I find Root’s story pretty compelling. She was a throwaway kid, and (sadly) smart enough to know it. She managed to take care of herself and those she once cared about, but the world isn’t wired for super-smart kids without resources. She set about getting some resources. What she never seemed to have was someone who cared about her and nurtured her best impulses. What she found plenty of was people who wanted to exploit her skill sets and didn’t care what effect it had on her or others. She is a tight, hurting bundle of unmet needs, angry at the world, her only god her intellect and what she can do.
Crossing wires with Harold and the Machine must have been like being struck by lightning. Suddenly, all of her certainties were undermined. She was no longer the smartest person in the room, no longer the one seeing 14 moves ahead. This made a Root hungry for connection like nothing else ever had, and at first she was desperate to “know” the Machine (and presumably fall at its feet to worship). This led to her kidnapping and terrorizing Harold, an ordeal he endured with the sort of calm Root could only pretend to understand. Root comes to revere him as much as the Machine, and not only because he created the Machine.
Later, after Root is captured, Finch shows her the only real compassions and care she’s ever known. He cares about her well-being and tries to help her. He is helped along with these efforts by the Machine, who painstakingly helps Root grow a conscience. It is painful and humbling, but instead of crumbling u see pressure, Root attempts to emulate Harold’s acceptance of his own failings by trying to own—and rectify—her own. It is a noble character arc.
One of my favorite themes in POI is the theme of redemption—that we can redefine who we are by the choices we make, and that it isn’t too late to start.
I’m sorry Root is not one of your favorites. I have come to really enjoy her.
Crossing wires with Harold and the Machine must have been like being struck by lightning. Suddenly, all of her certainties were undermined. She was no longer the smartest person in the room, no longer the one seeing 14 moves ahead. This made a Root hungry for connection like nothing else ever had, and at first she was desperate to “know” the Machine (and presumably fall at its feet to worship). This led to her kidnapping and terrorizing Harold, an ordeal he endured with the sort of calm Root could only pretend to understand. Root comes to revere him as much as the Machine, and not only because he created the Machine.
Later, after Root is captured, Finch shows her the only real compassions and care she’s ever known. He cares about her well-being and tries to help her. He is helped along with these efforts by the Machine, who painstakingly helps Root grow a conscience. It is painful and humbling, but instead of crumbling u see pressure, Root attempts to emulate Harold’s acceptance of his own failings by trying to own—and rectify—her own. It is a noble character arc.
One of my favorite themes in POI is the theme of redemption—that we can redefine who we are by the choices we make, and that it isn’t too late to start.
I’m sorry Root is not one of your favorites. I have come to really enjoy her.
