Supernatural University: The Rainbow Connection, Or Can You See What I See?
Addressing the emotional fan reaction on the internet to catastrophic events in The Rains Of Castamere episode of HBO’s adaptation of George R.R. Martin’s Game Of Thrones, Smithsonian Magazine tweeted an excellent article on how and why we bond so strongly with fictional characters. The neatest thing – to me, anyway – about the theory put forth in that article is that it would also explain very simply why we Supernatural fans can all watch the same show and yet have such vastly differing, strongly held interpretations of the characters of Sam and Dean, not to mention other characters in the show. Here’s a little Supernatural University psychology and physics discussion about why fandom fights about characters will always be fruitless and never resolve into sense.
The Smithsonian article was a short description of a longer 2009 essay by Howard Sklar of the University of Helsinki, which itself was an adaptation of just one chapter of Sklar’s 2008 dissertation. The essence of this one portion of Sklar’s argument was that we bond emotionally with fictional characters in much the same way as we bond with real people because we come to know both real and fictional people in much the same way, assembling what we think of them based on partial information augmented with intuition drawn from our own personal life experience, in both cases creating our own picture of who they are.
Sklar began by pointing out that our knowledge of real people is necessarily incomplete. We know only the events and behaviors we see directly and what the subject or other people tell us about them (which may or may not be truthful). We don’t know everything they experience, feel, or think, so we often don’t have a full understanding of why they do particular things or make certain choices.
The situation is the same with fictional characters. We know only what the writers (and actors, for TV, film, or stage) specifically tell us and show us during a book, a show, a play, or a film. Sometimes we see far more personal aspects of a fictional character than we would ever perceive from a real person – we may share a vision of their dreams, for example, or hear their thoughts – but we never see or are told everything. We couldn’t be; ironically enough, the story wouldn’t feel real to us if it was perfect and complete, because life doesn’t work that way.
This is where the fun comes in. Sklar posits that in both situations, we make do with the fragmentary information we have by filling in the gaps with hunches, ideas, feelings, or impressions based on our own experiences with people, our sense of places, and other factors. We apply our own logic and intuition to make largely unconscious assumptions about who people are, how they feel, and why they do things. Thus, the image of characters (and even real people) we each assemble is unique, based on our own lives as well as what we know about theirs. We fill in the missing details of a character’s picture with information our own life experience has provided.
That does two things. Sklar’s hypothesis was that it provides a powerful sense of reality even to fictional characters because we build them in part from our own reality, the same way we do with real people. Thus, even though we know they’re fictional, we invest ourselves in them and make them part of our reality, and so we share their joys and grieve their sorrows and feel personal pain when they are hurt, die, or get cancelled.
My addendum is that it also means each of us sees those characters (and real people) differently from each other in fundamental ways because we’re partially constructing them out of our own unique perspective shaped by our individual life experiences.
That tells me that we each see and are emotionally invested in our own unique versions of Sam, Dean, Castiel, Bobby, John, Kevin, Charlie, and every other character from Supernatural. We’re all looking at the same character depictions – we’re all seeing the same actors in the same images on our TV sets or tablets or computer screens delivering the same dialogue – but essential pieces of who we each understand those characters to be are of necessity different because we’re different, and we are each separately creating part of the reality of the characters we see.
None of us are actually seeing the same Sam and Dean, the same way that no two people ever see the same rainbow.
Think about it. A rainbow forms when water droplets in the air refract and reflect light, breaking white rays into a spectrum of color. Two people in a place standing side by side and looking in the same direction will both see a rainbow, but it won’t be precisely the same rainbow. Their angles of observation are different, so they’re each seeing different rays of light bent by and bounced off of different water droplets. They’re seeing different rainbows. Their difference in perception is minor, based simply on the physical location of their eyes, and it doesn’t matter because the rainbow is purely an observational event with no emotional involvement. The observers don’t need to apply anything from their own experience to complete the picture of the rainbow, so it’s qualitatively very different from fans looking at fictional characters.
My point in all of this is that, with respect to fan viewpoints, Sam and Dean are rainbows (but not ones farted by unicorns!). We fans are never going to share a single common understanding of these characters because we’re all perceiving different Sams and Deans. Some of us are close to each other in our perceptions, because – like people standing close together and looking at a rainbow – the life experiences and intuitions affecting our perceptions are similar. We tend to agree with each other because we interpret things in similar ways.
But we also interpret things very differently from people with significantly different life experiences and intuition sets. And the kicker is that we’re never going to be able to argue each other out of impressions we’ve developed through our experiential mindsets, precisely because we’re emotionally invested in our own realities. The truism is that you can’t reason someone out of a position they weren’t reasoned into, and our emotional reality has nothing to do with logic or rationality, so making arguments based in logic, reason, or someone else’s emotional orientation won’t do anything to persuade us to change our minds.
Your perception of Sam and Dean is going to be different than mine. Our differences may be minor, or I may wonder what the hell show you were watching and you may wonder what I was smoking. But precisely because we stand in different places and invest ourselves emotionally in the characters we perceive from those distinct perspectives, we will never be able to argue or logic each other out of what we believe. Logic and reason aren’t the point. Belief is. Emotion is. If I can change your emotional basis, I may be able to change your perceptions. But my chance of doing that is vey small, because you’ve built your understanding unconsciously through all the years of your life, the same way I have.
My bottom line is that fandom disagreements about characters are fundamentally unresolvable. You’re going to believe what you believe no matter what I say, unless I happen upon an explanation that fits your emotional reality and both allows and persuades you to change your point of view. Trust me, those occasions are few and far between. I’ve seen it happen a few times over the course of the show, but not often.
If you take nothing else away from this little article, take this: we all have reasons for what we think and believe about the characters we’ve all watched and loved. We’ve all created parts of those characters from our own experience. On that level, we’ve established the validity of our interpretations of the characters through our own lives. My life isn’t the same as yours, and neither of us has experienced the other’s. I can’t expect you to see things from my perspective, and you can’t make me see things through the life of your eyes.
My approach has always been to not engage in debate about my view of the Winchester brothers, because arguing for the sake of argument is a waste of energy and a recipe for frustration and anger. Think about whether you might do the same.
We can still enjoy watching the rainbow together. Look: there’s Sam. And there’s Dean.
Aren’t they gorgeous?
Class dismissed.
Very interesting and true. Although I still like the discussion IF the participants are open to another’s interpretation. When I did participate on the boards, I sought out the Sam fans reactions to Sam because I felt I knew Dean, he was my guy, but I wanted to know how they saw Sam so I could see him through their eyes and understand him better.
This does explain why I’ve, over the course of many discussions, been more at odds with certain Dean fans. Dean’s my guy, so when they diss on him, when they bring up their personal experiences and why it should be the same for him…that’s when the emotion comes into my argument because his life is NOT their life. His reality is heightened and you can’t shove him into the norm that most of us exist in. He is his own man, shaped by his own traumatic childhood experiences and the pressures that are inherent in his life.
I think the theory of seeing through your own experiences most bears true in John’s case. His parenting skill is a hotbed issue, but again, how many peeps have lived his life? How many have had a demon on their tail? So perhaps there are those more set in their views and refuse to consider another point-of-view, but there are many who do open their perceptions and try to see what others see.
That is the beauty of discussing fictional characters and trying to ascertain who they are, as long as all are willing to listen and view from another standpoint. And also the beauty of our Winchesters. As much as I think I know about Dean, Jensen and the writer will still manage to surprise me at times. Then when I have time to filter through the changes, they fit, because he knows Dean best of all and it is the very complexity and reversals that paint the most comprehensive portrait.
Thanks, bjxmas! I agree with you about enjoying a good discussion about how we each perceive characters; I love understanding how people come to their views, and I have come away from discussions with new perspectives enriched by the insights of others.
What I *don’t* like are emphatic statements from people asserting that their position is the one and only truth. And I abhor comments denigrating characters or other fans’ views of characters. I avoid most web discussions precisely because the tenor of comments tends to be shrill and uncivil. I understand why that is – people are emotionally invested in their perception of character and write from their passion – but they fail to recognize the validity of the passions of others and just try to argue their point by getting louder and more angry and dismissive. And that’s not a conversation; it’s a shouting match.
I hope we could all learn to respect each other, rather than striking out against any statement that doesn’t comport with our own internal impression of reality. We can and will often disagree – hey, we’re all different people! – but that disagreement doesn’t need to be contentious. 🙂
As a literature professor and a writer myself, I essentially tell my students that their analysis of what they read or see is not only based on the text, but also on their own experiences as well as their belief and value systems. I was thinking about my own writing and positing the question: What is real for my characters? It has to be based in their interpretation of their world, their own experiences and the stories I create for them.
When I watch SPN, I am engrossed in the “real” world that Sam and Dean inhabit. I have seen their reactions to situations placed before them. We know their family history and the way each character responds to what happened to them as children and how those perceptions affect the way they see themselves, each other, those around them and how that defines the ways they approach the challenges placed before them.
All this to say, I really enjoyed reading your treatise and I continue to watch SPN because I still relish the ways aspects of the characters are revealed, the directors’ points of view, and most importantly, Jared and Jensen’s takes on Sam and Dean.
In my part of the world, we see very few rainbows(and stars-another discussion)…so anytime I see one, I am awed by its shimmering beauty. I, for one, enjoy the discussions and viewpoints presented on this site. I love analyzing literature and the “Winchester Gospels” (Cas from Season 4) provide endless interpretations and opportunities for me to read and discuss different viewpoints. Being able to share not only creates a more thought provoking environment, but a more empathetic one. What a wonderful venue to do so. SPN offers us continual opportunities to share our thoughts and feelings about the talented writers, directors, and most importantly, the talented handsome actors who strive to find the nuances of their characters.
Hear, hear, Valgal! We are in vehement agreement!
I love talking with other fans about what I see in the show, the characters, and the structure the writers have built (and occasionally remodeled … *grin*) The show’s internal reality is one of the things that makes it so compelling – but we perceive even that through the eyes of our own experience. I particularly love discussions in which people are able to analyze [i]why[/i] they think or believe something about the characters or the mythology; that can help defuse the emotion that otherwise might divert a discussion into a fight. 🙂
We are back to perception I see. But what you say makes a lot of sense.
I think I like the show because my husband (who passed away 12 years ago) his life was so much like the Winchesters, except no demon hunting. He lived in a car traveling the road with his dad following the fruit harvest. He also traveled four schools in one year during his grade school and he had a lot of emotional hangups. His personality was a lot like Dean but with the emotional up and down of trying to be good like Sam. (He had a drinking problem) I enjoy reading the different reviews the writers write here because sometimes it gives me more insight into understand my husband.
Thank you for all the time you spend on this show and your reviews. I am glad I found your web site.
Thank YOU, toshywa; I’m glad you found us, too!
For me, many things beyond this season come down to perception. Thank you for sharing your story, and my condolences on the loss of your husband. I’m glad the show and our discussions are able to translate into real-world understandings for you. I used it the same way as I dealt with my mother’s decline into the void of Alzheimer’s, and as I’ve worked to understand my own family.
Supernatural life lessons … 🙂
This is how I see fiction as well. We all bring our own backgrounds, experiences, and baggage when we look at stories–that’s the whole point. Because we relate to characters for reasons, stories reflect us back at ourselves in different ways, we experience empathy or sympathy or catharsis from the stories. Supernatural is a go for the jugular emotional story, for all its ghosts and monsters and complex mythology, and Supernatural fans do react emotionally. Which is not a bad thing inherently. Unfortunately, I doubt pointing it out will change SPN fandom any time soon–still it’s interesting discussion! 🙂
What I’ve noticed is an increasingly loud insistence and narrow definition of what Supernatural *is*, what it should do, what it has done, what it’s capable of doing. Personally, I’ve felt less and less welcome in this fandom because of hearing over and over that fans with *my* leanings are not real fans, I don’t get what the show is really about, or not caring about The Right Things. Even in more polite quarters, I’ve seen plenty of dismissive and patronizing remarks that seem to be an attempt to draw boundaries about what kind of Supernatural fan viewpoints are acceptable.
It takes more than one classification of fan to make up a fandom, more than one viewpoint. These are things affecting matters pertaining to the brothers, their relationship, but many other things as well. It’s ok to say “I am watching for X and Y only”; trying to impose X and Y only as The True Viewpoint or the only thing objectively valuable on the show is problematic. Why are so many selling Supernatural short, instead of celebrating the fact that it attracts a diverse fanbase who care for so many different reasons. And that it can do this because SPN is a rich world and it plays around with different genres and has many different themes.
You’re right, Dot; we’re all parts of a great and varied whole, and [i]Supernatural[/i] has room for all of us and to spare. We all have reasons for our viewpoints, and they’re valid within our contexts.
I’ll admit, there are many fan viewpoints I just don’t share or understand, but I’m not going to disparage them. I explain how and why I see things differently, but that’s never intended to devalue someone else’s perspective; it’s simply a clarification of what shaped mine.
I hope we all learn to accept the full variety of [i]Supernatural [/i]fans and fan opinions – but that will only come when we are all ready to respect each other and grant the emotional validity of the opinions, views, and beliefs of others, even if we don’t share them. It’s hard to do that sometimes, especially when another person’s views are uncomfortable or unsettling for us, or seem to be raised deliberately to create unease; we all need to find an acceptable balance.
I hope you always feel welcome here with me and the Winchester Family Business!
So very true! We all construct the Winchesters to some extent in our own image. It makes discussing the show both really interesting and occasionally really frustrating (-:.
Analyzing our own reactions can be incredibly valuable. That expanded self-knowledge is one of the ways art enriches our lives. I am going to make a pledge to keep this article in mind when discussing the show, both because I love discussion and because practicing expanding empathy is always a good thing–and another way I can be enriched by art.
I thoroughly agree, Gerry! Thank you – and good luck!
Hello Bardicvoice. What a great article. I have always, on an instinctual level understood this. In my more simplistic way of looking at things I’ve termed it “we bond and “bleed” for our favorite character (or characters) when we feel they have been misunderstood or slighted.” Whether it is done by the writers or other fans. I myself enjoy the debates that go on here. I have seen them go on for hours and if they are civil sometimes understandings are reached. I love that. It is when snideness, sarcasm, anger, or character bashing enters into it that it that the conversations degenerates. When a comment starts out “Sam is selfish” or “Dean is a d***” , you know that person is looking for an argument. I might point out the unfairness of that, but will not engage in a pointless lengthy debate about it (usually :-)). Now if you want to tell me that in a less inflammatory way I will be more than happy to listen. I try and respect the views of others. I understand that we all identify in our own way for our own personal reasons. This article clarifies it for me in a way that I might have not been able to articulate Thanks again.
Thank you, Leah! Onward … 🙂
I’m with you, Leah. These were things I understood by instinct, but I liked how the article clarified it, Bardicvoice. I love the debates and discussions as long as they remain civil-I do try to remain so, but I know I’ve been guilty of the snideness, sarcasm etc at times. Usually when I’m worn down or tired, but at the heart of my big issues is always the emotional attachment I feel for Dean and Sam. I might get irritated by episodes like Taxi Driver that mess up lore, but it I don’t really get upset unless it is something to do with them.
And, Leah, I’ve always found you to be extremely respectful towards others views, even the ones you don’t necessarily agree with. Wish I were always like that.
Aww, thank you Kelly. You don’t give yourself enough credit. You are very respectful!! We all have our days when we let things get to us sometimes, though. 🙂
What a fascinating article. I don’t think people really think about this in terms of story often enough—or with real people they deal with in day to day dealings. Our world is a world of perception, and I think this piece of yours captured that beautifully.
I love that you remind us here that my view of Sam and Dean and your view of Sam and Dean and anyone else’s view of Sam and Dean are all valid. Different, but valid. To me, that’s the magic of fiction. The reason that we are all here is because this story has touched us on some level. It means something to us. And the kicker is it means something different to each of us and when we share those differences we sometimes clash—but often we find that what we’re feeling is universal. Maybe not exactly what we are feeling by any means, but that we ARE feeling. And that’s beautiful in itself.
Thanks for sharing this, Mary. Anytime someone gets into an argument about the characters/story/etc, I hope they remember that we’re all looking at a different shade of the rainbow and none of them are fundamentally wrong!
Thanks, Allison! We’re on the same page … *grin*
[quote]Look: there’s Sam. And there’s Dean.
Aren’t they gorgeous?[/quote]
And there’s Castiel too. And he is also gorgeous, and also one of the Winchester family, as the writers and actors have stated, and as I’m sure you’ll agree…
I’m working on a Castiel meta, Kate – and yes, I agree! We have a rainbow angel … 🙂
Thank you so much! You have no idea how happy I am to hear that. As a Cas fan who very much sees him as part of the Winchester family unit, I often feel like one of the red-headed stepchildren of fandom! 🙂
One of the things that I love most about Supernatural is the depth and the brilliance of the people who watch it. Yes I love the show, and I wallow in all the beautiful stories and the professionalism the writers, producers, cast and crew put on my screen but it’s you people that take it to the next level. To then take those feels and those thoughts and have it go on in discussion and learning takes it beyond just another story or show for me. Thank you to Bardicvoice and all of you who elevate the discussion to a scolarly and thoughtful level. I so appreciate you.
Thank you, Yhello: I am humbled! (Also chuffed … *grin*)
This reminds me of a really fascinating lecture I had the pleasure of attending once, many years ago, entitled “What you are is where you were, when”…..
The sum of our experiences determine how we interpret the world around us.
Really thought-provoking stuff. I hope I do a better job of remembering this in the future.
Thanks, st50! May we all join you … 🙂
Interesting article, Mary. Thanks for sharing. I do think we forget that our reading is a product of our own experiences rather than a truth that is static. I think in large part we want the world to fit into our visions and forget that reading is an act of writing, an act of authorship. I often tell my students when we are discussing something such as a book translated into a film, that what they are watching is really a collaborative interpretation, i.e. a reading, of the work. The book will never be the film and vice versa. We all bring our own lives to a reading, an autobiography of readings that influence how we see the world and what we see in it. Roland Barthes once wrote, “The reader is the space on which all the quotations that make up a writing are inscribed without any of them being lost.” For the story to survive, the reader must take it with him/her.
Love the sentiment. May rainbows glow brightly for all 🙂
Thanks, Linda! We are in vehement agreement. 🙂
Was there some contention about the end of season 8? Huh? Glad I missed it. I was just floating on the bliss of Sam & Dean ! Finally after 4 and a half years the Winchesters were together again Brothers caring for each other, Look aren’t they pretty?
There’s always contention, Zazreil; this wasn’t prompted by anything in particular, just the usual divisions. And the timeliness of the Smithsonian article, which spoke to me so intimately. 🙂
It’s storming here today. Potential for rainbows …
Well, it’s like I said before. It is like when people argue. both sides think they are right. And in a way, they are;from their own perspective or point of view. They just KNOW they are in the right. In the end, no one wins.
I will NEVER get tired of watching Jensen and Jared.
Bingo! And ditto … 🙂
Neither am I! That hug is the sheer beauty, so thank you Bardicvoice! Every time I look at the picture I can’t help but imagine Jensen standing on a box on tiptoe:-)
I have seen your comment several times today novi and every time I have had to go have another look at that photo … it has been a good day.
Now it is my desktop background … and that is even better…until someone sees it and I have to explain myself 😀
I think your thanks for the hug photo are due to our lovely [b]sweetondean[/b]; I just provided the words! 🙂
Bardicvoice, my posting etiquette is very bad, I apologize 🙂 I have a terrible tendency to respond to comments and not to articles (and I read every word of everyone’s articles).
I’m fascinated by your article, and I meant to post a response long ago! My fascination is not least because a couple of days prior to your posting it I posted on my blog my really amateur version of what you said so eloquently. It was so strange to see it come up so soon afterwards! I was trying to explain to the people I know (who don’t at all understand) what the attraction is about this particular show for me. They still don’t understand, let me tell ya.
I realize sometimes when I take a step back, when I get the most riled up or enthusiastic to reply to someone, it is because it is something that is bothering me not something that is entirely borne out by my theories of what is happening.
And yes it is really hard to let go of a fully fledged theory. 😀
Your posting etiquette is just fine, [b]eilf[/b]; commenting on comments still puts your comment where I can see it! I’m just bad about responding … *wry grin*
I’m glad you enjoyed the article, and that it resonated with your own thinking. I love discussions; I just get tired when they devolve into stubborn verbal fisticuffs! I never fail to be intrigued by how very much I internalize this show, and I know that’s why I get so passionate about it. 🙂
Thanks!
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed … and took it with you to contemplate!
We all look at the world through our own prism of our life’s experience.While the view of the arc is obvious the details in characters are diffused thru our own set of emotions. The reactions to postings originates in that prism view as well. I enjoy the conversation and find it interesting to see through someone else’s POV. One can always learn. It is good to bounce ideas off about SPN-sometimes one might even find it refreshing or make oneself more convinced of one’s own perception. This year was all about Perception. Why should fandom be any different?
Great point, [b]debbab[/b]! I love learning from others … 🙂
Ugh, I’m getting tired – this new program wouldn’t obey, it seems to have its own ideas what to post.:-) Okay, let’s try again.
Elif, thank you for the reply! Nice to feel on the same wave with you.
Sorry, I,too, am not much of an expert in posting etiquette. Should re-address my thanks to sweetondean. Still there’s plenty of things to be excited at and grateful for in your article, Bardicvoice, so thank you all the same!
Glad you enjoyed the words as well as that absolutely delicious photo! Thanks for coming by again!
Thank you for a lovely article – I love the rainbow analogy. (And yes, Sam and Dean (and Cas) are truly gorgeous.)
[quote] Thus, even though we know they’re fictional, we invest ourselves in them and make them part of our reality, and so we share their joys and grieve their sorrows and feel personal pain when they are hurt, die, or get cancelled.[/quote]
What I hate is when the characters get hurt, killed, trapped … and THEN cancelled. I feel like I have lost a limb. I go through a real grieving process despite the fact that I know it is ridiculous.
When I was a teen my favorite show killed its eponymous hero … yes, truly, the show was named after the hero …and they killed him! I had a total freakout 😀 I had not seen it coming! Not having computers/internet at that stage I didn’t know that the (British) actor had gotten a job on Dynasty (honest) and that they were going to replace him … with Jason Connery, whom I never forgave 😕 I never watched another minute of it!
There was another spooky horror series called ‘Sapphire and Steel’ where the characters became trapped for all eternity in an inter-dimensional void that looked like a roadside cafe (don’t you just hate it when that happens?) – because the show got cancelled.
I have never watched the last episode of Angel cause I just KNOW I am not going to like what happens – and if I don’t watch it .. it didn’t (there’s logic for ya).
I would have been actually devastated if Supernatural had ended on Swan Song in the way EK apparently originally intended (with Sam in hell and Dean alone). And you know, it isn’t entirely for me that I get upset, it is for the suffering of these fictional characters that, like you say, we actually believe (on one level) are real.
Sign of a combination of great storytelling and great acting. (Or possibly a sign that one is still a teenager at heart?)