This is my first time doing this sort of thing, but I' going to post an analysis by another HTTYD fan. She runs an excellent Tumblr blog (which is where I originally met her) though I don't know whether she has been too busy to be active recently. Anyway, I was sent this analysis by her, and I liked it so much I wanted to show it to others. When I was on Tumblr, a LOT of my posts were actually just replies to other people's posts, and I liked that... I liked being able to celebrate HTTYD through other people's amazing work. So, I'm considering posting other people's stuff on my blog... whether analyses or art. I'll have to see if this works... because I want to have the people's permission first (I already got Rima's). If I do this, it will allow the blog to celebrate HTTYD more broadly AND let you see that quite a lot of my ideas are not necessarily original to me! I learn a lot from others, Rima included, so without further delay, here is her analysis of the Red Rage scene.
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There is a stunning contrast between the two times Hiccup and Toothless are together while Toothless is under the Bewilderbeast’s control. The first time, Hiccup has taken the risk of confronting Drago and made himself vulnerable in front of a man who has shown he will stop at nothing to achieve his own ends, and he has the power to do it. He’s making a peaceful petition which defies the worldview Drago upholds, and, well, Drago is going to make sure he pays the price. So he turns his worldview upon Hiccup, in a way far more brutal and impactful than what happens most often when people force their beliefs and thoughts upon others. This is no subtle implication carefully weaving its way into setting the foundations of a worldview, and this is no forceful insisting that all others are hopelessly wrong in their viewpoints. I’ve encountered both and both are awful, but what Drago does is particularly horrible. He is going to show Hiccup, and through the one who is closest to his heart. The dragon Hiccup has loved dearly for years and trusted in incredible ways, is suddenly writhing and forced, twisted into what seems like a tangible proof of Drago’s belief, that fear and control by fear are the ultimate powers. Just imagine it… It’s unbearable to put oneself in Hiccup’s shoes during this scene, as his bond with his best friend is snapped and shattered for the first time in years and his care falters and fails, and turns to fear. One of the worst moments is when Hiccup starts shouting out at Toothless as he is being stalked down. The change in his voice is overwhelmingly different and the fear of his friend is apparent… but worse is the dialogue. I for one never thought that Hiccup would ever shoot a commanding tone at Toothless and use those words. That was for out of character things like Riders of Berk, not for a perfectly in-character and understandable reaction. Not everything he says is like that, but the one line that struck me was, “snap out of it!” because it was harsher, more void of love and more full of fear. It’s a command driven by fear. That one line chillingly mirrors what Drago was trying to teach Hiccup - commanding control, with fear at its core, is the only force which conquers fear. Hiccup unintentionally stumbled into reacting exactly the way Drago wanted him to. Drago wanted to prove his worldview to Hiccup, and I was horrified to realize he was actually achieving some success. This first encounter with Toothless under control is strongly driven by fear.
The second time, the sense of that is nearly gone. Hiccup actually has a lot more reason to fear now, and more which would seemingly disenable him from offering forgiveness to Toothless. This time he goes into the situation knowing that Toothless had shot at him before and could very well again, and he is bearing the grief of having his father killed by his best friend. By the logic of most, it would be even more insane for Hiccup to willingly approach Toothless after all of that. But to others, it would be even more loving. This time, though he takes a deep breath before his approach, it is not a sign of fear. I think it’s more of a preparation, of Hiccup settling his resolve to take the risk and free his friend, and it’s an acknowledgement that it would be a challenging endeavor. Oh yes, there’s reason to fear, but that is not Hiccup’s way. This is the story of becoming a Hero the Hard Way. Drago, though, deems this as a weakness. He sees it as his hated Dragon Master foe being naïve enough to give him another prime chance to do away with him. He’s amused, so he invites Hiccup to have a chance, not realizing and unable to comprehend that it would be different this time, because every action Hiccup makes in this scene is at its heart the result of a devotedness which is not willing to stand down in the face of darkness and fear. It had faltered for a moment, yes, but not forever and not for long. And it was enough that Hiccup would much rather give himself up in the risk of approaching Toothless than see the dragon he adored continue to suffer. At its most basic root, the entirety of Drago’s worldview hinged on the idea that people will consider themselves and their safety more important than what is right. But what if there are those who carry a love that goes beyond just themselves, enough that they put others far before them, and are fiercely devoted to those they love? That’s what Drago saw so little in the world, and when he did, he opposed it and stomped it out. But now it’s in a way that even he can’t completely deny, and it baffles him. At this point all he understands is power, and he’s confused to recognize it in something that was foreign to him, love and selflessness and forgiveness.
Credit: Rima (justoffravenpoint.tumblr.com)
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Now, just to give my brief comments. I LOVE the fact that she went and broke this down from Hiccup's (and Drago's) perspective. She took it and pulled it out into something much bigger than physical events. That was great, and it is something I have generally failed to do when I break the scene down. She displays a lot of world view, and she also really does punch home the point that Drago "proved" in the terrible first sequence with Toothless. Of course, his point was eventually countered, but it adds a whole new dimension to that scene. The way I can see it now, there are at least three terrible facets to that scene. The first is just the fact that Toothless is physically turning against Hiccup, the fact that Toothless could have physically killed him, the fact that Toothless's body betrayed both himself and Hiccup. The second fact is that Stoick did indeed die due to the scenario, and that is incredibly tragic for both Hiccup and Toothless, and it adds so much tragedy to the entire story of HTTYD. But then the final facet is what Rima pointed out, and that is that Drago almost proved his worldview to be true and Hiccup fell into a position where he truly understood why Drago acts the way he does. So, physical, personal, and then worldview oriented facets, and Rima did such a good job pulling her's out.
I'd also like to point out that I really appreciate the change she shows in Hiccup, and how he pretty much fell into Drago's view. It makes sense. In Drago's view fear of a dragon leads one either to destroy them (which Hiccup could never do to Toothless) or to control them. And at that point Hiccup learned real fear, and in desperation he tried to take control. The fact that he breaks Drago's system at the end really speaks very highly of him and his own view of the dragons, and it did indeed baffle Drago. I actually am seriously thinking about making a small post on thoughts I had on Hiccup's speech he makes to the Red Rage Toothless when he breaks him free... and it would tie in perfectly to Rima's view of the incidents (which is always awesome when you have an idea, but you are not sure if others would agree, and then you see them kinda hinting at it!) So, I hope you all enjoyed her post as much as I did! Maybe I'll give you some more analyses when I get the time... because this one got me into the right kind of mood for it!
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