Joan the Vampire Slayer
Carpe Spuffy!
I hope this the right forum for this...
This is my first attempt at a "intellectual" essay on Buffy. I welcome comments of all kinds!!! Please!
Thanks for reading!!!!
---
Postmodernism in "Buffy The Vampire Slayer"
SPIKE: "I died so many years ago. You can make me feel like it isn't so."
BUFFY: "This isn't real, but I just want to feel."
Dictionary.com defines "Postmodernism" as:
any of a number of trends or movements in the arts and literature developing in the 1970s in reaction to or rejection of the dogma, principles, or practices of established modernism, esp. a movement in architecture and the decorative arts running counter to the practice and influence of the International Style and encouraging the use of elements from historical vernacular styles and often playful illusion, decoration, and complexity.
UrbanDictionary.com defines it as such:
A reaction to the work of Modern philosophers, most of whom created vast systems of meaning founded upon one central concept. In many religions, the central and beginning premise is some supreme being or concept. The postmodernist critique removes that central concept, it "decenters" the system of meaning. Postmodernism points out that all systems of meaning are in constant negotiation and flux, therefore claims of transcendent morality are suspect.
Furthermore, postmodernism critiques all claims of "objective" truth by revealing that human subjectivity always exists in every truth proposition. Due to the pervasive effects of subjectivity, postmodernist critiques are critical of all sweeping claims concerning social policy, truth, justice, morality, and ethics.
Are you lost yet? I'll explain. What am I trying to claim here? Simply put: Buffy The Vampire Slayer is a post-modern television show.
What, you say, is postmodernism and why should we care that Buffy carries it's characteristics? In order to understand Buffy fully, we must understand the techniques used to portray the story.
The word "postmodern" can be applied loosely to describe different elements and ideas in theatre, literature, film, and, as I am trying to claim, television. So, for the sake of staying focused, this article will focus mostly on how Buffy The Vampire Slayer shares similarities with postmodern drama. I will give examples from the show later on in this article. So, what is postmodern drama?
Postmodern drama, in a nutshell, is the opposite of modern drama. What is modern drama? To understand this, we must understand its antithesis "“ modernism. Modernism is a cultural movement that generally includes progressive art and architecture, music and literature which emerged in the decades before 1914, as artists rebelled against late 19th century academic and historicist traditions. It takes no chances and awards no "subjectivity". So, "modern" art would be Michelangelo Picasso and "postmodern" art would be Dali or Warhol. Get it?
I venture to say I can make the argument that "Buffy" is a reflection of the post-modern human condition. For the uninformed, "Postmodernism" drama is characterized by the complex relationship between contemporary works of art and their modernist forbearers. Stylistic quotations, invocation and disengagement from history, and the fragmentation of the artistic surface.
Perhaps we should start by talking about the characteristics of postmodernism in drama. To start out, postmodernism rejects the classic "canon" of drama. This can be said About Buffy. Possibly the reason Buffy isn't taken as seriously as it should is because it was popular. I have faith that "Buffy" will, someday, be in the canon of important television.
Anyway.
Postmodernism (when referring to art, this case theatre) asks the question: what constitutes a classic? Postmodernism says a classic should say something about the human condition that all generations understand. Buffy's despair at no longer being in heaven, or sleeping with a vampire she is "supposed to hate" "“ these things sure, we cannot actually relate too, but we can understand Buffy's feelings of alienation and shame. Everyone can.
THIS is post-modern subjectivity. Get it?
Postmodernism rejects the "universal" of the human condition and rejects traditional readings of texts. Sure, "Buffy" might seem mundane and campy, lacking depth to the average viewer. But real fans (or "readers" as Rhonda Wilcox calls them) know there is so much more behind Buffy. Like good literature, one can interpret Buffy in any way they choose. This is the essence of postmodern thought. SUBJECIVE INTERPRETATION.
From a literary perspective, the main characteristics of modernism include (Buffy is the OPPOSITE of these):
1. an emphasis on impressionism and subjectivity in writing (and in visual arts as well); an emphasis on HOW seeing (or reading or perception itself) takes place, rather than on WHAT is perceived. An example of this would be stream-of-consciousness writing.
(notes: Buffy breaks this my using dream sequences and heavy symbolism.)
2. a movement away from the apparent objectivity provided by omniscient third-person narrators, fixed narrative points of view, and clear-cut moral positions. Faulkner's multiply-narrated stories are an example of this aspect of modernism.
(Note: Subjective. No clear-cut morality.)
3. a blurring of distinctions between genres, so that poetry seems more documentary (as in T.S. Eliot or ee cummings) and prose seems more poetic (as in Woolf or Joyce).
(There is mixing of genres, but there is more of a story element"¦)
4. An emphasis on fragmented forms, discontinuous narratives, and random-seeming collages of different materials. (Uh, can you say "Restless?")
5. a tendency toward reflexivity, or self-consciousness, about the production of the work of art, so that each piece calls attention to its own status as a production, as something constructed and consumed in particular ways.
(Spike does this often: "I may be loves bitch, but at least I'm man enough to admit it!)
6. A rejection of elaborate formal aesthetics in favor of minimalist designs (as in the poetry of William Carlos Williams) and a rejection, in large part, of formal aesthetic theories, in favor of spontaneity and discovery in creation.
7. A rejection of the distinction between "high" and "low" or popular culture, both in choice of materials used to produce art and in methods of displaying, distributing, and consuming art.
(Who says television can't be art?)
("Post-modernism".From http://www.colorado.edu/English/courses/ENGL2012Klages/pomo.html.)
So, are you lost yet? Don't worry. I got you. Let's use some examples of techniques and elements used in postmodern drama and use examples from the show to illustrate how these are applied. Here's a handy chart in review for post-modern ideas in drama and how to relates to Buffy.
POSTMODERN IDEAS and examples of how "Buffy" uses this:
1. Multiples meanings and various truths. Interpretation is subjective. You know how some people perceive Buffy's jump in the end of "The Gift" as a suicide, and others see it as a sacrifice? One might (and could) ask, What is true for me in Buffy? How do I see this?
2. Non-Linear Narrative. Flashbacks are used often in Buffy to show the history of a specific character. Also, the show uses crossover, which is very rare in television, and non-existent in modernism. As an example, "The Harsh Light of Day" and "Into The Dark" are meant to be watched side by side. A whole summer goes by between seasons five and six. There is no chronological order.
3. Mixed Genres. Buffy has elements of horror, tragicomedy, sci-fi, fantasy, and realism.
4. Borrow history from all periods to tell narrative. Again, Spike (and Angel's) stories are often told in flashbacks. Often, there is no straightforward dialogue, but implication (In "Lies My Parents Told Me" Spike implies that his mother tried to sleep with him.)
5. Witty dialogue. Believe it or not, this is not a modern thing. Ways of saying things take precedent over just saying them.
6. Anachronisms. The word "Anachronism" refers to an event, person, object or custom that is chronologically out of place. It can also be an error in chronology, in which a person, object, event, etc., is assigned a date or period other than the correct one. There are loads of these in "Buffy". Spike's Gem Of Amarra that was given to him by Buffy or this leather jacket he stole from Nikki Wood are both examples of these out-of-place objects. These objects, though in their wrong time, represent an important part of the story or of characters psyche. On a more abstract level, vampires themselves are living anachronisms, forced to live in a differenent time then was naturally intended for them and to become immortal and adapt to new customs and societies. A vampire is always out of place. As Angel says, I can walk like a man but I'm not one".
7. Self-Refrencing. There is always a conscious awareness of the Buffyverse. There is no fourth-wall. One knows one is watching Buffy. Many episodes reference other episodes. In "Once More With Feeling", Dawn reiderates to Buffy what her sister had told her in "The Gift", "The hardest thing in this world is to live in it". In arguing against Buffy's treatment of Spike, Anya says, "[Spike] could slaughter a hundred frat boys," referencing the episode "Selfless".
8. References to other forms of pop culture: shows, plays, books, etc. No comment. "Buffy" is constantly referenceing are parodying other things.
9. Mix reality, culture, art, and media. In "Buffy", the classical is mixed with the popular. "Buffy" is very aware of it's theatrical heart. The show often makes reference to plays (Remember Riley as the cowboy in Death of a Salesman in "Restless"? or "What is this? Avante Garde?" by Snyder in "No Assembly Required"? Or Spike's, "What's with the Dadaism, Red?" in "Bargaining?")
10. Busy storylines with complex plots. Many episodes follow sub-plots. If you miss even one episode, you could lose an integral part of the story (Think about the end of "Out Of My Mind", which reveals Spike's obsession with Buffy.)
11. Fate hierarchy over control. Themes of fate run rampant in this series. Buffy knows she is the chosen one, yet she makes it clear she didn't ask for that responsibility. So, in response to the resentment for her calling, she cannot live a normal life, "to be like other girls, to fit into this glittering world". ("Once More With Feeling").
The postmodern human condition? What is this? I mentioned it earlier. Simply put "“ it is a byproduct of living in a postmodern world. People in the postmodern mentality are often in despair, disconnected, narcissistic, nihilistic, and have a "no control" mentality. They often seek death. They desire and seek meaning in a meaningless world. They often have a "doom and gloom" mentality.
Let's talk about a specific episode. The episode "Once More With Feeling" reveals Buffy as a great representation of postmodern condition when she says in her song, "Walk Through The Fire":
I touch the fire and it freezes me
I look into it and it's black
Why can't I feel?
My skin should crack and peel
I want the fire back"¦
Perhaps Buffy's fatal flaw as a character is her inability (or unwillingness) to face her fate. Hamlet, Shakespeare's infamous poster child for a conflicted and lost youth, was said that his failure to act was his fatal flaw. Hamlet is a perfect example of the tragic hero. So is our Buffy. Both Buffy and Hamlet suffer from idealism, and in the end, both suffer for it when they realize that idealism has no bearing in the "real world". Hamlet failed to act on something, and as a result, he suffered. But even though he is thoughtful to the point of obsession, Hamlet also behaves rashly and impulsively. When he does act, it is with little or no premeditation, as when he stabs Polonius through a curtain without even checking to see whom he is. Action is continually postponed while Hamlet tries to obtain more certain knowledge about what he is doing. Hamlet, like Buffy, is uncertain how to act, what to do, and who to save and/or kill. She is human with super-human abilities, the very essence of a conflicted postmodern superhero. So, like Spiderman, she is overwhelmed with her responsibilities, and tries to quit, desiring a more "normal life". But, as she and he learns, it's not quite as easy as it seems "“ fighting fate.
So one by one they turn from me
I guess my friends can't face the cold"¦
Obviously, the gang has proven time and time again they can. It is Buffy who thinks she is not worthy of their love. As she tells Holden, "I'm better then them" ("Conversations With Dead People").
These endless days are finally ending in a blaze
Postmodern stories often coinside with post-apoctalyptic elements. It's not rocket science to see that when Buffy is resurrected she would rather be dead. She surely feels dead. Her friends have no idea she has been ripped from heaven. The famous philosopher Albert Camus said in his play "No Exit", "Hell is other people". Buffy has no desire to be thrown back into her world of worrying about how to protect her friends from death. Buffy has been brought back, but she still feels dead and disconnected. She wants the drive she once had to fight her demons (inner and outer). Ironically, it's her return to season 6 that brings her real demons to light (i.e. her feelings for Spike to name one). Spike is the only one whom she feels can understand her, because he is dead as well.
First I'll kill her, and then I'll save her
(Spike "Walk Through The Fire")
Can you say classic Freudian? Freud said that all men subconsciously have the desire to have sex with their mothers and kill their fathers. Since Spike operates as Buffy's shadow, he can be regarded as a part of her (feminine in a sense). His desire to kill her is often voiced in the series. He wants to be her executioner as well as her hero.
It is no surprise that the Spuffy relationship was destined to be dysfunctional from the beginning. Their relationship, although passionate, was ruled by each of their subconscious desires to hurt each-other. The postmodern being cannot find meaning is such a fragmented and broken world, so they must resort to basic human necessity. There is no God in a post-modern world. And in the Spuffy case, it was cardinal desire. From the very beginning it was apparent there was sexual tension between Spike and Buffy. In "School Hard", when Spike is checking out Buffy in the Bronze, he reminds us of a predator staking his prey, planning the best time to strike. Masters said that was the day Spike fell in love with her. And of course, Buffy likes in Spike what she sees in herself and despises. He is her Shadow; he represents what she hates and cannot except in herself. This is why she treats Spike so badly. Yet, he is the only one she can talk to and feels comfortable around. He in the first she tells about her having been expelled from heaven ("Afterlife"). He, being dead, knows how she feels to be back in the "hell" that is her life. And in "Once More With Feeling" her response to this similarity is that they both cannot feel:
Buffy: I touch the fire and it freezes me.
Spike: I died to many years ago.
Buffy: I look into it and it's black. This isn't real.
Spike: You can make me feel
Buffy: But I just want to feel"¦
It is a genius and disturbing union. Both of them are "dead" in a sense and both have the unfortunate side effect of being dead: not being able to feel. So, when they come together, they can relate and fill a bit of the hollow void in their hearts. Just as the First says to Caleb in "Touched":
"I know why they grab at each other. To feel."
When the end is near, its people that matter. Love. Hate falls away. That's why everyone gets together, because they are scared it could be their last day. Dander and Anya, Kennedy and Willow, Faith and Wood"¦
Buffy and Spike. Yet, they do not sleep together like the others. (Or do they?)
This seems to be a common theme in the show: a search for meaning"¦ or a search for something to make one feel real"¦.when one is numb from all that has happened in ones life.
Both: Where do we go from here?
I live in hell
"˜cause I've been expelled from heaven"¦
("Something To Sing About")
Life's not a song
Life isn't bliss
Life is just this
It's living
In Buffy, there are multiple meanings and various truths. The show builds upon themes already mentioned, and references it's self constantly. Interpretation is subjective. Did Buffy really love Spike? People disagree. Does it matter? If Whedon wanted us to think either way, it would have been more blatantly stated. After all, no one argues over whether or not she loved Angel. (Riley never seems to make the cut). One might ask, "What true for me in Buffy"? What do I want out of this show?
Buffy follows a beautifully fragmented and non-linear reality. It envelopes us, makes us feel for the characters, and we question our own fate as a result of what happens to them. This is what good fiction does. Creates cults and animated discussions. Long live Buffy.
A last quote to ponder...
"What if God were not exactly truth, and if this could be proved? And if he were instead the vanity, the desire for power, the ambitions, the fear, and the enraptured and terrified folly of mankind?" --Nietzsche
This is my first attempt at a "intellectual" essay on Buffy. I welcome comments of all kinds!!! Please!
Thanks for reading!!!!
---
Postmodernism in "Buffy The Vampire Slayer"
SPIKE: "I died so many years ago. You can make me feel like it isn't so."
BUFFY: "This isn't real, but I just want to feel."
Dictionary.com defines "Postmodernism" as:
any of a number of trends or movements in the arts and literature developing in the 1970s in reaction to or rejection of the dogma, principles, or practices of established modernism, esp. a movement in architecture and the decorative arts running counter to the practice and influence of the International Style and encouraging the use of elements from historical vernacular styles and often playful illusion, decoration, and complexity.
UrbanDictionary.com defines it as such:
A reaction to the work of Modern philosophers, most of whom created vast systems of meaning founded upon one central concept. In many religions, the central and beginning premise is some supreme being or concept. The postmodernist critique removes that central concept, it "decenters" the system of meaning. Postmodernism points out that all systems of meaning are in constant negotiation and flux, therefore claims of transcendent morality are suspect.
Furthermore, postmodernism critiques all claims of "objective" truth by revealing that human subjectivity always exists in every truth proposition. Due to the pervasive effects of subjectivity, postmodernist critiques are critical of all sweeping claims concerning social policy, truth, justice, morality, and ethics.
Are you lost yet? I'll explain. What am I trying to claim here? Simply put: Buffy The Vampire Slayer is a post-modern television show.
What, you say, is postmodernism and why should we care that Buffy carries it's characteristics? In order to understand Buffy fully, we must understand the techniques used to portray the story.
The word "postmodern" can be applied loosely to describe different elements and ideas in theatre, literature, film, and, as I am trying to claim, television. So, for the sake of staying focused, this article will focus mostly on how Buffy The Vampire Slayer shares similarities with postmodern drama. I will give examples from the show later on in this article. So, what is postmodern drama?
Postmodern drama, in a nutshell, is the opposite of modern drama. What is modern drama? To understand this, we must understand its antithesis "“ modernism. Modernism is a cultural movement that generally includes progressive art and architecture, music and literature which emerged in the decades before 1914, as artists rebelled against late 19th century academic and historicist traditions. It takes no chances and awards no "subjectivity". So, "modern" art would be Michelangelo Picasso and "postmodern" art would be Dali or Warhol. Get it?
I venture to say I can make the argument that "Buffy" is a reflection of the post-modern human condition. For the uninformed, "Postmodernism" drama is characterized by the complex relationship between contemporary works of art and their modernist forbearers. Stylistic quotations, invocation and disengagement from history, and the fragmentation of the artistic surface.
Perhaps we should start by talking about the characteristics of postmodernism in drama. To start out, postmodernism rejects the classic "canon" of drama. This can be said About Buffy. Possibly the reason Buffy isn't taken as seriously as it should is because it was popular. I have faith that "Buffy" will, someday, be in the canon of important television.
Anyway.
Postmodernism (when referring to art, this case theatre) asks the question: what constitutes a classic? Postmodernism says a classic should say something about the human condition that all generations understand. Buffy's despair at no longer being in heaven, or sleeping with a vampire she is "supposed to hate" "“ these things sure, we cannot actually relate too, but we can understand Buffy's feelings of alienation and shame. Everyone can.
THIS is post-modern subjectivity. Get it?
Postmodernism rejects the "universal" of the human condition and rejects traditional readings of texts. Sure, "Buffy" might seem mundane and campy, lacking depth to the average viewer. But real fans (or "readers" as Rhonda Wilcox calls them) know there is so much more behind Buffy. Like good literature, one can interpret Buffy in any way they choose. This is the essence of postmodern thought. SUBJECIVE INTERPRETATION.
From a literary perspective, the main characteristics of modernism include (Buffy is the OPPOSITE of these):
1. an emphasis on impressionism and subjectivity in writing (and in visual arts as well); an emphasis on HOW seeing (or reading or perception itself) takes place, rather than on WHAT is perceived. An example of this would be stream-of-consciousness writing.
(notes: Buffy breaks this my using dream sequences and heavy symbolism.)
2. a movement away from the apparent objectivity provided by omniscient third-person narrators, fixed narrative points of view, and clear-cut moral positions. Faulkner's multiply-narrated stories are an example of this aspect of modernism.
(Note: Subjective. No clear-cut morality.)
3. a blurring of distinctions between genres, so that poetry seems more documentary (as in T.S. Eliot or ee cummings) and prose seems more poetic (as in Woolf or Joyce).
(There is mixing of genres, but there is more of a story element"¦)
4. An emphasis on fragmented forms, discontinuous narratives, and random-seeming collages of different materials. (Uh, can you say "Restless?")
5. a tendency toward reflexivity, or self-consciousness, about the production of the work of art, so that each piece calls attention to its own status as a production, as something constructed and consumed in particular ways.
(Spike does this often: "I may be loves bitch, but at least I'm man enough to admit it!)
6. A rejection of elaborate formal aesthetics in favor of minimalist designs (as in the poetry of William Carlos Williams) and a rejection, in large part, of formal aesthetic theories, in favor of spontaneity and discovery in creation.
7. A rejection of the distinction between "high" and "low" or popular culture, both in choice of materials used to produce art and in methods of displaying, distributing, and consuming art.
(Who says television can't be art?)
("Post-modernism".From http://www.colorado.edu/English/courses/ENGL2012Klages/pomo.html.)
So, are you lost yet? Don't worry. I got you. Let's use some examples of techniques and elements used in postmodern drama and use examples from the show to illustrate how these are applied. Here's a handy chart in review for post-modern ideas in drama and how to relates to Buffy.
POSTMODERN IDEAS and examples of how "Buffy" uses this:
1. Multiples meanings and various truths. Interpretation is subjective. You know how some people perceive Buffy's jump in the end of "The Gift" as a suicide, and others see it as a sacrifice? One might (and could) ask, What is true for me in Buffy? How do I see this?
2. Non-Linear Narrative. Flashbacks are used often in Buffy to show the history of a specific character. Also, the show uses crossover, which is very rare in television, and non-existent in modernism. As an example, "The Harsh Light of Day" and "Into The Dark" are meant to be watched side by side. A whole summer goes by between seasons five and six. There is no chronological order.
3. Mixed Genres. Buffy has elements of horror, tragicomedy, sci-fi, fantasy, and realism.
4. Borrow history from all periods to tell narrative. Again, Spike (and Angel's) stories are often told in flashbacks. Often, there is no straightforward dialogue, but implication (In "Lies My Parents Told Me" Spike implies that his mother tried to sleep with him.)
5. Witty dialogue. Believe it or not, this is not a modern thing. Ways of saying things take precedent over just saying them.
6. Anachronisms. The word "Anachronism" refers to an event, person, object or custom that is chronologically out of place. It can also be an error in chronology, in which a person, object, event, etc., is assigned a date or period other than the correct one. There are loads of these in "Buffy". Spike's Gem Of Amarra that was given to him by Buffy or this leather jacket he stole from Nikki Wood are both examples of these out-of-place objects. These objects, though in their wrong time, represent an important part of the story or of characters psyche. On a more abstract level, vampires themselves are living anachronisms, forced to live in a differenent time then was naturally intended for them and to become immortal and adapt to new customs and societies. A vampire is always out of place. As Angel says, I can walk like a man but I'm not one".
7. Self-Refrencing. There is always a conscious awareness of the Buffyverse. There is no fourth-wall. One knows one is watching Buffy. Many episodes reference other episodes. In "Once More With Feeling", Dawn reiderates to Buffy what her sister had told her in "The Gift", "The hardest thing in this world is to live in it". In arguing against Buffy's treatment of Spike, Anya says, "[Spike] could slaughter a hundred frat boys," referencing the episode "Selfless".
8. References to other forms of pop culture: shows, plays, books, etc. No comment. "Buffy" is constantly referenceing are parodying other things.
9. Mix reality, culture, art, and media. In "Buffy", the classical is mixed with the popular. "Buffy" is very aware of it's theatrical heart. The show often makes reference to plays (Remember Riley as the cowboy in Death of a Salesman in "Restless"? or "What is this? Avante Garde?" by Snyder in "No Assembly Required"? Or Spike's, "What's with the Dadaism, Red?" in "Bargaining?")
10. Busy storylines with complex plots. Many episodes follow sub-plots. If you miss even one episode, you could lose an integral part of the story (Think about the end of "Out Of My Mind", which reveals Spike's obsession with Buffy.)
11. Fate hierarchy over control. Themes of fate run rampant in this series. Buffy knows she is the chosen one, yet she makes it clear she didn't ask for that responsibility. So, in response to the resentment for her calling, she cannot live a normal life, "to be like other girls, to fit into this glittering world". ("Once More With Feeling").
The postmodern human condition? What is this? I mentioned it earlier. Simply put "“ it is a byproduct of living in a postmodern world. People in the postmodern mentality are often in despair, disconnected, narcissistic, nihilistic, and have a "no control" mentality. They often seek death. They desire and seek meaning in a meaningless world. They often have a "doom and gloom" mentality.
Let's talk about a specific episode. The episode "Once More With Feeling" reveals Buffy as a great representation of postmodern condition when she says in her song, "Walk Through The Fire":
I touch the fire and it freezes me
I look into it and it's black
Why can't I feel?
My skin should crack and peel
I want the fire back"¦
Perhaps Buffy's fatal flaw as a character is her inability (or unwillingness) to face her fate. Hamlet, Shakespeare's infamous poster child for a conflicted and lost youth, was said that his failure to act was his fatal flaw. Hamlet is a perfect example of the tragic hero. So is our Buffy. Both Buffy and Hamlet suffer from idealism, and in the end, both suffer for it when they realize that idealism has no bearing in the "real world". Hamlet failed to act on something, and as a result, he suffered. But even though he is thoughtful to the point of obsession, Hamlet also behaves rashly and impulsively. When he does act, it is with little or no premeditation, as when he stabs Polonius through a curtain without even checking to see whom he is. Action is continually postponed while Hamlet tries to obtain more certain knowledge about what he is doing. Hamlet, like Buffy, is uncertain how to act, what to do, and who to save and/or kill. She is human with super-human abilities, the very essence of a conflicted postmodern superhero. So, like Spiderman, she is overwhelmed with her responsibilities, and tries to quit, desiring a more "normal life". But, as she and he learns, it's not quite as easy as it seems "“ fighting fate.
So one by one they turn from me
I guess my friends can't face the cold"¦
Obviously, the gang has proven time and time again they can. It is Buffy who thinks she is not worthy of their love. As she tells Holden, "I'm better then them" ("Conversations With Dead People").
These endless days are finally ending in a blaze
Postmodern stories often coinside with post-apoctalyptic elements. It's not rocket science to see that when Buffy is resurrected she would rather be dead. She surely feels dead. Her friends have no idea she has been ripped from heaven. The famous philosopher Albert Camus said in his play "No Exit", "Hell is other people". Buffy has no desire to be thrown back into her world of worrying about how to protect her friends from death. Buffy has been brought back, but she still feels dead and disconnected. She wants the drive she once had to fight her demons (inner and outer). Ironically, it's her return to season 6 that brings her real demons to light (i.e. her feelings for Spike to name one). Spike is the only one whom she feels can understand her, because he is dead as well.
First I'll kill her, and then I'll save her
(Spike "Walk Through The Fire")
Can you say classic Freudian? Freud said that all men subconsciously have the desire to have sex with their mothers and kill their fathers. Since Spike operates as Buffy's shadow, he can be regarded as a part of her (feminine in a sense). His desire to kill her is often voiced in the series. He wants to be her executioner as well as her hero.
It is no surprise that the Spuffy relationship was destined to be dysfunctional from the beginning. Their relationship, although passionate, was ruled by each of their subconscious desires to hurt each-other. The postmodern being cannot find meaning is such a fragmented and broken world, so they must resort to basic human necessity. There is no God in a post-modern world. And in the Spuffy case, it was cardinal desire. From the very beginning it was apparent there was sexual tension between Spike and Buffy. In "School Hard", when Spike is checking out Buffy in the Bronze, he reminds us of a predator staking his prey, planning the best time to strike. Masters said that was the day Spike fell in love with her. And of course, Buffy likes in Spike what she sees in herself and despises. He is her Shadow; he represents what she hates and cannot except in herself. This is why she treats Spike so badly. Yet, he is the only one she can talk to and feels comfortable around. He in the first she tells about her having been expelled from heaven ("Afterlife"). He, being dead, knows how she feels to be back in the "hell" that is her life. And in "Once More With Feeling" her response to this similarity is that they both cannot feel:
Buffy: I touch the fire and it freezes me.
Spike: I died to many years ago.
Buffy: I look into it and it's black. This isn't real.
Spike: You can make me feel
Buffy: But I just want to feel"¦
It is a genius and disturbing union. Both of them are "dead" in a sense and both have the unfortunate side effect of being dead: not being able to feel. So, when they come together, they can relate and fill a bit of the hollow void in their hearts. Just as the First says to Caleb in "Touched":
"I know why they grab at each other. To feel."
When the end is near, its people that matter. Love. Hate falls away. That's why everyone gets together, because they are scared it could be their last day. Dander and Anya, Kennedy and Willow, Faith and Wood"¦
Buffy and Spike. Yet, they do not sleep together like the others. (Or do they?)
This seems to be a common theme in the show: a search for meaning"¦ or a search for something to make one feel real"¦.when one is numb from all that has happened in ones life.
Both: Where do we go from here?
I live in hell
"˜cause I've been expelled from heaven"¦
("Something To Sing About")
Life's not a song
Life isn't bliss
Life is just this
It's living
In Buffy, there are multiple meanings and various truths. The show builds upon themes already mentioned, and references it's self constantly. Interpretation is subjective. Did Buffy really love Spike? People disagree. Does it matter? If Whedon wanted us to think either way, it would have been more blatantly stated. After all, no one argues over whether or not she loved Angel. (Riley never seems to make the cut). One might ask, "What true for me in Buffy"? What do I want out of this show?
Buffy follows a beautifully fragmented and non-linear reality. It envelopes us, makes us feel for the characters, and we question our own fate as a result of what happens to them. This is what good fiction does. Creates cults and animated discussions. Long live Buffy.
A last quote to ponder...
"What if God were not exactly truth, and if this could be proved? And if he were instead the vanity, the desire for power, the ambitions, the fear, and the enraptured and terrified folly of mankind?" --Nietzsche