Kylo Ren’s “Temper Tantrums”
Now before we get started, don’t get me wrong: I’ve been enjoying the fuck out of any and all Emo Kylo Ren meme’s out there (so whoever is making them please for the love of the Force don’t stop), but when it comes right down to it I find his temper tantrums to be rather tragic.
I highly doubt these ‘fits’ of his simply came about after he joined Snoke. And these flare-ups in no way say to me that he’s a petulant child just throwing a hissy-fit because he can’t handle not getting his way. To me, these outbursts are indicative of some very deep-seated issues and insecurities that stem from his early childhood, and these ~tantrums~ are his way of venting.
Now, first and foremost, let’s take a look at his lightsaber– it is a damn near perfectmetaphor for himself. The description of it from the Star Wars Visual Dictionary is this:
“The crossguard blades, or quillons, are tributaries of the primary central blade, all spawning from a cracked kyber crystal that is the cause of their ragged, unstable appearance…Its crude appearance suggests construction by an inexperienced hand… The stressedcrystal barely contains the power of the weapon, necessitating lateral plasma vents”
The crystal (Ben’s mental and emotional state) is so cracked/fragile that the integrity and structure of the weapon (his surface control and general psyche) would be compromised if not for the vents, used to channel that excessive dangerous energy so that the saber doesn’t fucking explode.
This is a guy who is un-endingly andcanonically ripped to shreds while the light and the dark duke it out over him. This is a guy who is constantly filled to the brim with self-hatred, inner disgust, and a fear of losing control. Every failure and disappointment of his is like furiously shaking a 2-litre soda bottle, something already full but now it just requires that additional step to explode.
Bens temper tantrums are his figurative vents. These explosive bouts of anger and destruction are the only way he has found to cope with how much he hates himself, the only way he has found to temporarily ease the raging turmoil and conflict inside him. They offer some form of relief from the things bursting in his head, however temporary they may be. These kinds of“I’m going to throw shit and break shit and scream” moments are common in kids who want attention and are overly frustrated. But Ben is an adult. He is 30 years old guys. Someone who reaches his age and has fits of explosive rage like he does are likely to be doing so because they either lack a better alternative to vent or never were able to explore ideal alternatives.
Which leads me to this: Kylo Ren’s lack of a safe and healthy way to channel his emotions in a less-destructive way stems from his early upbringing.
Now remember: Ben didn’t just have to deal with the normal, everyday problems of adolescence (which include but are not limited to: wondering what our place in the world is, trying to navigate ourselves through new emotions + new burdens/responsibilities of growing up, raging hormones that we biologically have no control over, etc etc. These things already fuck us up enough) He also had to deal with the pressure of being born of not just heroes, but fucking LEGENDS. He had a lot of expectations thrust upon him, from nearly all directions. He had the extra pressure of, when he was born, being one of the very few known Force-sensitives left (it is unclear when Luke discovered others unrelated to the Skywalker Dynasty), and at the very leasthe most likely had the pressure of beingmore talented, of being more powerful than the others due to his blood.
Now, take all of this and add on Snoke’s manipulation and brain-washing, his influence and by all means grooming. That is three entire decades worth of Snoke increasing and even creating some of Ben’s feelings of self-doubt, helplessness, and inadequacy.
With all this going on, Ben’s emotional state probably felt like it was resting on eggshells 24/7. He feels all these things,hears all these things, has all these thingsexpected of him, and he needs to release them somehow. He needs to get them off his chest for a sense of relief. But how? Some of the most common (and safe!) coping mechanisms the majority of people use are: crying, physical exercise/exhaustion, meditation, ranting/discussing to friends or family member about what is disturbing you, channeling all the excess energy into art/music/whathaveyou. These are great methods that allow us to express our fears, our anger, and our insecurities in ways that will be the most beneficial to us and least detrimental to others. From a young age, we are taught these various methods. These transitional years (toddler-hood all the way up to adulthood) and the coping mechanisms we discover during them are absolutely essential to our development, they are necessary in our preparation for how we handle setbacks, failures, and excessive emotion. We must learn these things as kids, otherwise we risk crippling and dangerous behavior in adulthood.
From what I speculate, little Ben eitherlacked access to most of these “safer” paths, or was in a position where he felt like confiding in others might make thingsworse.
Consider: Leia was definitely busy with helping establish and support both the New Republic and the Resistance– these things aren’t built in a day, these duties would have taken most, if not all, of the 10 years she had with Ben pre-training. He likely didn’t want to bother her with what he might have seen as trivial/insignificant emotions that he thinks he should be able to overcome himself (because “I’m the grandson of the Chosen One” dammit) in comparison to Galactic-Level problems.
Luke was likely absent for the vast majority of Ben’s first 10 years. He was out actively searching for Force-sensitive students and single-handedly establishing a New Jedi Order. His duties as the Last Jedi would have unfortunately taken priority over quality time with his nephew, even if he did away with the previous “no familial attachments” rule. Again he would feel small and unimportant looking at the stakes.
And Han? Love the guy, will always be a fave, but not the most sensitive, patient, or understanding of bros. Ben’s ability to use the Force is already a ginormous, unbridgeable gap between them. Even if Han said he were available, Ben wouldstill feel like it was pointless in expressing himself and his fears to his very cynical and truly-not-able-to-understand-the-force father. And Han wouldn’t understand the pressure, or the voices– oh god thevoices.
Friends? Even if he did have them I doubt he would turn to them for help. As the Grandson of the Chosen One and the Child of Heroes he wouldn’t want to seem like the “weakest link” in his family by complaining about his privilege to people who might be jealous of his famous heritage. I mean kids don’t want to seem weak ever, but Ben Solo’s issues are on a whole other level.
He would feel as if he should be stronger than to cry. And I don’t think he strikes anyone as the artistic or musical type (just the thought lol). Post-Jedi-Massacre, when things only get worse for his mental state and when his potential outlets are very limited, I imagine he tried meditating to calm himself. But it’s hard when you’re already that fucked up, and especially when you have all the guilt and rage and‘oh god the voices are still there‘. So mediation goes out the window.
This all just spells out a Galaxy-Sized recipe for one incredibly confused, frustrated, insecure, and self-hating individual. If I was in his place I’d probably fuck up some computer consoles too. It’s one of the only ways he feels in control of himself.
