Most of the time, Zen is very supportive of Natani; and the brotherly teasing between them is fantastic to read. But a lot of Natani's perceptions of what it means to be a man come from things Zen said. Natani grew up wishing to be "strong," like her brother Zen. Zen was Natani's hero then, and stayed that way. Zen took care of her growing up. Zen was all that she saw as strength, when all she could see of herself was weakness, and Zen's comments, out of his own place of fear and frustration, stuck deeply in his little sister. Natani didn't want to leave Zen, which led to her decision to pose as his brother and join the Brotherhood to be an assassin with him. Now, even though Zen loves Natani and is generally supportive of Natani's choices, Zen's prejudices and perceptions are constantly weighing on Natani. Natani's claimed that Zen is the more aggressive of the two, and that part of Zen's nature "leaks" through the link and makes Natani more aggressive. If we believe Natani there (admittedly, I am not confident that I do), then why would it only be aggression? Wouldn't Zen's prejudices also come through, reinforcing or belittling Natani's own beliefs?amenon wrote:Do you have something specific in mind that leads you to your more severe read?
Imagine you are at dinner with your family, and you hold a contrary point of view on some political or religious or cultural element than the rest of your family. It's pretty difficult to stand up for your point of view surrounded by those who you love and perhaps idolize, but who hold a different point of view. It's easier to be silent and let their perspective stand unopposed, save in your own mind. Now imagine that you do not even have your mind to yourself; that your family is constantly there too, constantly talking about this thing that you disagree with. Could your disagreement stand when you cannot hold it even in your own consciousness?
Natani has always looked up to Zen. Natani even accepted a part of Zen into herself to "fill in the blanks" after the incident with Issac. If Natani doesn't even have a full psyche, how can she be Zen's equal on the link? Her soul doesn't even retain her eye color; her eye is brown because Zen's is brown, not because her eyes were once brown. I'd even be willing to bet that Natani and Zen might be able to share mindspace in Zen (as happened when he poisoned Karen and Maren), but Natani doesn't ever "borrow" Zen the way he recently borrowed her body.