Is Sophie A Mary Sue? (Essay)

5th Sign: Loved By All

This Mary Sue trait is the one that entails fawning boys and constant admiration. The Mary Sue doesn't have to try to get everyone to like her; it just happens. They may have one or two enemies, but those enemies are portrayed as the "bad guys," when they're really not so bad.

Okay, so, as fans, let's rack our brains. Who, exactly, doesn't like Sophie? I'll make a handy-dandy list, mostly because I feel like making a list and not because it will actually accomplish anything more than simply typing the names side by side:

StinaVikaTimkinBasically all the HeksesCouncillor BronteLady CadenceLady GalvinObviously the baddies, but they don't really count (but I'm still listing them anyway, because "baddies" is a funny word. Haha)Biana, at first

So there's the (meager) list. It's really more like 6 people (the Hekses, Bronte, Galvin, and Cadence), because the only reason Biana didn't like Sophie was because she thought Sophie was trying to be friends with her to get a chance with Fitz. Pretty soon after, Biana ends up loving Sophie as much as everyone else, so again, I don't think she counts.

The Neverseen members don't count because they're not supposed to like the good guy.

So, six people, three from the same family, who don't like Sophie. Out of the... I don't even know how many characters. It's really not a lot of people, when you think about it—and sure, you could claim that ALL the Councillors aren't fans of Sophie, since the Councillors are villainized multiple times in the series, but that was more for drama and not because they hate Sophie's guts; they just hate what she stands for: change.

When we look at that list and imagine every other character but those people, there's a lot, right? Everyone pretty much falls in love with Sophie every time she walks into a room (er, stumbles) (I'm JKing; this is a bit overexaggerated). Here's a quote, blah blah blah:

"'I have to say, I love that in the same conversation, you can tell me you figured out a new way to teleport without really even tryingand then beat yourself up for not being powerful enough. Sounds like someone's expectations for themselves might be a little too high'" (Elwin, Legacy, 772).

Here, Elwin is giving Sophie a pep talk about how awesome and incredible and powerful she is... which is honestly kind of a sign of Mary Sue syndrom. Actually, I'm not sure if that's a thing, but if it's not, it is now.

(As a side note, Elwin continues on to say this, which is pretty funny in an ironic sort of way: "'Honestly, if you got everything right all the time, you'd probably be kind of annoying... You know it's true. No one likes a show-off.'" Take this as you will.)

Then, of course, we have the THREE boys swooning over Sophie's magnificance or whatever.

KEEFE- "'It's a date, Foster!' Keefe shouted..." (Exile, 380).

DEX- "'But I've liked you for years!'" (Nightfall, 261).

FITZ- "'...you finally stopped being oblivious and realized how long my brother's liked you'" (Biana, Flashback, 837).

These quotes are to illustrate that all three guys have liked Sophie for awhile—practically when they first met, in Keefe and Dex's cases, and a little bit later, in Fitz's case. Sophie didn't really have to do anything to earn this kind of adoration, so... why does she get it, then? I mean, all three crushes aren't unreasonable or unrealistic. Dex probably liked Sophie for a long time, since she was one of his first girl friends who was also a little weird. Keefe probably had instant attraction—that's not that uncommon in humans, so I assume the same for elves. And Fitz took a bit of time to realize his crush; that's not abnormal either. Sophie is kind placed on a pedestal (at least for Keefe and Dex; I feel like we haven't received enough information on Fitz's crush to make a conclusion on it), which is sort of what this point entails.

I'm sorry, Sophie, but another point for Mary Sue.

So the last point is "No Struggle," and if you read that website I linked at the beginning, you'll be able to read more into that. However, I don't see the need in talking about it here, since I think it kind of correlates with the "Talented" point, as well as the "Loved By All" point, since Sophie doesn't really have to stuggle to be those things.

But.

I do think Sophie & Crew struggles in the sense that they have to work to accomplish their goals. The Neverseen is smart, and the Black Swan rarely wins a massive victory. The team has an uphill battle the entire time (except, perhaps, in a few scenarios, in which I will not elaborate on, given this is sort of off-topic), so the idea that Sophie doesn't struggle in every aspect of her life is, to me, false. However, her power does come pretty naturally, as well as her adoration.