There's probably something to be written -- and probably has been written
-- about the tragedy of Aral and Cordelia being just that. What with the
trope of "someone who isn't a liberal as a youth has no soul, someone who
isn't a conservative as an old person has no brain", and, hell, I'd even
cite Harvey and Sheila by Alan Shermann because I'm in that kind of mood:
where you're a radical as a kid but then you grow up to become the
establishment. And in Aral and Cordelia's case, that's literally true,
they are literally the establishment. Aral got thrown into a war at age
eleven by being a survivor of a massacre, ends that war at age thirteen and
nearly guts a grown man and is clapped on the shoulder for it, then goes
through some kind of schooling or whatever, then gets married, then his
wife dies (I really really need to know who did it, and also what her name
wasssssss), and then he has a reckless youth and then he gets back on the
straight and narrow and then he GODDAMN CONQUERS ANOTHER PLANET and then
he strangles someone and then he gets thrown into political exile and and
and, this is basically the origin story of a dude who comes back and goes
"fuck this shit, fuck all this shit, burn it down". But he takes
responsibility for Gregor and then... well, it's interesting to contrast
Aral's acceptance of Mark with Piotr's total unacceptance of Miles, so it's
not like Aral becomes his dad in any way, but he does settle down into
his role and not do anything about it. He's happy to give up the Regency,
but then becomes Prime Minister. He was gonna give up being PM, but then
Quintillan died, so he didn't. His "retirement" was getting shoved off to
running a different planet. Aral at 25 meeting Aral at 65... it's a
tragedy and it's a common tragedy and I'm sure literary stuff has a word
for it, it's been forever since I studied that stuff.
I have a much less stronger grip on Cordelia's characterization, I find her
"voice" pretty hard to grab onto, which is why it's hard for me to write
from her POV (I keep trying and keep failing), so IDK her political views
on stuff and how it all grows and expands over time, so I don't know if she
ever wanted to change Barrayar or just study it in situ, but Aral damn sure
wants to either tear it all down or drink himself to death trying...
There's a tragedy that links Aral and Gregor, in that they both had this
dream of getting away, and then they Become The Establishment, primarily
because they think they have to, because they don't think there's another
choice.
And for a series with a main character who specializes in Creating Other
Options (the thing with Mark suddenly being "what did you do with your
little brother" is genius), that's a little disappointing. But also very
real and very true. There's a tragedy underneath the surface.
...dammit, now I want to write time travel!Aral where he shows up,
immediately post-Komarr from his side, right into Miles's treason trial.
IDK what would happen next, but I bet it would involve swords. :P
no subject
There's probably something to be written -- and probably has been written -- about the tragedy of Aral and Cordelia being just that. What with the trope of "someone who isn't a liberal as a youth has no soul, someone who isn't a conservative as an old person has no brain", and, hell, I'd even cite Harvey and Sheila by Alan Shermann because I'm in that kind of mood: where you're a radical as a kid but then you grow up to become the establishment. And in Aral and Cordelia's case, that's literally true, they are literally the establishment. Aral got thrown into a war at age eleven by being a survivor of a massacre, ends that war at age thirteen and nearly guts a grown man and is clapped on the shoulder for it, then goes through some kind of schooling or whatever, then gets married, then his wife dies (I really really need to know who did it, and also what her name wasssssss), and then he has a reckless youth and then he gets back on the straight and narrow and then he GODDAMN CONQUERS ANOTHER PLANET and then he strangles someone and then he gets thrown into political exile and and and, this is basically the origin story of a dude who comes back and goes "fuck this shit, fuck all this shit, burn it down". But he takes responsibility for Gregor and then... well, it's interesting to contrast Aral's acceptance of Mark with Piotr's total unacceptance of Miles, so it's not like Aral becomes his dad in any way, but he does settle down into his role and not do anything about it. He's happy to give up the Regency, but then becomes Prime Minister. He was gonna give up being PM, but then Quintillan died, so he didn't. His "retirement" was getting shoved off to running a different planet. Aral at 25 meeting Aral at 65... it's a tragedy and it's a common tragedy and I'm sure literary stuff has a word for it, it's been forever since I studied that stuff.
I have a much less stronger grip on Cordelia's characterization, I find her "voice" pretty hard to grab onto, which is why it's hard for me to write from her POV (I keep trying and keep failing), so IDK her political views on stuff and how it all grows and expands over time, so I don't know if she ever wanted to change Barrayar or just study it in situ, but Aral damn sure wants to either tear it all down or drink himself to death trying...
There's a tragedy that links Aral and Gregor, in that they both had this dream of getting away, and then they Become The Establishment, primarily because they think they have to, because they don't think there's another choice.
And for a series with a main character who specializes in Creating Other Options (the thing with Mark suddenly being "what did you do with your little brother" is genius), that's a little disappointing. But also very real and very true. There's a tragedy underneath the surface.
...dammit, now I want to write time travel!Aral where he shows up, immediately post-Komarr from his side, right into Miles's treason trial. IDK what would happen next, but I bet it would involve swords. :P