thirteen

Page 99-102.

Leo is “reunited” with her friend Emily, who ended up killing herself. Emily wanted to change the world but decided that she was a part of the problem and too small a piece to be able to make a change, so she killed herself. In her “afterlife” Emily became a plant, in which proved to be a miserable “afterlife” because she was powerless and stuck in the ground. On page 99, the fourth paragraph pretty much sums up Emily’s role in Leo’s life. “Emily had been my friend in seventh grade. After I moved away, she killed herself. I don’t think she did it because I moved away-she had lots of other friends-but I felt guilty for months after I heard about it. I’d promised to keep in touch, but I hadn’t emailed her or anything.” This is important because Leo had actually had a relationship with another person. When talking with Emily, Leo talks to her about how she did not think she would end up killing herself because she couldn’t see herself doing anything stupid, but all Emily wanted was to make a difference, and when she felt she could not, she was too depressed to live.

If Aperion was a real place or real life, this scene would be really powerful. First of all it would teach people that they can make a difference in the world, no matter how small the impact would be, they could still benefit society whether it be helping a friend or helping the community. On 101 is the most powerful quote “Sometimes that’s a dangerous thing, seeing through the bullshit. Now, I wish I could see my way back into it. You just have t be there if you’re going to make it better.” I think that quote is really important and can really teach us all a lesson, not to look to deeply into the little things, and to do what feels right. Not to back down on things we want to see improve or change, and to never give up on ourselves or our goals.

I think that this scene is one of the first ones we see Leo actually as a human, having feelings. At first she feels guilty because she had lost contact with a friend who she had promised to keep in touch with. She is listening and conversing and then feels sad about the whole situation. Then she gets more comfortable and is able to have a conversation with her old friend, and finally when leaving I think she begins to start thinking differently about herself because she starts to realize how much impact a person can have.

Using Johnson’s terms this is where Leo’s character is often “probing” situations out. She is constantly embarking on journeries in the game in which she has no control or idea of what is going to happen. In the situation with Emily as a plant she is at first really frightened and scared that this is her former friend. She “feels out” the situation and then when she feels more comfortable she continues the conversation and gathers information that will help her later on. I think that during this scene what Leo learns is that she needs to stay connected with people she was friends with and that she can also make a difference in herself and in the world outside her.

The content analysis is more dominant because the scene I chose is one more conversation based than action based. In other scenes the way the charcter responds may have more meaning, but in the scene on pages 99-101 the most imporant part of the charcter devloping is the conversation content between Emily and Leo.

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