Arcane - The Sins of the Father

Arcane does a really good job of assessing nature vs nurture when it comes to what shapes a person and what they become. Vi and Jinx are the primary examples of this. They are both caring people by nature but the world around them and their adoptive father figures are key parts in solidifying that characteristic or deteriorating it.

For Vi the world has beaten her down time and time again like many characters in the series but Vander was a key part in making sure she didn’t succumb to her hatred and anger. At the start of the series Vi wants to fight. She wants to teach the enforcers a lesson and hurt them like they hurt the people of the undercity. But Vander reminds her that her decisions effect those around her. “You have a kind heart. Don’t lose it. No matter how the world tries to break you”. When push comes to shove Vi is willing to give herself up to protect her sister and friends and prevent conflict with those in Piltover. She chooses peace over violence despite violence being all she knows. I think it is here that Vi becomes a protector rather than an avenger. She was toeing the line between the two before this moment.

Vander learned from his mistakes and passed those lessons onto Vi. His final appearance convincing Vi to get up really solidifies this and Vi’s role as a protector. His lessons have continued on long after he is gone. “ I wish I could say it gets easier, kiddo. But I'd be lying. What I can say is... She still needs you. They all do. So what do you say?”

For Jinx the line that defined her was said by her sister rather than any father figure “Because you’re a jinx... Mylo was right”. Powder’s evolution into Jinx is brought on by her hearing her sister finally agreeing with the others and looking at her as a weakness (from her perspective. We know that Vi’s outburst came from a place of pain from learning that her sister caused the explosion that killed Mylo and Clagger and led to the death of Vander rather than a place of genuine hatred or contempt). This is further solidified by Silco using his misplaced guidance to make her believe that this moment made her stronger rather than actually addressing the issue and dealing with the trauma. He believed that killing the person who was hurt by the one closest to them was the solution rather than healing. Jinx became a vessel for destruction because that’s the only way she was taught to deal.

Silco and Vander genuinely loved their daughters and did the best they could with what they had. The sad reality is that Vander learned from his mistakes and Silco didn’t. Silco didn’t have the same kind of support that Vander made for himself which gave him the ability to clearly see that violence hadn’t gotten them anything but loss. Silco was forced to drag himself through his pain which lead to his misplaced beliefs and unintentional projection onto Jinx. This story is a tragedy of circumstance and trauma. The sins of the father and their lessons learned really can pass onto the child and effect who they become moving forward.