More Thoughts on Perceptions of Troy
Further to my post yesterday on how Sharpay and Gabriella perceive Troy, I neglected to mention how Troy perceived himself in both these scenes. This follows a consistent trend of how Troy reacts whenever he is praised. I challenge my knowledge of the three films to analyse how Troy reacts to the compliments that he receives as a further defence of his character.
Garden Rooftop Scene- High School Musical I
I think I have said before that Gabriella appears rather wistful when she discusses Troy’s fame. “Seems to me like everyone on campus wants to be your friend.” This might be because her intelligence marked her as an outsider in her previous schools, although no indication is given of whether she was treated unfairly or bullied for this. Had that been the case, Gabriella would act more like Kelsi, whose evident pathological shyness during the first part of this movie is a strong indication of fearing the outside world. Instead, I think that Gabriella was rather viewed as a specimen, rather than just a girl who happened to be very intelligent. Of course, there’s no problem with Gabriella being wistful about this, and the reasons for this are, for want of a better word, reasonable. But Troy’s reaction is bittersweet; he laughs this away, and then says, “Unless we lose.” (I like this scene and I used it in my Trelsi fanfiction, as the pressures of college basketball would be even greater than what he faced in high school.)
I have said before that Troy’s tone implies that he has been through the social consequences of losing. Interestingly, none of the other Wildcats are shown to make the same reflection, despite Coach Bolton saying earlier that the West High Knights had repeatedly knocked them out of the runnings for the last three years. Yes, the Wildcats are nervous and hyped for the game (hence their increasing dismay when Troy’s mind is seemingly lead astray by the school musical), but none of them are shown at least to fear any social consequences for losing. I think the reason is that Troy is Captain, the Coach’s son, and everyone’s hero. He’s the key strategist, and the one who is supposed to make those on-court decisions that will lead to victory. This isolates him from the team somewhat. Hence why he says, “Unless WE lose”, whilst standing ALONE on the school rooftops. I think he means, “Unless I lose,” which indicates that Troy takes losses personally, despite saying later, “Win together, lose together.”
So far, he laughs away his popularity. When Gabriella points out that he treated Kelsi so kindly at the auditions, he almost does not react. This is very interesting to me, not least because it involves Troy and Kelsi (indirectly) :D. Why is this the case? I am literally considering this as I write. I can only conclude that Troy doesn’t consider it a big deal; it’s only when Gabriella brings this up in an impressed tone that he realizes he just revealed a side of himself that he doesn’t usually reveal. I believe this because Gabriella then says, “Do your friends know that guy?” We know that Troy has many friends who are not Wildcats. This is shown when he shakes hands with members of the Drama Club on his way to auditions, much to Chad’s consternation! The reason for Chad’s astonishment is that he doesn’t usually see that side of Troy. And only Gabriella is a witness to the scene where Troy helps pick up Kelsi’s manuscript paper and helps her to stand without a second thought. The involuntary nature of this action, the immediate response to run over and help Kelsi when she is down (literally) shows who Troy is underneath the glitz and glamour, which is why Kelsi is so astonished throughout this scene. I have a full analysis of this scene here, but I don’t think that enough can be said about it. So again, Gabriella compliments Troy, and his reaction is minimal at best.
Gabriella then candidly expresses her pleasure and comfort in singing with him, which he responds to with a smile and instantly returns the compliment. It is evident by now that Troy, despite his popularity, is shy. As I write my Trelsi fanfiction at the moment, this occurs to me as a great similarity between Troy and Kelsi, although the mode of their shyness is vastly different. I wonder what Kelsi would make of this as she grew comparatively more confident and Troy grew comparatively more paranoid and isolated. Very interesting indeed.
Finally, Gabriella says that he is a “cool guy”, and for a moment he seems lost in thought. He certainly only half-listens to whatever she says next. Instead, he wonders about the possibility of expanding beyond his role as Playmaker. I must intrude to make a Trelsi observation once again, but we see a reverse parallel between Troy and Kelsi in HSM I: Kelsi embraces the Playmaker role, whilst Troy parts with it. “You’re the Playmaker here, Kelsi.” versus “To them, I’m the Playmaker dude.” This scene evidently helps cement Troy’s attachment to Gabriella as she has demonstrated that she understands him in a way that no one else has heretofore done. It is no coincidence that he holds her hand as they run down the stairs, or that they later take to sharing detention time. Revisiting these scenes, it is easy to see the popularity of HSM I, which is why I am generally less critical of it and of Gabriella than I am of both in the later two instalments. So Troy either shies away from compliments, barely registers them, or uses them as an opportunity to expand his character further. After this scene, he throws himself into practicing. I don’t think it’s sufficient to assume that this is just because of Gabriella. Why? Because his most energetic moments come whilst he is rehearsing alone in the bathrooms and when he is rehearsing with Kelsi. His later rehearsal with Gabriella (the one that Sharpay and Ryan overhear together) is comparatively mild.
Why is this relevant? Because it refutes the notion of Troy’s supposed esclation into arrogance during HSM II. Unless anyone can find a way of twisting the above into a raging egomaniac who loves nothing but Italian golf shoes, then we can safely conclude that Troy Bolton is endearing not least because of his honest modesty. This topic is inexhaustive, and I foresee a a few more posts on this in the future.
