I'd like to make a formal post talking about Lenore as a character, how she thinks and what motivates her.
On the surface she's our mc and our hero, she has a heart of gold and is headstrong, but she's burdened with guilt and self hatred. Very straightforward, very nice, very boring. I'll address that some more later but for the first half of this post I want to do everything in my power to bring into light the real core of her character, something that people have a tendency to really overlook, and something that honestly might be completely unintentional on the part of RnF themselves… but I'm getting off topic.
RESENTMENT
Before Leo, Lenore seems to have lived with basically no power or autonomy of her own. I don't think she ever really "fit in" or had any desire to abide by normative/high society expectations, and she certainly suffered for it. So, she harbors a ton of resentment and disdain for all this authority, manners, normative expectations, etc. This is on full display for the first couple episodes, with her interactions with the Deans.
Because of this, she's looking to grab onto any sort of power that she can possibly cling to. She acts out, sometimes in embarrassingly low status ways, because even if she can just get a rise out of someone, that's enough. She is going to meet any injustices against her head on, she's not going to go along with anything.
ANNABEL
Time and time again, the best examples of this behavior of hers are found in how she treats Annabel. You'd think the love of her life might get a free pass or something, not so! Not in the slightest!
So what exactly is going on here? I don't think that Lenore can reconcile the idea that Annabel is not another authority figure she needs to lash out at. It's ironic, Annabel has told Lenore that she's acting strategically, she's doing this for her survival, for BOTH of their survival, and yet Lenore remains swept up by the Lady in White act. Annabel represents power, so she must have it!
I also don't find this resentment or disdain for authority Lenore has to even be particularly noble or selfless, she's not doing this for other people. She's doing this because historically she has been barred from being able to have fun. She just wants to have fun, look no further than these comments she makes about Annabel. Here she is reveling in her Leo persona, it has finally given her the ability to be crass and to say things that would scandalize Annabel! Her favorite activity, shocking and offending Annabel, she'll even do it for a bunch of strangers!
We need to ask, does Lenore even LIKE Annabel, like as a person? She certainly likes Duke, because she can have fun with Duke! I do think she possesses a lot of genuine care and love for the people that she cares about, I don't think that's guilt all the way down. Does she, then, care about Annabel? Other people have made better posts than I can collecting the complete lack of evidence that she might.
I think she is in love with the idea of someone Annabel could, but never has and never will be. An Annabel whom she has successfully "corrupted", who will finally renounce her games and her prim and proper attitude, who she can finally have some fun with.
It paints this moment in something of a new light, here she is, oh so ironically, speaking right past Annabel and into an alternate fantasy.
To me, all of this is what makes Lenore who she is. Oddly selfish and callous underneath it all. I love her. I still want to elaborate on quite a few things though. RnF would like us to believe that Lenore is brimming with guilt, so how does it manifest?
THE FINGER LAKES
Let's go back to before Lenore embraced the worldview I've been talking about. In one of her "outbursts"/attempts to claw back some autonomy, she pays the ultimate price and now bears the guilt of her brother's death.
As a result of this, she seems to lose her spark. To talk about flowers as a symbol in this comic, I believe they often represent both Lenore and societal expectations. In this moment, by destroying the wallpaper, she is of course, "dying", but she's also condemning herself to the idea that she can never live up to normative expectations and thus deserves to be confined to a decrepit attic.
Then, of course, Annabel brings her back to life. This is a really interesting time for Lenore's character. The idea that Annabel might just be able to "rehabilitate" her has yet to be revealed to be a lie, and Lenore seems genuinely receptive! There is a playful sort of push and pull here: maybe Annabel will save her, or maybe Lenore will corrupt Annabel!
When Annabel reveals that it was all a farce, that Lenore is beyond saving, it really hurts. Lenore as we know her in Nevermore would not feel any sense of betrayal over this, but here she does because she had yet to let go of that hope herself. Smashing the vase of flowers is again symbolically twofold: Lenore hates herself for what she is unable to live up to, and she destroys these expectations and completely renounces them.
LEO
The next time we see flashback Lenore, she is transforming into the Leo persona. This is more of a narrative point and less of a character point, but the fact that Leo is meant to evoke Theo is really neat. It's been her self hatred and guilt over Theo that still tethers her to the idea that she ought to do what she is supposed to. Both ideas that Annabel might be able to save her, or that if she is beyond saving she deserves to suffer, stem from the guilt. So, to become Theo, to bring him back to life, finally severs her from it all.
The thing is though, she's not bringing Theo back per say, she's reinventing him in her own image. Theo and Annabel have a lot of parallels that Leo still lacks. Like Annabel, he was able to live up to the expectations placed on him and do what he was supposed to do. They're both probably meant to be role models for Lenore at one time or another. And here's the really interesting thing…
Both Theo and Annabel are open about the fact that they're acting. (Theo in a much more aloof way, because he doesn't have to comply with something that harms him the way it does Annabel.) And yet Theo is allowed grace and understanding from Lenore but Annabel is not??
When people speak about Lenore being misogynistic, I think it can sometimes be a case of putting the cart before the horse. Her intention as Leo is to get away with things she otherwise shouldn't, being misogynistic is just one way that manifests for her. But. This attitude she has toward Annabel….. it's not looking good.
I spoke about Lenore's resentment for Annabel, the idea that she can't see past the front Annabel puts up for everyone else and is caught up in the illusion. That could very well be true, a manifestation of Lenore's tendency to "live in the moment" and to coast by on vibes. If we consider her misogyny, however, I think there's more to it. Lenore never had high status, not when presenting as a woman, so I don't think she understands why Annabel clings to this performance and gets comfort and safety out of it. It's a very "not like other girls" mindset, why does Annabel even fucking care? She must be vain and frivolous. Even though she says it's all a game, why else would she play? She must actually mean it. If only Lenore could corrupt her, get her to care about what really matters, win her over as a prize for having the more righteous worldview.
This all reveals that the marriage plot is really just a personal vanity project, too. She's creating the biggest storm she can as Leo to try and capture Annabel.
LOOSE ENDS
… and yet the self hatred still crops up every now and then. She wasn't able to sever it completely.
Generally I think this is where her self-sacrificial streak comes from. Even in the wildest of situations, "it's not them you want, it's me!" Even when it's fucking Will. Girl maybe this isn't about you.
Speaking of self-sacrifice, the stag arc is fucking hilarious. Lenore "brings ruin with her, wherever she goes." This bout of guilt is somehow not clever commentary about the consequences and collateral of her tendency to be an asshole, instead it's something she too is a victim of. It's a physical fucking deer that is out to get her just as much as it is everyone else. What a soothing form of guilt the narrative lets her bear. She hasn't done a single thing she regrets, she's just forced into situations she's not strong enough to prevent. When it comes to something nobody with a brain would blame her for, she'll make sure to suffer the burden. Woe is her.
That's my analysis of Lenore!! Thank you for reading! It got a little mushy at times, I hope it all made sense. She truly is scum through and through. I think I'm in love with her! It's incredible. She revels in getting a rise out of people because it's the only taste of power she's ever known. And she doesn't even hate herself about it, she gets to be righteous about that too. At least Montresor knows he's the devil.
