| abstract | - The play depicts events that no one (not even the cabbage merchant) besides the protagonists could have known about, because no one else was present. Therefore the whole play must be a collective dream taking place inside the heads of Team Avatar. As it often is with dreams, the point of the play is to reflect on the hopes and fears of the team. For example:
* Aang is afraid that being a vegetarian and pacifist makes him appear effeminate in the eyes of people (especially Katara), therefore he is played by an actual woman.
* Sokka hopes others would find his jokes as funny as he does, which comes true with the actor depicting him.
* Zuko is afraid of being seen as humorless and stuffy, so he appears like that in the play.
* Similarly, Katara fears the others see her as overtly prissy and melodramatic, and as a motherly busybody, so that is what her counterpart in the play is like.
* Aang is afraid Katara likes him only as a friend, and that is exactly what happens in the play.
* Toph wishes people (especially her parents) wouldn't treat her like a fragile little girl, so in the play she is a burly, hypermasculine man.
* Aang is afraid of his final confrontation with Ozai, and Zuko of his inevitable rematch with Azula, so the play depicts the worst possible outcome for both of these battles.
* And so on... As for why this dream takes place, maybe the lion turtle or some other benevolent spirit made Team Avatar dream it? This would help them confront their fears and hopes before the coming of Sozin's Comet, so that they are not mentally hindered by these emotions when the time comes to act.
* Ooh, I like this theory! To which I will add my own two cents about the "Zutara Cave" part:
* Aang is afraid of losing Katara to someone hotter and more manly than he is, i.e. Zuko.
* Zuko has been missing Mai a lot and is afraid of losing her for good, and so in the play he ends up with someone who is the complete opposite of her--weepy, overly emotional, and unsubtle, as opposed to Mai's stoicism, icy demeanor, and mystery (which he thinks is way hot).
* Katara secretly fears ending up with another bad boy like Jet. Or maybe the dream is her subconscious desire for bad boys manifesting itself?
* I will add a couple also. Appa thinks he's much cooler than he really is and Momo has self-esteem issues.
* Looks like Katara's been packin' on the pounds and it shows in her dreams lol.
|
