About Newt٫ unreliable narrators٫ and emotional manipulation.
I've already talked about how deeply misscharacterised Newt is by the fandom and how any negative character trait he could have ever gets blamed on the Flare٫ but something I wish people would bring up more often is how he very vocally wanted his death to weigh on someone's conscience. He actively wanted whoever saw him commit suicide to feel guilty about it (as we saw in The Fever Code)٫ and later on stayed alive purely to get Thomas to kill him.
Newt's suicide attempt wasn't fueled by self hatred like a lot of people like to portray it in fanart٫ fanfic and "character analysis". It wasn't even born out of sadness or grief٫ but rather anger. He actively wanted to hurt those he saw responsible for his and many other boys' deaths٫ and I wish that aspect of his character was discussed more often.
Yes٫ Newt is an extremely empathetic person who looks out for the wellbeing of others around him٫ but his kindness isn't infinite and he is often times pretty judgemental and says hurtful things about others٫ we've just kinda convinced ourselves as a community he's this sort of angel-like figure who could do no wrong because that's kind of how Thomas sees him. Which is my next point: Thomas' opinion of Newt is biased.
Thomas in the books sees Newt in a purely positive light and as someone easy to talk to and who he often relies on for morale and advice٫ but that's because unlike other Gladers٫ he cares about how he interacts with and presents himself to others. It doesn't exactly feel right to call Newt manipulative٫ but there is certainly an aspect to his character where he is extremely aware of how people work٫ and uses that to his advantage.
We see it repeatedly throughout book 1: Newt will often say something pretty grim or even cruel٫ but since he is described as having this sort of cheery٫ laid back attitude and said attitude is often contrasted with characters like Gally٫ Alby or even Minho٫ Thomas immediatly sees it as a more positive interaction. And it's not accidental٫ because pretty often٫ we see Newt's true character peek through in moments of stress.
Newt isn't a cheery calm person٫ in fact he has a pretty short temper and is quite grumpy too٫ and while he is someone who does care for those around him٫ he is also an extremely spiteful٫ and vengeful person. He cannot let go of his grievances٫ and has a tendency to bottle his feelings up in an attempt to gain people's favor. He himself says it shortly before he dies. He is not selfless٫ his kindness does not come for free٫ and he expects something in return٫ which to be very clear does not make him a bad person٫ just human٫ which once again I wish more people acknowledged.
Yes٫ Newt is a good person٫ he cares for his friends٫ and strangers as well٫ but he is also human and deeply aware of how to get what he wants. Above everything٫ he is an angry teenager in a world built on injustice٫ and if he has to die for people who never gave any of what he offered back٫ then he at the very least wants that death to weigh on them. He wants to haunt them٫ and hopes to inflict some of the suffering he had to endure on those who caused it to begin with٫ be it an anonymous beetle blade operator٫ or a kid who was simply caught in the schemes of an evil corporation.
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