Introduction:
I’ll open things with a quick reminder that the practice of
judging characters because they don’t live up to the perfectionist and
fictional [unrealistic] standard that we hold them up to is hypocritical. Real
life interactions and relationships are full of flaws, blemishes of the
character, mistakes, and regrets.
Instead of holding up characters to this impossible pedestal,
I believe that we should devote our efforts to appreciating how their life
experiences reflect that of our own. Cliché as this saying may be, it’s something
that’s always held to be true: no one is perfect. This includes fictional
characters.
The fact that America and Canada’s relationship consists of
several moments of jealousy, selfishness, and resentment is what makes their
characters so developed. To get from point A to point B, a required component
of character development is to overcome some sort of personal, emotional,
spiritual, and physical struggle.
The scenarios in which these characters attempt to negotiate
through these hurdles can be messy. Mistakes are inevitable and they will say things that they don’t truly mean. It’s important to
recognize this rather than singling out a panel as evidence to prove that a
character is “rude.” That’s a very simplistic way of looking at things. Not
only that but context and motivation are needed if you’re to understand the
true reasoning behind these outbursts, which are far more complex than merely painting
the picture of a character lashing out for no particular reason.
That said, I’ve organized the breadth of America and Canada’s
relationship into three main themes: Identity, jealousy, and autonomy. Let’s
explore them.
Theme: Identity (or
the lack thereof)
The most prevalent theme coursing through America and Canada’s
relationship is identity. Canada’s struggle to overcome his invisibility
primarily rests on his inability to form a stable and memorable self-concept,
something distinct that he can use to formulate his own unique identity.
The problem is that he lives in the much larger shadows of
England and America, albeit mostly the latter’s.
Ex: America is described as the source of all of Canada’s
woes [x].
Ex: Kumajiro advises Canada to find something that shows who
he is.
Ex: He’s often mistaken by other nations for America and has
to deal with repercussions and hatred that isn’t even intended to be directed at
him. In this case, Cuba assaults Canada, thinking that he’s America.
Another problem that Canada has by virtue of his invisibility
is that he lacks an assertive presence. Remember that this is an old trope in
the manga, so the humour will be a bit more exaggerated than something you
would see in recent strips.
Ex: He has trouble “getting in a word” to America. Here, he
had hoped to tell America to quit acting so “domineering” to other nations, as he
ends up on the receiving end of other nations’ hatred.
Ex: Canada reflects on how, even as a child, he wasn’t
that memorable.
Ex: Canada’s sat on by Russia during a meeting due to
lacking a certain presence and charisma.
Ex: France and England both don’t remember Canada right
away, as there is nothing distinctly remarkable about him. Again, I’ll repeat
that the manga is based on stereotypes. Canada’s invisibility reflects how he’s
still negotiating his national identity—what he’s known for.
Note: Canada’s anger
here is justifiable. I want you to remember that when we look at other examples
where he snaps and becomes angry. The emotions don’t simply emerge in a vacuum
(i.e., out of nowhere). It’s pent-up emotions that he’s suppressed, having been
pushed down, taken for granted, and ignored for most of his life.
One scene that I’ve noticed has been grossly misrepresented
in the past is this baseball scene. The gist of it involves America throwing a
baseball too fast and hard for Canada to keep up with. It’s not meant to be
abusive on America’s part.
If you look at the panels it’s meant to represent how
symbolically, America pushes Canada too hard, operates at a much faster pace,
and expects a lot from the latter. In particular, the differences in their
paces will be important, as it’s something that Himaruya brings up again in World Stars.
Notice how it’s only after Canada has been pushed enough that
he strikes back at America. The two get into a heated argument and both call each other names. It begins with
America expecting Canada to do a favor for him and Canada responding that he’s
not America’s “handyman,” as in he’s not someone who can be taken advantage of
to do the latter’s dirty work.
America’s criticisms fall short when Canada loses his temper
and criticizes America’s flaws for three hours straight. It’s enough to make America cry.
While America may take advantage of Canada, he also acts as
Canada’s greatest support. On several occasions, he encourages Canada to form
his own unique identity.
Ex: He advises Canada to be more receptive to welcoming
immigrants to his country. Canada later becomes known for his
multiculturalism.
Ex: After Seychelles remembers that Canada’s a member of the
G8, Canada overcompensates in his gratitude by dressing up as his stereotype.
America tells Canada that he’s fine the way that he is, amusedly remarking how
Canada went out of his way to stand out [x] [x].
As mentioned, it’s not just America that causes Canada’s
identity (or lack thereof) to be obscured and insignificant. England too overrides
Canada’s sense of self.
Ex: Canada at one point once used England as a mouthpiece to
negotiate treaties with America [x].
Ex: Post–American Revolution: America attempts to visit
England, who fell ill following the conflict. Canada gets angry at America for
one; barging in, and two; only worrying about England and ignoring how Canada was
also implicated in the war [x].
“I’m Canada! This is Canada!
Can’t you see anything else besides England?!”
Canada refuses America entry, which ignites another
argument. America criticizes Canada’s will and his inability to separate
himself from England. In this case, America touches on how Canada eats
marmalade instead of maple syrup to appease England.
Once again, it’s only after Canada is pushed far enough that
he returns America’s insults. This scene is especially important because it
culminates in Canada asserting himself by forcefully shutting the door on
America.
Theme: (Mutual) Jealousy
In light of being ignored, Canada unhealthily compares
himself to America. This hopeless endeavor is a major contributing factor to
his poor self-esteem.
Ex: Canada thinks that he’s plain and not good-looking. This
conclusion stems from comparing himself to America, who’s well-known and
described as a good public speaker [x].
Ex: Canada being overshadowed by America is crudely portrayed
when America sticks his own flag on Canada’s forehead [x].
Ex: Canada takes an interest in American pop culture and
media entertainment. America doesn’t reciprocate [x]. Keep in mind that Canadian
media is a more recent phenomenon, as Canadians used to consume a lot of
American content before things like CBC.
It’s symbolic of how Canadian content is often mistaken as something
produced in Hollywood. This is seen in the Hetalia of the Dead strips, where
New Zealand mistakes a Canadian film as American.
Ex: After realizing that America doesn’t know anything about
his pop culture, Canada wonders if America has no interest in him and reflects
on their childhoods [x].
Take note of the fact that they play in a field of flowers,
as it will turn up as a metaphor in later chapters. Similarly, the idea of
America aging quickly is reflected in the fast pace in which he makes decisions
and excels versus that of Canada, whose growth and path to independence is hesitant
and slow.
This is a brilliant and covert connection made by Himaruya, as it
links back to the baseball strip [Fly Canada-san, fly!] where America pushes
Canada too hard.
Lastly, it’s crucial to mention that the jealousy is mutual
between Canada and America. Canada is jealous of America’s large impression and
status in the world, whereas America is jealous of Canada possessing a
personality that allows him to get along with people [x].
Theme: Autonomy (or the lack thereof)
The final theme I would like to touch on is autonomy. The
premise of this layer of characterization is twofold. On one hand, it involves America
self-interestedly expecting too much of Canada and pushing him too hard until
they both explode and feed each other a piece of their minds. On the other
hand, it involves the two of them unequivocally supporting each other,
regardless of where their political interests lie.
As mentioned, America is Canada’s biggest supporter. He’s
the one who encourages Canada to fight for his independence.
Ex: America urges Canada to gain his independence from
England and gets angry when he perceives Canada’s wish not to pick a side as
being indecisive [x].
Ex: They speak to each other, despite technically being
enemies in the aftermath of the Revolution [x].
Canada’s sheltered life as a subordinate to England is
revealed in his naïve perspective of world politics. He has trouble wrapping
his head around how England and America are able to keep trading with each
other while in the midst of a fight. Having never been in control over his own
affairs, Canada doesn’t recognize that practicality comes above personal issues
in politics.
Ex: After improving his relationship with England, America
attempts to establish a treaty with Canada. The way he does so is abrupt and
rubs Canada the wrong way. He’s both spoken for and spoken over [x].
Another link is made with older strips. America “drags”
Canada at his own pace without realizing that Canada operates and does things
differently.
America’s opinion that he never voices out loud after Canada
reprimands him is particularly important. He knows that Canada is slow and won’t
make any moves on his own. It’s because he recognizes that Canada’s grown
accustomed to living in England’s shadow.
Ex: The second time America asks Canada about his
independence, he gets a response…more or less [x].
What disgruntles America is that Canada expects to gain his
independence by being on good terms with England. As someone who had to fight
for his autonomy and has experienced the harshness of the ‘real world’, America
can’t control this next outburst. It’s out of concern for Canada’s naïve,
childish, and softened perspective of the world.
Remember that childhood metaphor I mentioned earlier? This
is it.
“Is your head a field of flowers?!”
Ex: To get Canada a more immersed understanding of the
world, America encourages him to do some travelling instead of simply focusing
on domestic issues [x].
In the same strip, he pushes Canada to become independent
again. His rationale is that without England in the mix, the two can be closer.
What doesn’t sit well with Canada is America’s self-interest; what he has to
gain by improving their relations.
Regardless of how much he wants to deny it, America’s
influence on Canada is profound. Canada even recognizes this as he declares his
independence [x].
Ex: It’s no secret that America “underestimated” Canada and
believed that the latter wouldn’t be able to support himself [x].
On the other hand, when he does visit Canada to congratulate
him on his independence, the progress they achieved in their relationship is
unmistakably present.
Rather than shout and get into a fight, as illustrated in a
sequence depicting what they would have liked to say to each other, the two accept their differences in opinion, enjoy the congratulatory moment, and remain civil. They were always best
friends in their hearts. This reconciliation confirms the sentiment [x].
Conclusion:
In sum, even though Canada may still struggle over his
identity in modern times due to America’s overbearing influence and frequently
get into arguments with America, it doesn’t do their relationship any justice
to characterize them as hating each other. America cares very deeply about Canada
and acted as his biggest support, regardless of his egotism. Canada too cares
very deeply about America despite getting frustrated with the latter when his
boundaries are pushed too far. Siblings are siblings, and while they may fight
and get on each other’s nerves, the two are still very close.
Why else would they host a cooking show together? [x].
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