This is part two of the analyzing Dean Winchester article, so if you haven't read the first part, you can look for it in my articles. The last one was many months ago, and I only recently got around to finishing this part. Please excuse the end of the article, I didn't expand as much as I wanted to, darn writer's block! Anyways hope you enjoy, make sure to check out my other articles and happy reading :)
6. Dean is selfless.
Selfless might be an understatement for our dear Dean. This term might apply when we talk about his relationship with the people he saves. He’s a hunter, his job is to save people, and we’ve seen his willingness to do almost anything to help strangers in need. That’s cool, and that’s selfless. When we look at his family, and especially at Sam, it’s a whole other ball game. It’s more like, selfless to the point of self-sacrificing. Dean won’t hesitate to do anything and I mean anything to keep his family safe. Dean himself even said, “Killing that guy, killing Meg. I didn’t hesitate, I didn’t even flinch. For you or Dad, the things I’m willing to do or kill, it’s just, uh…it scares me sometimes.” And it goes beyond that. He would be willing to die, a thousand, a million times over, rather then to lose someone important to him. Remember season 2? When papa Winchester sacrificed himself to save Dean? Remember how he agonized over it, and how he felt like he didn’t deserve to be alive? Dean has a very low opinion of himself, and this could partly be due to his conditioning. Let me explain. Being the oldest, it was only natural he was designated to watch out for Sam. Factor in some monsters, sketchy motel rooms, and an absentee father and we got ourselves Dean being almost solely responsible for Sam. ‘Sam needs food’, ‘Sam needs books’, Dean probably took care of everything, while his superhero dad was fighting monsters. He was conditioned (maybe unintentionally) to put Sam’s needs above his own. Because that’s what the oldest does, that’s what parents do, and well, Dean was probably like a dad to Sam among other things. And who could forget that heart wrenching, heart breaking finale of season 2? When the Sam he has always been looking out for dies, and the only thing Dean could do, was to do what he has always done; look out for Sammy. Need I say more?
7. Dean takes things…hard.
Dean has an itsy bitsy issue with…guilt. Being the oldest, he’s use to being in control, ‘driving the bus’ so to say. But sometimes the bus hits roadblocks, and has accidents. And being the ‘bus driver’, he automatically assumes responsibility. As mentioned before, Dean has a low opinion of himself. He doesn’t believe that he deserves anymore then what he is given (eg. His family) and the basic necessities (eg. Food, water, shelter). Which is why when his daddy died to save him, he was absolutely broken. Why would his hero, his idol, die to save a lowly person like him? If we look at it rationally, it was his dad’s decision. John didn’t have to save Dean. But out of love for his son, he chose to. It should not be on Dean to feel bad. But he did. Survivor’s guilt, I think they call it. But it goes beyond that. I mean, the man feels guilty for the mistakes and decisions made by other people. When Sam got together with Ruby, Dean saw it as his failure, as a brother. He always sees Sam as a kid, which he needs to protect, to guide. He also takes the guilt of things that are his fault, very hard. Remember hell? Dean held on for thirty years, that’s longer then many people would hold on for. But he only remembers the last ten years. The years that he tortured souls, and enjoyed it. It must have been a haunting memory no doubt, but even after he saved more people, fought off more monsters, he could not forgive himself. In defending your life, season 7, we can see the effects of the guilt that has been continually eating away at him. It’s coming out in bursts of ‘violence and alcoholism’. And it isn’t pretty.
8. Dean is lonely.
Often acting as a sole caregiver for Sam after the death of their mom, Dean feels the burden of responsibility. Coupled with an absent father, and some monsters, he must be very alone. He can’t talk to his father about things. He certainly can’t talk to Sam about things. And he doesn’t really have friends, not that it’s his fault of course. But in true Dean fashion, he doesn’t complain. Not about being stuck with his kid brother, and way more burden then a kid his age should have. He understands that it’s on him to take care of his family. In ‘after school special’, Amanda tells him that he is just “sad lonely kid”, for putting on his macho act to hide how he was truly feeling. This humiliates Dean, and he is glad to leave Truman when his dad returns, but I don’t think he forgot how she exposed him like that. Dean’s playboy like attitude also adds to his loneliness, because he never opens up to anyone. Because the family business is a “don’t tell” situation, he puts on a brave face, pretending not to care, hoping that if he pretends it doesn’t hurt, it really won’t hurt.
9. Dean dreams.
Everybody dreams. And Dean is, thank goodness, no exception. It’s this part of him that is very hopeful, and I really love this side of him. He imagines a life beyond hunting, which is quite a nice change when we’re talking about Dean. For a man who lived his life solely for his family, and for the family business, his dreams are a way of actually wanting something for himself. He wants to go to the Grand Canyon with Sam. He wants to have a wife, a kid, a life. Remember what he said to Lisa? “I wanted you to know, that when I do picture myself happy, it's with you. And the kid.” There’s a side of him that desperately wants to have something more than hunting, and if wanting or wishing or dreaming is his way of being selfish for once, we’re okay with that.
10. Dean loves his family.
I really don’t need to look into this one very much, so I’ll talk on a more simple level.
Love is one of the most unconditional, unyielding and unbelievable forces in the universe. Its not easily understood, there’s no rational explanation, and it often hurts. I truly believe that love for one’s family is one of the strongest types of love.
We don’t get to choose our family, we just have to deal with them, which is why this type of love is based on tolerance and sacrifice. I can be angry with my family to the point of explosion, but there will always be a part of me, no matter how hard I try to ignore it that still loves them. Dean’s love for his family, coupled with his extreme protectiveness is a force not to be reckoned with. Despite the obvious dysfunction at times and the flaws in its members, Dean wouldn’t trade his family for anything in the world. Need I say more?
6. Dean is selfless.
Selfless might be an understatement for our dear Dean. This term might apply when we talk about his relationship with the people he saves. He’s a hunter, his job is to save people, and we’ve seen his willingness to do almost anything to help strangers in need. That’s cool, and that’s selfless. When we look at his family, and especially at Sam, it’s a whole other ball game. It’s more like, selfless to the point of self-sacrificing. Dean won’t hesitate to do anything and I mean anything to keep his family safe. Dean himself even said, “Killing that guy, killing Meg. I didn’t hesitate, I didn’t even flinch. For you or Dad, the things I’m willing to do or kill, it’s just, uh…it scares me sometimes.” And it goes beyond that. He would be willing to die, a thousand, a million times over, rather then to lose someone important to him. Remember season 2? When papa Winchester sacrificed himself to save Dean? Remember how he agonized over it, and how he felt like he didn’t deserve to be alive? Dean has a very low opinion of himself, and this could partly be due to his conditioning. Let me explain. Being the oldest, it was only natural he was designated to watch out for Sam. Factor in some monsters, sketchy motel rooms, and an absentee father and we got ourselves Dean being almost solely responsible for Sam. ‘Sam needs food’, ‘Sam needs books’, Dean probably took care of everything, while his superhero dad was fighting monsters. He was conditioned (maybe unintentionally) to put Sam’s needs above his own. Because that’s what the oldest does, that’s what parents do, and well, Dean was probably like a dad to Sam among other things. And who could forget that heart wrenching, heart breaking finale of season 2? When the Sam he has always been looking out for dies, and the only thing Dean could do, was to do what he has always done; look out for Sammy. Need I say more?
7. Dean takes things…hard.
Dean has an itsy bitsy issue with…guilt. Being the oldest, he’s use to being in control, ‘driving the bus’ so to say. But sometimes the bus hits roadblocks, and has accidents. And being the ‘bus driver’, he automatically assumes responsibility. As mentioned before, Dean has a low opinion of himself. He doesn’t believe that he deserves anymore then what he is given (eg. His family) and the basic necessities (eg. Food, water, shelter). Which is why when his daddy died to save him, he was absolutely broken. Why would his hero, his idol, die to save a lowly person like him? If we look at it rationally, it was his dad’s decision. John didn’t have to save Dean. But out of love for his son, he chose to. It should not be on Dean to feel bad. But he did. Survivor’s guilt, I think they call it. But it goes beyond that. I mean, the man feels guilty for the mistakes and decisions made by other people. When Sam got together with Ruby, Dean saw it as his failure, as a brother. He always sees Sam as a kid, which he needs to protect, to guide. He also takes the guilt of things that are his fault, very hard. Remember hell? Dean held on for thirty years, that’s longer then many people would hold on for. But he only remembers the last ten years. The years that he tortured souls, and enjoyed it. It must have been a haunting memory no doubt, but even after he saved more people, fought off more monsters, he could not forgive himself. In defending your life, season 7, we can see the effects of the guilt that has been continually eating away at him. It’s coming out in bursts of ‘violence and alcoholism’. And it isn’t pretty.
8. Dean is lonely.
Often acting as a sole caregiver for Sam after the death of their mom, Dean feels the burden of responsibility. Coupled with an absent father, and some monsters, he must be very alone. He can’t talk to his father about things. He certainly can’t talk to Sam about things. And he doesn’t really have friends, not that it’s his fault of course. But in true Dean fashion, he doesn’t complain. Not about being stuck with his kid brother, and way more burden then a kid his age should have. He understands that it’s on him to take care of his family. In ‘after school special’, Amanda tells him that he is just “sad lonely kid”, for putting on his macho act to hide how he was truly feeling. This humiliates Dean, and he is glad to leave Truman when his dad returns, but I don’t think he forgot how she exposed him like that. Dean’s playboy like attitude also adds to his loneliness, because he never opens up to anyone. Because the family business is a “don’t tell” situation, he puts on a brave face, pretending not to care, hoping that if he pretends it doesn’t hurt, it really won’t hurt.
9. Dean dreams.
Everybody dreams. And Dean is, thank goodness, no exception. It’s this part of him that is very hopeful, and I really love this side of him. He imagines a life beyond hunting, which is quite a nice change when we’re talking about Dean. For a man who lived his life solely for his family, and for the family business, his dreams are a way of actually wanting something for himself. He wants to go to the Grand Canyon with Sam. He wants to have a wife, a kid, a life. Remember what he said to Lisa? “I wanted you to know, that when I do picture myself happy, it's with you. And the kid.” There’s a side of him that desperately wants to have something more than hunting, and if wanting or wishing or dreaming is his way of being selfish for once, we’re okay with that.
10. Dean loves his family.
I really don’t need to look into this one very much, so I’ll talk on a more simple level.
Love is one of the most unconditional, unyielding and unbelievable forces in the universe. Its not easily understood, there’s no rational explanation, and it often hurts. I truly believe that love for one’s family is one of the strongest types of love.
We don’t get to choose our family, we just have to deal with them, which is why this type of love is based on tolerance and sacrifice. I can be angry with my family to the point of explosion, but there will always be a part of me, no matter how hard I try to ignore it that still loves them. Dean’s love for his family, coupled with his extreme protectiveness is a force not to be reckoned with. Despite the obvious dysfunction at times and the flaws in its members, Dean wouldn’t trade his family for anything in the world. Need I say more?
