but then you start to wonder, how much is him, and how much is a character he created so he could fit into this time.
This is one of the things that make him so fascinating. I think I understand Jack very well: part of that understanding is to realize how his whole life (and his version of Torchwood) is all a con. It's built on an imaginary foundation and made into something real - all created by a con man's skills. The central fact of his existence is that "Captain Jack Harkness" doesn't exist, he's a borrowed name with a made-up identity, who has managed to get exactly the power and position he needs to do what he wants to do (save humans from alien threats and the dangers of the Rift) without compromising his unreality. It's an amazing achievement!
I love it. No wonder Jack is my hero. "The lie that becomes the truth" is one of my favourite fictional themes, and it's illustrated over and over again in Jack's life. Lying as a process of creation.
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timeasmymeasure
no subject
Date: 2007-07-20 03:10 am (UTC)This is one of the things that make him so fascinating. I think I understand Jack very well: part of that understanding is to realize how his whole life (and his version of Torchwood) is all a con. It's built on an imaginary foundation and made into something real - all created by a con man's skills. The central fact of his existence is that "Captain Jack Harkness" doesn't exist, he's a borrowed name with a made-up identity, who has managed to get exactly the power and position he needs to do what he wants to do (save humans from alien threats and the dangers of the Rift) without compromising his unreality. It's an amazing achievement!
I love it. No wonder Jack is my hero. "The lie that becomes the truth" is one of my favourite fictional themes, and it's illustrated over and over again in Jack's life. Lying as a process of creation.