Faith: Evil or victim?

[Chosen Enemy]

I wanted to know your opinion on Faith, on a particular aspect.
I wrote an article about Faith (which you can find in the articles section of BB), and while I was writing it I realized a few things that I just had to include in it. I claimed that Faith is not really evil, she's actually a victim of her own life. It's a pretty long article, so I won't go on about it, if you want you can read it yourself, but do you think that Faith, as much as she presents herself as an evil Slayer (or the show claimed her to be for a long while), she's actually a girl who got lost, and does things as a result of her poor life? She's actually not evil at all, she only wants to be loved and be accepted. Do you agree with that claim?

(again, if you want to understand more what I actually mean, go ahead and read the article I wrote).

I also want to mention that I don't like Faith. However, I think she's an amazing character with so much depth that really needs to be explored.

 

[Dagenspear]

Yes. I agree completely. All Faith has ever really wanted was to be loved.

 

[Seeing Red]

I felt that she was a victim in all that was happening. Faith was about 16 years old when this was happening? She saw her watcher killed in front of her, so she ran to the person how she thought would help her, Buffy. Though all Buffy really did was give Faith the cold shoulder when Faith really needed some one. Faith was staying at that dirty motel, doing God knows what for rent, only invited out to hang with the scoobies once besides slaying. Faith did not have a parental figure to turn to for help, or anyone to talk to. Then when Buffy was warming up to her, Faith accidently killed Finch. Instead of being there for Faith, Buffy yelled at her for dumping the body in a moment of pure panic. Is it a mystery why Faith went to the mayor? Not really, Faith wanted someone to be proud of her and show her some type of affection, which the mayor did. Then when Angel was helping her, Wesley brought in the squad to ship her to England! No wonder she had trust problems. Even though Buffy stabbed her, Faith still helped them defeat the mayor. And of course, when Faith woke up she saw that Buffy had left the person that she had been trying to feed Faith too. I think Faith was really hurt by that, I got the impression that Faith thought that because of that her life meant nothing.

But overall, I feel that Faith was just a severely hurt girl who just pretended that she was tough so she did not have to feel. Faith was turned into a victim by the scoobies, the Mayor and Buffy.

 

[Steven123]

I'd go with both, she was certainly a victim with some things that had happened with her in her life, BUT you don't become evil because your a victim either, and i think she used that at times as a sort of "excuse" to her actions. (More so in BtVS)


But as we see in AtS, when she is giving the chance,support and no pun lol, when she was shown faith from Angel,, she really turned her life around from that, which is why i think she should have been a main on AtS.

 

[Icarium]

She's actually not evil at all, she only wants to be loved and be accepted. Do you agree with that claim?

Not at all. Most people who have tough lives manage to not become murderers. She went to the mayor before she knew he would treat her any better than Wesley, so the idea that she worked for him because he treated her better doesn't make a whole lot of sense. Not to mention that for trying to strangle Xander Faith totally deserved to get hauled to England or wherever and have long sessions with shrinks. After her coma Faith again went after Buffy, this doesn't seem like the act of someone who only wants to be loved and accepted.

Did Giles drop the ball big time by never trying to get close to Faith? Sure. I think this was rather OOC for Giles but let's not digress. Anyway, my point is none of this excuses Faith's crimes. Was Faith starving? No. Did anyone put a gun to her head and ordered her to kill people? Not until she decided to switch sides and she still could have said no and returned to the side of the good guys. She made her choice. Repeatedly. She clearly enjoyed killing and torturing people too.

 

[Dagenspear]

Faith's choices were influenced by the events and people that shaped her life. Yes, she was a victim.

 

[white avenger]

I would go so far as to say that if Buffy and the Scoobies, especially Giles, had had the good sense to simply tell Faith that they knew that she was actually the one responsible for the Assistant Mayor's death, but that it was an unavoidable accident, and almost certainly not the first time that some human had simply been at the wrong place at the wrong time. Faith allied herself with the Mayor because he accepted, supported, encouraged, and even, I believe, honestly loved and cared about her as a person, none of which Buffy or her friends ever really did.

That's most certainly not to say that Faith was completely innocent in what happened, because she obviously was not. We have to remember, however, that, no matter how powerful a fighter Faith might have been, and no matter how tough she might have acted, she was still a young girl, with, as far as we know, just recently having experienced seeing closest thing to actual family she ever knew (her Watcher) literally torn to pieces right in front of her. Traumatized barely describes the condition that she must have been in at that time. It's a wonder that she could function at all.

 

[Tome]

Faith had most likely a bad childhood, and she had the difficult mantle of being called as a Slayer, but it doesn't excuse choices she made that led her to a dark path. Although we have to give her credit for managing to come out of the darkness, and making amends for what she had done. 🙂 All in all, I think she was just human.

 

[Icarium]

Faith's choices were influenced by the events and people that shaped her life. Yes, she was a victim.

Everyone's choices are influences by the events and people in their life. Is everyone who has ever screwed up a victim then?

Faith allied herself with the Mayor because he accepted, supported, encouraged, and even, I believe, honestly loved and cared about her as a person, none of which Buffy or her friends ever really did.

She switched sides before the Mayor had done any of that. For all Faith knew he could have been a complete monster.

 

[Dagenspear]

Everyone's choices are influences by the events and people in their life. Is everyone who has ever screwed up a victim then?

In some ways. Faith though, never would've fallen so far if she wasn't a slayer. Hers is unique situation.

She switched sides before the Mayor had done any of that. For all Faith knew he could have been a complete monster.

Then she would've turned away from him too.

 

[Gum Gnome33]

I don't think Faith is any less responsible for her "evil" ways than anyone else ever is. We can say that killers are just victims of their circumstances--ie brain chemistry, childhoods, genetics, etc. At some point you have to decide whether to blame the person or the circumstances, (both experiencial and genetic), associated with the person. Faith isn't any different.

After a while it is difficult to excuse so-called "killers" for their circumstances when plenty of people with similar stories are not compelled to do evil things. If you ask me I think it all has more to do with a person's brain chemistry than anything else. Faith and Xander both come from broken families for example. Why is Xander not compelled to kill? Is Xander just "better?" What does that even mean?

Vampires are an extreme example of this. They are literally forced to become monsters. Otherwise good people who would never harm a fly are suddenly demons who are killing left and right, yet we have no problem calling them "evil." Spike and Angelus, for comparison's sake, aren't any more responsible for what they did than Faith is. Arguably, less so. To call them inherently evil and not Faith is inconsistent.

 

[Dagenspear]

Faith only killed 2 people. One was accidental and the other was a bad guy.

 

[Taake]

Faith only killed 2 people. One was accidental and the other was a bad guy.

But she killed the volcano-ologist (or whatever he was) anyway, that sweet old man in his home... he wasn't a bad guy. So who's the bad guy?

 

[Dagenspear]

But she killed the volcano-ologist (or whatever he was) anyway, that sweet old man in his home... he wasn't a bad guy. So who's the bad guy?

Oh yeah! Crap! Forgot about him. Poor guy. That was pretty evil. What do ya think? That her need for Wilkins' affection drove her to do it?

---------- Post added at 12:40 AM ---------- Previous post was at 12:34 AM ----------

Wasn't that bug box guy human?

 

[Taake]

Yes, I think her need for affection made her do it, it's not an excuse but she was pretty far gone by then and probably didn't see a possible return to Buffy and the gang, so to keep the affection of the Mayor I think she was pretty desperate and ready to do anything (though it was messed up their father/daughter relationship was very moving and pretty much exactly what Faith had been looking for a needed. I can see why she wasn't willing to give that up)

 

[WannabeWatcher]

I often wonder what TPTB were thinking when they called her as a Slayer.

I read her back-story recently and she was clearly a ticking time-bomb; Dad sent to prison for murder when she was 4, alcoholic mother who abandoned her after her pimp boyfriend forced her into prostitution (she was later found dead), her foster parents tried to feed her to the vampire son they kept in the attic, her Watcher (the only person who gave her a steady 'home life' and focus) was murdered in front of her.....I mean, wow. She'd have some serious abandonment issues and an inferiority complex to say the least. Giving her super powers was bound to screw with her mind - finely, she had a purpose, great power and she was the only one. Special and needed. Except she wasn't - because Buffy became a constant comparison - and nobody had ever given her any reason to think she should use her new gifts for anything but her own interests. I can see why she felt she owed the world nothing.

Maybe choosing such a volatile girl was all part of TPTB's bigger plan......?

I'd love to know how many other 'rogue Slayers' there were. Giles said something like 'we have a rogue Slayer on our hands. I can't think of anything more dangerous'. Something about ASH delivery suggested he'd never come across a case like this before. You'd think something like a renegade Slayer would be really well known to a Watcher, unless the Council at the time buried it to avoid the humiliation.

 

[Gum Gnome33]

So lots of really terrible things happened to her-- I feel sorry for her, for sure. It's tragic, but it doesn't make her less responsible for her actions--or at least, like I said, not any less responsible than any other killer.

I'd love to know how many other 'rogue Slayers' there were. Giles said something like 'we have a rogue Slayer on our hands. I can't think of anything more dangerous'.

The only other that is featured is of course Dana in Ats season 5. It's never discussed how they will "deal with her" but I can imagine that Faith and Giles were at the forefront of that operation!

 

[xfivebyfive]

Faith was a victim. She wasn't evil. But was she doing evil things? Definitely.

Whatever happened to Faith as a child fractured her. She was broken. To protect herself she split herself in two basically. The little girl still wanting to be loved and the hardened I don't give a f*** girl we see. She couldn't take any more pain or abuse and so she sealed herself off. Some wounds never heal, and no not everyone becomes a murderer but some abuse is just too damaging. Then you give the girl superhuman abilities and expect a good outcome?

By the time we meet Faith she is too far gone for any of the scoobies to help her. They were still children themselves what did they know about helping someone as damaged as Faith? Killing the deputy Mayor pushed Faith over the edge. She went from broken to beyond repair, at least in her mind.

Is it her fault? Yes and no. The blood is still on her hands. Those people are still dead and her being sorry isn't going to bring them back. Could she have stopped herself? I dont think so. I think the only chance she had was in Consequences and Wesley ruined that. From then on Faith was gone. She had locked away any feelings she had, any remorse. She turned herself over to the mayor and for once had someone to love her. Which only proved to her more this is where she belonged. She tried to be good and always failed. She wanted to be loved and never got it. But embracing being "evil" she gets what she always wanted. Love. Proving this is what she deserved. She would do anything to continue getting that love. There was no way for her to be redeemed in her mind, no way to save her, but if she did what he wanted she could still be loved.

It's not like any normal murderer because this is supernatural. This severely damaged girl was given super strength and asked to kill. If Faith had never been called would she still have become a murderer? I dont think so. I think she would have been a very violent, self-destructive person, who may have even gotten herself killed somewhere down the line.

She's not evil, she's a victim. But she is guilty of murder. She needs to feel responsible for those murders. She needs to feel guilty.

 

[Dagenspear]

xfivebyfive I couldn't have said it better myself.

---------- Post added at 10:01 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:53 PM ----------

So lots of really terrible things happened to her-- I feel sorry for her, for sure. It's tragic, but it doesn't make her less responsible for her actions--or at least, like I said, not any less responsible than any other killer.

Any other killer didn't have superpowers forced on them at a young age. Put Buffy in Faith's place and it would bring about the same results.

 

[WannabeWatcher]

The only other that is featured is of course Dana in Ats season 5. It's never discussed how they will "deal with her" but I can imagine that Faith and Giles were at the forefront of that operation!

Dana was an insane, deeply damaged young woman and she had no idea she was a Slayer. She can't be held accountable for her actions as a Slayer for those reasons and so I wouldn't class her as 'rogue'.

'Rogue slayer', to me, requires some intent and therefore culpability. The Slayer has to consciously abandon her calling and turn to 'the dark side' and/or use her powers for selfish/evil reasons. Given that there are have been at least a couple of thousand Slayers there must have been a few who became 'rouge' (or at least acted outside the law to serve their own selfish purposes) I'm surprised Giles was made it sound like he's never heard of such a case before.