Sephiroth's Yearning For Normalcy

[jazzflower92]

I know that it is emphasized that Cloud always yearned to be someone who was looking to be special and strong like Sephiroth. However, I do think a subtle theme with Sephiroth as a contrast with Cloud is how he seems to yearn for a normal life. This trope is called I Just Want To be Normal, in which characters wish they could be like everyone else instead of special. While it did give him international fame, pre-madness he really was alienated from other people and didn't have that many strong connections. This is also shown when he contemplates to both Zack and Cloud about not knowing his parents or having any sense of a hometown. In some ways it can fit into the theme of celebrity being overrated, while seeing the value in a simple life.

 

[LicoriceAllsorts]

I don't know if that's even a trope, Jazz. I think it's a pretty standard aspect of the human condition. Children, in particular, yearn to be like everyone else. Children who are exceptionally gifted often end up feeling as if they're both defined entirely by their gift (so that if they lose it, they'd be literally nobody), and separated from the rest of humanity by it. The more extreme the gift, the greater its power to make the individual feel both alienated and, paradoxically, unimportant. That is, the gift is important; they aren't. There are plenty of scientific studies on this topic, admittedly most of them related to children who are intellectually gifted in some way.

 

[The Twilight Mexican]

I guess there is a bit of that there. Initially I was dismissive of your suggestion since Sephiroth was -- by his own admission -- proud of his abnormalcy, but you do make valid observations in the things Sephiroth asks others about.

Also, and quite poignantly, Cloud had a similar personality response to feeling alienated in youth: by his own admission, he convinced himself to think he was different from the other kids -- special. Better.

So, yeah, you're definitely right. There's a theme at work here, and it fed into the breakdowns both men had -- the difference being in their ultimate responses to learning who they really are in the Lifestream post-breakdown. Sephiroth embraced the experiment aspect of himself while Cloud acknowledged his buried normalcy.

 

[LicoriceAllsorts]

Yes. If people who are special feel alienated, then people who feel alienated can convince themselves they're special.

 

[jazzflower92]

Yes. If people who are special feel alienated, then people who feel alienated can convince themselves they're special.

Especially when you are always told that you are special, and he was. However, it's a double edged sword. I think that is something that was kind of lost with Crisis Core because there were two more like him. It kind of strips away his revelation about his true nature and why he is special.

As some said before, Cloud had others to keep him sane. While Sephiroth had absolutely no one that could keep him anchored.

 

[LicoriceAllsorts]

You make a good point. If he didn't know about Angeal and Genesis while he was growing up, suddenly discovering there were two more boys who were 'special' like him could have been a huge shock to his system. However, it seems to be the case that Sephiroth was more than capable of taking both the Project G boys on single-handedly and without breaking a sweat, so perhaps he found this proof of his singular superiority reassuring. Angeal and Genesis grew up together, so neither fell into the trap of thinking of himself as uniquely special. Genesis envies Sephiroth's hero status but it doesn't seem as if his very identity is challenged by it. And Angeal was a genuinely decent person who found himself in a really shitty situation.