Give Satisfaction

Yeeeeey! Okay so I'm going back to the "person" vs. "concept" structure that I did for Jeeves.

1. Bertie the person:
Ah, Bertie. My sweet, kindhearted, sunshine boy. I'm very fond of this idiot. Like I said in the Jeeves post, I'm not gonna analyze him as a person, but I just want everyone to know that I love him just as much as I love my Jeeves hehe

2. Bertie the concept:
Again, this is all very personal of course:

- Bertie is a member of the aristocracy, but I wouldn't call him an aristocrat. He certainly is rich, and idle, but he doesn't seem to care much about social status and rank. He does, however, have morals and a strict code that he tries his best to keep. He wants to be a preux chevalier, to honor the Code of the Woosters - in short, to be what he deems a good person. Other than that, he doesn't seem to give a fudge about his social status.
This means that he doesn't look at Jeeves as his servant, but as an equal. Oh of course he pays Jeeves to take care of him, cook and clean and bathe and dress him, but that is simply how Bertie is used to being treated. But in all other aspects, he treats Jeeves more like he'd treat a friend. In fact, it's Jeeves that insists on all the formality.
- Bertie is naturally cheerful and careless, and even though he whines a lot, his bad mood never last very long. There's a scene in "Jeeves & Wooster" that really highlights this aspect of Bertie in my opinion: when he sings "Sunny Disposish" and then explains to Jeeves that he loves the song and it speaks to him because of its "philosophy". Yes alright it's funny because the song is kinda dumb and all that, but if you think of it... it actually is a nice philosophy to live by, isn't it? Hakuna Matata!
- Bertie is kind. No matter how much he whines about it, he always ends up helping his friends and relatives, always. He gives them money, time, effort - he even risks his life for them on one or two occassions! It breaks my heart that his unwavering kindness is exploited and that everyone takes him for granted and treats him like a total fool :(
- Bertie is lazy. So very lazy. Idle is a pretty word, but let's be honest, the boy is lazy. He doesn't seem to mind that he has absolutely nothing to do, he actually prefers it and recoils from any sort of activity that requires effort or commitment.

So basically to me Bertie symbolizes:

- Benevolence
- Innoncence
- Joyfulness
- Youth

There is however something a bit tragic about Bertie Wooster, just below the surface. He's an orphan, his friends and family treat him like less than nothing; and yet he's still cheerful, still friendly, still kind. It's like there's some sort of untouchable purity to him - he could have been an angel, if only he weren't lazy and whiny and a little petty (which is better, if you ask me: Pure Good is so boring).

What I want to say by all this is that Bertie desperately needs a friend, a true friend. In my opinion he found that friend the day he heard the words "I was sent by the agency, sir. I was given to understand that you required a valet."

(oh dear, this is awfully long and yet I haven't said all I wanted to say. Oh, well! haha)