is reflected by most of her other escapades: she is willing to risk her health by letting Twilight test her wing spell on her. She gives up on her pride to support Fluttershy, even though Fluttershy "stole the spotlight" from her. She gives up on becoming a member of the Canterlot elite, along with all of its perks, to stay loyal to her friends. She puts herself through a game she'd normally despise, which helps mend her relationship with her sister. The list goes on and on...
Yes, Rarity dresses fancy and loves gems, but we never actually see her hoard them for herself (nor do we see her with piles of money, for that matter). The only thing we do see her use gems for is her work, so accusing her of being greedy in this regard is like accusing Applejack of "hoarding food for herself" when she picks the apples on her farm. Rarity's fascination with gems is a minor quirk at best, something she likes to use to spruce up her designs, and it isn't directly linked to her Element nor the opposite thereof. If anything, her Element is precisely about valuing things that are more important (family, friendship, true love, etc.) over material possessions.
Even the way she uses the gems shows this: for all we know, she could just sell them all for a pretty penny, but instead she makes the extra effort of putting them into outfits that she either sells or gives away instead of holding onto them (or building some kind of "fashion empire"). She values the work and the joy it may bring to others over any "value" the gems or the outfits themselves may have.
Further proof of this is how she was "discorded" in Season 2: since a "hoarder" is the exact opposite of what Rarity stands for, this is what Discord manipulated her into. She had to choose between a selfless act and a quick personal gain, with the "gain" itself -- precious-looking gems -- being lowly compared to helping her friends. The moment she allows herself to falter and value material over friendship, she fails at her Element. This, by the way, is an inverse of what happens during "Suited for Success", where Rarity values her friends' satisfaction above her own opinion of the dresses, and I imagine the parallel is not unintentional.
So why did I bother explaining this in such detail? Contrary to what you might think, I'm not doing this to defend Rarity in the face of stories that try to paint her as "greedy" and whatnot. Instead, I'm more inclined to challenge the stories that try too hard to make her look good, except they do it in a way that I feel are wrong. These are the adaptations of her character that wish to imply that "generosity" translates into "throws money at poor people every time she sees them."
No. Her character has more depth than that. Just giving away money and valuables is "fake charity," and doing that alone ruins what she stands for. Oddly enough, despite the story containing enough poverty and misery to rival "Les Misérables", Simply Rarity recognizes this and shows it superbly: even with all of her charitable efforts in mind, Rarity understands that this isn't what true generosity is about.
It's not about what you can give, but what you should give.
That is all. Your thoughts?
2790731
Some very good points here. I think some people (myself included) might sometimes confuse generosity with selflessness. Rarity is not selfless. For example, by giving her friends dresses, she is also advertising her business (ponies will talk, as we know). Still, giving the dresses is generous - she could charge for them if she wanted.
I want to like Rarity. I think what gets in the way for me is the melodrama. It would be easier if she would just relax.
I think it's the moments that the mane 6 disobey their own elements that are the most interesting for their characters.
Those moments are also the funniest, for one of them in particular.
But like the fire ruby stuff, I think there's a bit of something going on that teaches her about her own element, moreso than teaching spike about something else. When Spike gives her the gem that's pretty dang generous, and maybe there's a moment where she's learning more about being on the other side of that. Why him giving it was more than just fake charity.
I like Rarity for the laughs actually, and I think I have trouble connecting with her character on any other level because I have no respect for her field
I disagree both with your conclusion on her, and your representation. That's all I really have to say on the matter.
Nice analysis.
(I followed the link from your reply in an idiotic thread.)