ACTUALLY i retract my last statement …sort of… i think the whole sunshine rey interpretation holds some truth bc theres sumth so whimsy and innocent abt her, like “i never knew there was this much green in the whole universe” or whatever. Plus, i think this naivety ties into her inability to control or accept her powers, as mighty and scary as they are. BUT i still do think rey would have some edge to her, especially after spending so much time fighting for her life back in jakku. She had no choice to toughen up. I think… on a surface level, rey would be this tough girl that nobody dares to mess with. I mean, it’s canon that Unkar advised his gangs to never bother her because shes THAT good at handling herself, garnering herself a reputation on Jakku as the BEST scavenger.
I think the scene of her saving BB8 is one of the best insights into her personality. From supplementary material, it’s clear that Rey only saved BB8 because a Teedo was trespassing and scrapping on her territory and she had to reestablish her ownership, lest more of them decide to intrude. It wasnt an act born from empathy or righteousness, she tells BB8 to essentially fuck off once she shoos of the teedo. But what i think is so powerful is that she doesnt push back when BB8 asks for help and clearly is in distress. She opens herself to let someone in for once .
She’s not a ray of sunshine to me, shes not this giddy, upbeat, sunnyside up, yippie hurray girl lol . I just think shes a softie . A softie that was forced to toughen up and put on this facade . I would have loved to see Rey slowly break down her defensive barriers and learn to open up to her friends on the resistance. I would have loved to see her be more distrustful at first. It would make Rey taking on tasks by herself make more sense. She’s resourceful, yes, but shes also territorial, physically and emotionally.
