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happy #SokkaAppreciationDay! i just wanted to talk about why i love this boy so much. thread:
imo, he has one of the greatest character arcs in the show, a true coming of age story, and he's one of the most complex characters.
when we first meet him, he's 15 and in charge of his entire community. this is a responsibility he's clearly not ready for, but he bears it anyway. he stands alone against zuko, protecting his family, even though he's clearly outmatched.
katara is played as the mom friend, but i see just as much parental instinct in sokka. both were forced to grow up too fast and too early. there's a reason sokka was constantly making plans and looking at maps. his first motivation is to keep his friends safe.
then, he gets pulled into traveling with aang. he was probably already insecure about his abilities, having not stood a chance against zuko, but now he's dealing with powerful benders and supernatural forces. like he said, he's just a guy with a boomerang.
this is especially emphasized in how he struggles with living up to his father. hakoda could protect their village, but sokka feels like he can't. hakoda is a great warrior, but sokka feels like he isn't.
he begins to grow into his father's legacy during the episodes with bato. bato takes them ice dodging, a rite of passage for the water tribe. sokka proves himself, and earns the mark of the wise.
and can we talk about how he got the mark of the wise?? sokka is played off as dumb comic relief a lot of the time, but i feel like he's actually really smart. he came up with the submarines, figured out the hot air balloon, had the idea for the black sun invasion
i think bato was foreshadowing for when sokka actually reunites with hakoda, and his character development really starts going in book 3. i think 4 episodes were most important for him: sokka's master, day of black sun, boiling rock, and sozin's comet
sokka's weapons are really important symbols for his arc. of course, his boomerang, which represents his father's legacy, being hakoda's parting gift and what sokka remembers his father by
his other most important weapon is his sword. he forged it out of the meteorite he couldn't help with, turning a failure into a strength. it's a big part of him growing up, feeling like he's just as useful as a bender, and even growing beyond just his father's boomerang.
(i was mostly joking here but it really did kinda hurt when he lost both weapons, since they were so important to his growth) https://twitter.com/jedioncer/status/1312524859839143938
but he still has growing to do. on the day of black sun, sokka still isn't that confident in himself yet. he stumbles through the plan even though he made it up, and watches as hakoda does it so much better. he's still struggling with living up to hakoda's example.
but by the end of the invasion, it's changed. hakoda is taken out of the battle, and sokka is forced to step up and step out of his father's shadow. for the first time, he's become a leader.
then comes boiling rock. the roles are flipped, and now he's the one saving his father. he couldn't protect his family from zuko at the beginning, but now he's able to save hakoda and suki by working with zuko. throughout all of this, sokka's taking charge and making the plans.
and finally, sozin's comet. it's unbelievable how far sokka's come. piloting the airship, he's confident and determined. his father figures bato, piandao, and hakoda aren't around, but he doesn't need them. sokka has grown into just as much of a leader and warrior.
anyway, this ended up being heavier on character analysis than i expected, but this is why i love sokka so much. it's such a good coming of age arc. he grows up and becomes confident in himself and his abilities. he wasn't born with magic powers, but he works for his strength.
and honestly, this is only one part of sokka's character. there are whole other threads to be written about how he learns to respect the abilities of others, especially katara and suki
even more to be said about his protectiveness, especially with suki after he lost yue
and how he serves as a foil to aang's unlimited compassion, even for the fire nation
but i don't have time to write those threads today. sokka's character growth inspires me a lot, and it's just the kind of story i need right now. i love him so much. thanks for reading all my rambling thoughts about him, and happy sokka day!
