Slayer - a killer

Chosen Enemy

Chosen Enemy

Losing my soul
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Dracula told Buffy that a Slayer is a killer. At first Buffy disagreed. But then she kinda started to. She also told Faith that a Slayer is not a killer. Then she said that to Willow as well.

Do you think a Slayer is a killer? If so how? And if not how?
 
It's just an issue of semantics really isn't it?

When you slay something, you kill it. But I think there's moral connotations with the latter and heroic connotations with the former. I don't think she wanted to think of her work as killing because that suggests that what she does is equating to murder rather than saving someone's life.

That's how I see it anyway.
 
M
Ms.Trick
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This is the way I look at it. A slayer is a killer of vampires and other evil things. Dracula is a vampire. Dracula saying "a slayer is a killer" is an accurate statement. A slayer is a killer of vampires and other evil things. A slayer is NOT a killer of humans and peaceful things. Buffy telling Faith "a slayer is not a killer" after she killed a human is an accurate statement. Same goes for Buffy telling Willow a slayer is not a killer after she killed a human.
 
sisterofmercy said:
It's just an issue of semantics really isn't it?

When you slay something, you kill it. But I think there's moral connotations with the latter and heroic connotations with the former. I don't think she wanted to think of her work as killing because that suggests that what she does is equating to murder rather than saving someone's life.

That's how I see it anyway.
Click to expand...

Totally agree with this... Buffy was in denial about the fact that technically, her job is to murder demons. But her job was needed and justified by the forces of good because the demons she was killing were a threat to humans and the world.
 
I kind of agree with HisMrs and sisterofmercy, it's basically about semantics. 🙂

But yes, in my opinion, at the end of the day (no matter how you want to sugar coat it) Buffy is a killer. She's a hunter. She may hunt and kill evil things, thus making it 'right' but she takes lives. That is her purpose. Thus, she's a killer.

What I like about Buffy as a Slayer is that she doesn't kill indiscrimminately. She sees gray areas and adjusts accordingly. 🙂
 
O
OhWow
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Gum Gnome33
Gum Gnome33
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Well Technically Buffy is a "killer" because she kills vampires and demons. But she rarely uses her power to kill humans.
 
I think that Buffy's bigger issue is the question as to whether she's just a killer & nothing else, & whether at her core she is killer/slayer first. I think that dichotomy (between Slayer & person/girl/woman/human) is evident throughout the entire show. The question of her identity is a major theme IMO.

Personally I wouldn't call her a killer, that sounds really indiscriminate. I consider her more of a Defender, and the ATS label of Champion fits too.
 
Z
zobothehobo
[No message]
Chosen Enemy said:
Dracula told Buffy that a Slayer is a killer. At first Buffy disagreed. But then she kinda started to. She also told Faith that a Slayer is not a killer. Then she said that to Willow as well.

Do you think a Slayer is a killer? If so how? And if not how?
Click to expand...


Of course a Slayer is a killer. That's what all Slayers do . . . kill vampires, demons, etc. Just because a Slayer doesn't kill humans as a habit or profession, doesn't remove the label of "killer" from her. They don't incarcerate vampires, demons, etc., do they?
 
Yup, she's a killer. Literally. It's the cold, hard truth but there it is. She's a woman who is filled with love, empathy, and compassion. But she is a killer. She's hyper aware of that as she gets older, which is why when she hears "death is your gift" she automatically assumes it means that killing things is the gift she gives to others. It's why she's so worried that she can't have healthy relationships with others.


This fact shouldn't really be considered on its own though, in order to do justice to Buffy's calling. Because just as she's a killer, she's also a savior, (is that the word you would use in a non-religious context?) She saves and protects far more beings than she kills.
 
I also think that Dracula was addressing Buffy's innate predetory instinct. Although she patrols for vampires to protect people, the drive to kill him, parallels vampire drive to kill humans. There is a connection in that and it's what Dracula called 'darkness'.

The key is understanding this predetory drive and using it rather than being afraid of it.
 
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