Anti-Arwen?
refuting some of the unnecessary hate
When I first began this website, it was something like the second exclusively-Arwen related site on the web. However, as time passed, I noticed more and more Arwen shrines appearing, to my delight -- and to my horror, "anti-Arwen" sites following them.
I am not saying that one cannot have their own opinions upon things. It's a free world (or so we're told); anyone who wishes to dislike Arwen may. But most people's reasons for disliking the Evenstar bordered on the absolutely ludicrous! By that, I don't mean reasons like 'Arwen's character was not well-developed and I dislike her' -- that makes perfect sense. But other reasons -- almost 95% of them -- were pointless and not at all well-thought out.
Being a dedicated handmaiden to the Evenstar, I have taken it upon myself to defend Arwen's character from untruths. Why? Well...why not? ^~
Arwen's 'dying' scene in RotK detracted from Aragorn's character.
May I ask how so? If anything it proved how passionate and strong a man he is -- even in the depth of battle, his beloved is still close to his heart, and through it all, the doubt and the pain, he loves her.
It's Arwen's fault Aragorn fell off the cliff!
...this is entirely too strange an argument to expand upon.
Arwen gets in the way of Éowyn and Aragorn's love.
I find it quite puzzling how so many people who claim to have "read the books" and be in support of canon spout this argument. If one truly was in support of book-canon, then they would know that Éowyn and Aragorn's love is very much NOT canon. Aragorn did not love Éowyn romantically, and if he hadn't met Arwen, I doubt very highly that they would have met at all. Arwen is the catalyst for the core of Aragorn's actions -- you may have read the books, but did you read the appendices? ;)
Arwen stole Glorfindel's part!
Don't blur the lines between reality and fiction. Loathing Arwen's character for a decision that TWO -- yes, two, Glorfindel was also overlooked in the animated version of LotR (and in favour of Legolas...where are his screaming adversaries?) -- filmmakers decided to make is ridiculous. It's not as if Arwen rode into the studio upon her warhorse and threatened Peter Jackson, you know ;)
Arwen's so shallow, what with all those pretty dresses she loves so much!
Please give me one instance in where Arwen appeared to be fussing over her appearance in either the book or the movies.
Arwen said that men were wicked fools and she pitied them.
Arwen was not referring to men in general, indeed, the entire quote runs "But I say to you, King of the Númenoreans, not till now have I understood the tale of your people and their fall. As wicked fools I scorned them, but I pity them at last." She was speaking exclusively of the people of Aragorn's ethnicity, the Númenoreans, who were indeed guilty of performing many wicked tasks and taking many lives while doing so, because eternity, among many other things, was something they thought they craved. Arwen is explaining that she now understands why they did such things, she knows how much it hurt them.
So she thought Aragorn was a wicked fool.
Ah, did she say "you and your people?" I think not. We are oftentimes partial to the people we love, and Aragorn was neither wicked nor a fool -- and Arwen knew this! (Also, it would have been beyond silly for her to look a man willingly embracing the Gift of Men right in front of her eyes and claiming he was hungering for eternity...)
Arwen was the stereotypically weak female, she didn't convey a good message for girls!
I disagree very strongly to this. While Éowyn presented a wonderful message for women, I believe Arwen did, as well. There is a grace and a strength in loving someone as much as the Evenstar loved Estel, and there is a phenomenal amount of courage in waiting for countless years for someone you love, never straying from their memory. And not only that, forsaking your very way of life for that person...! Arwen conveys the greatest message we as human beings need to know -- love is stronger than any other force upon earth.