Alison wrote:
Or does Blake secretly hate human beings in some way, as deeply as Travis does, and for similar reasons? After all they are both aiming for the same goal ? the destruction of Star One. How different are their motives? Perhaps it is as alienating to be a hero as to be a monster. You are always on the outside of the human race, looking in.
I think you're reaching, Alison :-) As you yourself say, Blake "seems too normal and friendly most of the time" to make a convincing case for his harboring a deep hatred of humanity similar to what Travis displays.
I sometimes think great heroism or self sacrifice could be motivated by the fact that the hero doesn't really like people all that much, or want to spend normal time with them. I'm only guessing, because I've never met that kind of big?action hero in real life.
FWIW, I *have* met Blake-type heroes in real life, and beneath their heroism and self-sacrifice, all *I* ever discerned was great love--for people and for life. That's not to say there *couldn't* be an individual psychologically constituted as you describe. But it isn't Blake, and if I had to guess, I'd say it isn't most "heroes."
Then Betty wrote:
Hmm. He does say in "Duel" that one of his reasons for not killing Travis is that he would have enjoyed it... Which maybe *does* make him more akin to Travis than he would like. Maybe refusing to kill Travis is Blake's way of reassuring himself that he hasn't *become* Travis.
Hey, we all have the capacity to enjoy destroying an enemy. That Blake is in touch with that aspect of his psyche and makes a conscious choice not to indulge it only adds to his moral stature in my eyes.
Sondra