The Real Conflict in The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
By: Blue Rose
If you are between the ages of 10 and 20, and haven't ever played Ocarina of Time, you're probably living under rock. The game was released in 1998 to high critical acclaim, with perfect review scores in Gamespot, IGN, and Electronic Gaming Monthly. The game sold around 7.6 million copies worldwide.
While the game is one of the best known in the industry, many might not know what the actual conflict is about:
Link's sexuality.
As the first game in the Cannon of The Legend of Zelda Series, the game becomes about Link defining himself, especially with regard to his gender roles, and his sexuality.
Now, I could bore you with random speculations about, physical manifestation of Link's conflicting sexuality, and over-analyzations of the stories major characters.....so I think I will.
MAIN CONFLICT OF THE STORY
Link's main adversary in the game is Ganondorf. Born into the Gerudo tribe, Ganondorf is the only male to be born to the Gerudos in 100 years.
Ganondorf represents Link's homosexuality, and his affinity toward cross-dressing. Link constantly battles with both Ganondorf, and curses Ganandorf has placed upon certain people. These curses represent bridges burned by Link's flamboyant sexuality, and the conflicts and battles represent the emotional road-bumps he and his friends/family had to overcome to come to a place of peace.
CHARACTER ANALYSIS
Ganondorf - The Great King of Evil
Ganandorf's character includes a cartoonish masculinity, coupled with some very feminine features. His costume is very ornate, he appears to be wearing some sort of make-up, and his flaming red hair (no pun intended) appears to be styled in a way that takes WAY too much effort for the abilities of hair products in feudal farm life.
Ganondorf's main goal in Ocarina of Time is to conquer the entire world. This goal represents the inner-sexual conflict in Link, by showing how his homosexuality wants to overtake him completely, even though he clings to his heterosexuality.
ZeldaPedia describes Ganondorf as "... one of the most powerful characters in the series". Ganondorf, in Ocarina of Time, is shown to have literally supernatural powers over the lands of Hyrule, which shows just how strong of a hold Link's homosexuality has on him in this game
Zelda - Sheik
Zelda appears as yet another guide in Link's life to help him through his conflict. She, in order to escape Ganondorf, dresses as a male to disguise herself. Zelda understands what Link is going through as far as blurring the lines between masculinity and femininity, and how he feels he may be losing his identity if he doesn't embrace what his society dictates as his gender role. So, Zelda appears at different times in the game to help Link through his journey.
Link - The Kokirian Hero
Born a Hyrulian, Link is abandoned by his mother in the Kokiri Forest and found by Saria. He is raised there, without a father, and becomes an outcast from the other children.
Link's lack of a male role model is a huge contributor to his questions about his masculinity, and the fact that he is essentially the male of the household forces him to hold on that masculinity as tightly as he can in order to be strong for his mother.
Link is contrasting from the other Kokiri both physically, and socially. He is seen as an "Outsider" his entire life, and grows up with many unanswered questions.
These questions begin to manifest themselves more and more as he gets older in a few ways.
As link grows into an adult, he dons a pair of tights; a garment which none of the other Kokiri wear, His ear becomes pierced, and his feminine elvish features become much more defined.
Navi - Link's Companion
Navi is Link's primary guide throughout his journey. Navi follows him everywhere helping him overcome every challenge.
She constantly points out the weak-spot in Link's foes, telling him how to overcome the different facets of his sexuality he struggles with.*
Din, Farore, and Nayru - The Golden goddesses
The deities of Ocarina of Time are known as "The Golden goddesses". The three female spirits created both the land of Hyrule, and the natural law by which all living things are governed.
The three goddesses show how, in Link's universe, femininity is a very strong force. The three deities each have their own respective personalities that they leave behind in their piece of the Triforce: Din - power, Farore - Courage, and Nayru - Wisdom.
These three personality traits are, in turn, passed on to Link in his struggle to understand his sexuality.
The Trifoce - I know it's not a character
The Triforce is split up into three pieces, and divided among three of the residents of Hyrule: Link, who obtains the Triforce of Courage, Zelda, who obtains the Triforce of Wisdom, and Ganondorf, who obtains the Triforce of power.
The three obtained their pieces of the Triforce when Ganondorf found the Triforce and tried to claim it. The Triforce rejects anyone who's wisdom, courage, and power aren't in perfect balance, and gives them the piece that best represents their person. So, when Ganondorf touched it, he obtained the Triforce of power, and Link and Zelda their respective pieces.
a. Link's Triforce
Link obtained the Triforce of courage, as a representation of the courage he needs to call his sexuality in question. In his society, seemingly no other person has this same conflict, so he must travel this journey alone; requiring great courage.
b. Zelda's Triforce
With the Triforce of wisdom, Zelda is a guide to help Link through his constant struggle. As a cross-dresser herself, Zelda/Sheik understands on some level what Link is going through, so she swoops-in at some key points in his life to help him along the way
c. Ganondorf's Triforce
Ganondorf's Triforce of power once again represents just how much power Link's inner homosexuality has over him. Ganondorf's personality is geared most toward power because Link views his homosexuality as a pseudo-monster with the ability to ruin his entire world.
Malon, Zelda, Ruto - Link's Love Interests
a. Malon
Malon is found at Lon Lon Ranch, and is the one who eventually gives Link his horse: Epona. Malon is the typical, mid-west, "Farmer's Daughter", and is one of the possible romantic interests of Link.
b. Zelda
As the princess of Hyrule, Zelda is the most likely of the candidates for Link's affections, especially since the game is named after her. This likelihood becomes ironic as she becomes one of the main contributors to Link understanding his sexuality.
c. Ruto
(No there's no nudity, she's a fish-person and has no visible reproductive body parts.)
Ruto is the princess of the Zora people. Link enters Jabu Jabu's belly in order to save her. This dungeon represents the hoops that Link is forced to jump through in order to fulfill what society says he must do as far as "courting" a girl.
The three love interests all represent different preconceived ideas Link has about women. Malon, represents how easy and natural heterosexual marriage was said to be in his society. Most of the people in his village would just settle down, get married, maybe have a few kids, but Link's life is in direct conflict with this ideal; he continues to battle and battle his confusing sexuality. Zelda represents the sort of, "Marry as high as you can" ideal established in their society. In the days of a Monarchical society, people of royalty tried to marry as high-up as they could, yet Link can't force himself into a romantic relationship with Zelda. Ruto represents the trials and conflicts of courting. Link literally jumps inside of a giant fish just to go after her. This further damages Link's view of heterosexual relationships
Saria - Link's Mother
Link's mother exudes femininity in this game. In addition to Link being exposed to so much femininity growing up, he sees masculinity as a pain in his mother's life. Since she is single, Link views heterosexual relationships as destructive. Heterosexuality has forced his mother to be alone. Due to her likely disregard for social trends, she ended-up without any gentlemen suitors. She refused to compromise her strong feminist personality and ended up forcing out all sexually viable candidates in her life.
CONCLUSION
Throughout Link's journey, he learns new things about his sexuality, he meets new people that reinforce these views, and he fights out an inner-conflict that forces him to define who he is.
This all builds to a climax in his final battle with his sexuality: his final battle with Ganondorf.
Ganondorf, after being defeated by Link**, only comes back even stronger in his more animalistic form, Ganon. Link's sexuality becomes the monster he has been afraid of this entire time, and he is forced to confront it in an epic battle that puts Gladiator to shame.
Link eventually overcomes this uncertainty, and emerges secure in who he is.
Reminding you to find your voice,
Blue Rose
P.S. i have to thank Zeldapedia for helping me find all this plot information!
P.P.S. If you have any questions or comments, you can now email me at my fan email, bluerose@s-words.org!!!
*Is it a coincidence that Navi is also a fairy? I think not.
**Spoiler Alert
Firstly, Saria is Link's adoptive mother, thus link would not have any reason to view heterosexual relationships as destructive as they have NOTHING TO DO WITH HIS RELATION TO HIS *ADOPTIVE* MOTHER . Saria is also a GIRL, not a woman, and is viewed as a MOTHER in the kokiri village (yes i'm paraphrasing the wiki link). Ganon returns to his ORIGINAL FORM of Ganon, not his animalistic form (I took that more of a literal rather than metaphorical translation in this argument). During the final battle with Ganon, Link relies on the aid of Zelda in order to prevail over Ganon (as he needs her help to regain the master sword which is outside of the fire circle which contains both Ganon and Link). This required aid could be viewed as some sort of metaphor or some other 'deeper meaning' regarding Link's reliance on Zelda. A more proper name for Link in your subtopic would be "Hero of Time" as that is what he is constantly referred to in later games of the Zelda franchise. Navi informing Link of weak points in enemies has absolutely no correlation to Link's sexuality. Link only has a shared trait with Farore, the goddess of courage, as that is the piece of triforce he is entrusted with. This argument appears to hold the same strength as the old accusation of Spongebob also being homosexual. The fact that you referred to Zeldapedia (and still misconstruing your facts) shows that you either need to replay the series, from the beginning this time, or refrain from inaccurately stapling public figures with labels (which is common with Christian arguments).
ReplyDeleteThanks for the comment but I'll have to disagree with you on almost all points.
ReplyDeleteMy argument implies that the entire legend of Zelda universe isn't actually a real event, but a physical manifestation; making every character a symbol, not an actual person, and therefore making their actions equally symbolic.
So things like Navi being the one to point out weak spots, and Link not actually having relationships with characters, don't matter because they're still plot points the developer chose to include in the story, and therefore must someway contribute to his overall theme
Also, Link most definitely has a relationship with Saria. How could he not look at her as a motherly figure after BEING RAISED BY HER? so what if she was adoptive? It's still the only mother figure he has, and basic human psychology tells us that of course he's going to think of her as a mother, and therefore sympathize with her pain
Why would he sympathize her with pain? It appears as though you are associating the lack of a husband immediately leads to sorrow, and thus drawing a conclusion on a haphazardly established base. Also, Link having no relationship with other female characters does not simply indicate that he is a homosexual, it simply shows he fails to favor the female figure. Link was created with the hero/messiah archetype in mind, in which one must sever all ties with the past in order to accomplish what one is destined to accomplish. This hero/messiah archetype also rids the subject of sexual affiliation, as true heroes care not for simple pleasures such as love and a fulfilling relationship. This could also be compared to Jesus, as he never raised a family, nor (may be wrong here since I'm not very well versed in the terms of the Holy Bible) had relations with women. He had an asexual aura about him, allowing many people, and women, to accept him without the complications created by "girl chasing" and the possible threat created by succumbing to this girl chasing.
ReplyDelete-Your_Friendly_Neighborhood_Commenter
Being a game created in Japan, I highly doubt they used Jesus as their model for a character.
ReplyDeleteAdmittedly my thesis is based very much so on speculation and inferences, but so is what you are saying. There are infinite interpretations of the game and all I have done is offer up mine.
As for Saria, I wasn't related her lack of having a husband with pain, so much as her lack of having anyone at all. She has nearly no connection with any of the villagers from what we see in the game. My argument, offered up a reason for that.
If you don't agree, that's fine. That's your interpretation. But I offered up evidence, and the conclusions i drew from that evidence. Whether they're correct or not, neither of us will ever know since we likely will not meet the creators of the game
I'm not offering a direct answer, as I am aware that I have not met Miyamoto. I am simply offering a counter argument with the hope that the both my fellow readers, you, and I may learn from the argument and the information presented in said argument. Saria has a very involved role in the Kokiri village, and therefore would not have "no connection with any of the villagers". I also used Jesus as an example of the previously mentioned hero/messiah archetype, which is an archetype that the entire world has had more than enough experience with given the long existence of "heroic tales". As a side note, Jesus, being a notable figure in Christianity (a very well-known theology), would at least be recognized should a game in Japan allude to him.
ReplyDelete-Your_Friendly_Neighborhood_Commenter
I understand, and if you'll read I acknowledged your counter-argument as valid.
ReplyDeleteWhat evidence from the game do you have of Saria having a "very involved role in the Kokiri Villiage"?
The very wikia site you used to cite/refresh some main topics in your argument. (http://zelda.wikia.com/wiki/Saria)
ReplyDelete-Your_Friendly_Neighborhood_Commenter
I hadn't actually read that specific page, but as far as the actual game goes, I can't remember a single line of dialogue she has with any of the Kokiri, and i suspect those comments are purely their speculation
ReplyDeleteEven so, my argument implies more of an inference based on her archetype.
As a female, in the time period they're implying she's from, in a community likely based on farming, not having a husband would be seen as a major burden on her.
Especially if you except Link under your definition (the messiah character). This implication would make Saria like the virgin Mary, who, without her husband joseph, might not have been able to physically make the trip to give birth to Jesus
The issue of Saria's involvement in the Kokiri village is not shown with direct proof (such as a quote from the game). However, it may be easily inferred by her status as a Sage (all of whom have close ties to the community they represent such as Princess Ruto, the Water Sage, or Darunia, the Fire Sage), that she likewise would've shared close ties to the community as to better represent her Forest Domain. Although in the time period of The Legend of Zelda, lacking a husband when part of a farming community would've proven to be a large handicap, one must remember that the Kokiri are not farmers. The fact that they are not farmers, but forest people, proves the lacking of a husband causing difficulty in a farming environment wrong. Therefore Saria would've done nothing to aid/cause any feelings of pain relating to men.
ReplyDelete-Your_Friendly_Neighborhood_Commenter
Maybe, but again it's something that we'll have to just agree to disagree on since we can never prove it one way or the other.
ReplyDeleteI'd draw the conclusion that the forest people would parallel their love of the forest, with love toward each other, and since Saria has no life partner, I'd imagine that would cause her atleast some sort of pain.
You could argue that the Village is who she loves, but she doesn't strike me so much as the wise-old woman type, as she does the young, passionate, affectionate type.
Again, what I have determined about her is purely speculation based on my inferences.
I somewhat agree with "Village is who she loves", as the sages have a higher calling than that of normal members in their community. They work to ensure the safety of their domains, so it may be seen that Saria does indeed love the Village (it's members inclusive as a group) rather than feeling a need to seek individual love and gratification. For if the sages, given great powers and responsibilities, are that for more than their abilities, but also for their ability to put the needs of others above their own.
ReplyDelete-Your_Friendly_Neighborhood_Commenter
not all of the sages are white aura! think of the garudo sage, being a thief. lust for riches and power. the water sage with a lust for link himself. however close figures such as saria and zelda are more pure in the sense and so is link. just because link doesn't become infatuated with a girl in his childhood doesn't mean later in his life he wont be. zelda gave link back his childhood, and in majora's mask we still don't see him in his adult life. just because he is more focused on his destined journey doesn't mean hes homosexual. although all of you have valid points and i can see from everyone's perspective. it was enjoyable to read and gave a more broad of horizon for my views on the game.
ReplyDelete