Mother

Karen's Relationship With Her Mother

"Mother is the name of God on the lips and hearts of all children." --The Crow

Like several other characters in X, Karen’s relationship with her mother played an important role in shaping her identity, but unlike the others, with the considerable exception of Sakurazuka Seishirou and his mother, their relationship is quite dysfunctional and violent. Still, Karen loves her mother and cannot help but be shaped by her mother’s influence.

Karen and her mother’s relationship hinges on one painful moment—the moment Karen discovered her ability to make and manipulate fire. Before that, little is known about how the mom felt about Karen, though the fact that Karen carries about a teddy bear that her mother gave her, suggests that she really did love her at some point. The moment she saw Karen playing with fire, however, the love she had for Karen was instantly overwhelmed by her religious fanaticism which exploded in an act of violence, as she savagely beat her daughter.

In some sects of Christianity, even the idea of fictional magic in books such as Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings is considered evil. Furthermore, fire is often associated with the Devil, an evil figure in Christian mythology who dwells in an underworld place called “Hell”, which is often considered a “lake of fire” in which the souls of sinners are punished. Seeing Karen manipulate fire convinces her mom that Karen is the Devil and she treats her very cruelly because of it. The more fanatical Christians, like most fanatics, often possess deeply hypocritical beliefs in which the sins of others are judged far harsher than their own, even if they engage in violence and murder. (Of course, this is not generally true of most Christians, but Karen’s mom certainly uses her religion to justify beating her daughter and this is not a fictional scenario that never occurs in real life.) The mom continually beats Karen, while calling her the Devil and wishing Karen would die, not seeing the evil in her own actions.

Karen’s powers complicate their lives even further when “cults” learn about her powers and seek to utilize them in their future plans for “peace”. Now, whether these are actual “cults” in a harmful sense, or if they actually organizations trying to prevent the end of the world is unclear since the primary person judging them is Karen’s mom. Karen apparently also designs her lifestyle around avoiding these cults, but this could be due to her mother’s assessment of their danger and not her own. In any case, they move from place to place, living in poverty, in order to avoid these cults. This lifestyle clearly takes a toll on Karen’s mother and she also beats her out of frustration and anger that she has to live this way. This willingness to beat on a child in response to unpleasantness in her own life illustrates her cowardliness and weakness. It is hard to face a life of poverty, but beating a defenseless child who only wants your love is horrible and cruel.

Still, she may beat Karen severely, but she does keep her alive. If Karen really is the Devil, and if she really has no love whatsoever for Karen, she could have easily killed her. Considering their lifestyle, she may have gotten away with it too if she planned it properly. In spite of her harsh words and harsh blows, it appears likely that, on some deep level, Karen’s mom still loves her daughter. She fears her daughter, fears her power, but she still protects her in her strange and savage way. This is the only expression of love Karen received as a small girl after the discovery of her powers.

Whatever her mother may feel about her, Karen still loves her mother and she believes that she is the only person who would be sad if she were to die. She questions her mother’s judgment that she is in fact a bad girl for being able to create fire and observes that her mother might also be evil for beating her (an event which leads to a beating so savage that Karen ends up in the hospital). Her mother’s violence, coupled with a lifestyle that is not conducive to developing friendships, means that she had little opportunity to experience love and caring. Because of this, Karen remains fairly lonely and convinced that no one other than her mother will ever love her enough to care that she is gone. Losing this one person who she felt she could count on is very painful for Karen.

Still, Karen is one of the most loving and caring characters in X. Because of her mother, she could have grown up bitter and violent, striking out at a world that had failed to protect her. Instead, she overcame her sadness and loves the world, despite believing that no one in it will care about her. That doubt, more than anything, is her mother’s legacy. She may not have convinced her daughter that she is evil, but she did convince her that her life is worth less than other people’s lives, so Karen stands ready to sacrifice it, almost anxious to sacrifice it, if that means saving other people.

Of course, now that she is a Dragon of Heaven, she has learned that she was wrong—the other Dragons will certainly care when she is dead. Her mother was also wrong—her powers were never evil, but a sign that she would one day fight to save all of mankind. If she will survive to see humanity preserved remains to be seen (at least in the manga), but she will face her destiny with far more strength and courage than her mother ever had.

CLEAR