How does having a sister affect Buffy?

[The Unspoken]

We've seen four seasons of Buffy's character development - without Dawn in her life. However, the memories implanted by the monks are apparently so real and intricate that Buffy really feels like Dawn is her sister - and has been all along.
Of course, this means that the events from seasons 1-4 that Buffy (and all those affected) experienced are different from what we watched. How different, I'm not sure. Obviously, the events in each episode would be different (like when Darla is invited in Buffy's house in season 1). But the more important question is, how does having a sibling change Buffy's personality, how she relates to others, the choices she makes, etc.?

 

[PoetZero24]

When Dawn appeared Buffy was definitely more stressed out than usual. That stress caused Buffy to make some less than ideal decisions on occassion, BUT I think having Dawn pushed Buffy to the point she needed to be at the end of season 5...If Dawn wasn't the key, would Buffy have jumped off of the platform?

 

[brinkster130]

I think having Dawn around forced Buffy to grow up some...or at least consider someone else when making her decisions. I think Buffy would have done anything for her friends/loved ones but Dawn seemed to be the first one where that was really put to the test.

 

[Taake]

But the more important question is, how does having a sibling change Buffy's personality, how she relates to others, the choices she makes, etc.?

I would also say that it forces Buffy to grow up in a different way from that we saw before on the show. In the beginning she was the only child and a young teenage girl allowed to be corny and girly, desperate for normality and fitting while make mistakes on account of it sometimes.

In season five Buffy went from Buffy the teen to Buffy the (albeit still young) adult. She had to learn how to take care of someone else than herself on a deeper lever.
They moved the show in a more mature direction, paving way for the heavier topics of a parents death, sacrifice and eventually depression. Without Dawn Buffy wouldn't have needed to go trough these things in the manner that she did because she wouldn't have had to become a care-taker and would doubtlessly have matured differently if not also more slowly.

Imagine without her having to get up each day and make a normal life for Dawn, she might have taken her mother's death even harder (having the time to deal with it rather than trying to keep it together), she would have been a free, young woman responsible for herself and no one else (well except for still keeping the forces of darkness at bay of course...)



(though some of us would certainly have preferred seeing Buffy go through these things without Dawn of course...)

 

[zobothehobo]

Honestly, when Dawn shows up at the beginning of season 5, it's kind of obvious Buffy's not used to having a sister around. She thinks she is, but her actions suggest otherwise. The fake memories don't change the only child personality she's developed over the years. Having a sister changes her from an only child to an older sibling. Which is to be expected.

 

[Chosen Enemy]

There was the affect of Dawn taking Buffy's bowl and milk in "Real Me". I guess Buffy would have her breakfast earlier than when she did if Dawn wasn't there.

To be honest, it's a very hard question for me to answer, since it's so complex in so many levels. I will think about it some more, it's an interesting topic.

 

[Marisa]

Dawn gave Buffy more maturity. She showed Buffy a love that was so strong and unbreakable. I do think that Dawn was an important part of the series and kept Buffy going during some tough things.

 

[xfivebyfive]

I pretty much agree with everyone else. Buffy was forced to grow up and be more mature because of Dawn. She had to look out for her and take care of her once their mother died. She had to take over the house when her mother was sick and be strong for Dawn its a lot of emotional pressure that really made her mature.