"The Gift" Analysis #4
“The Gift” probes the dynamics of causality, fate, and self-fulfilling prophecies while calling into question the limitations of free will. Using traditional, even, at times, clichéd, soap opera plot devices, it gives them a metaphysical dimension, as the ring transforms the lives and souls of the Port Charles inhabitants. Those seeking the ring are obsessed with the threat and promise its magic represents, while those who possess it become addicted to the sense of omnipotence it bestows.
Having the ring gives Jamal a feeling of exhilaration. Like a child with a marvelously powerful toy, Jamal experiments with it, testing out various frivolous wishes to see if they come true. Curious to see if the ring can bring about seemingly impossible, incongruous events, he wishes to see snow falling in July. Wanting to know if Imani likes him, he wishes to hear her thoughts. Both wishes are miraculously granted. Snowflakes drift past the window even though it is the Fourth of July, and Imani’s thoughts are telepathically relayed to him.
The ring’s power, like that of ancient Greek and Roman gods, is fickle. Although capable of granting almost any wish, it cannot (or will not) give Jamal the one thing he wants the most—an end to his vampirism. It will not restore his human mortality. And the wishes it does grant often bring unintended, unpleasant results, as Jamal discovers when he hears Imani’s rather negative perceptions towards him.
Its ability to drastically transform personality adds to the ring’s godlike mystique. As a result of Lucy’s inadvertent wish (made in the presence of Jamal and the ring) that her former husband would become the kind, gentle man he once was, Kevin has, indeed, been transformed into the caring, wonderful man she married. He has repented, turning aside from his wicked ways, and has vowed to made amends for the harm he has done. His repentance seems sincere, in keeping with the decent, compassionate person he used to be before the drugs and insanity took over his soul. But is Kevin’s transformation genuine? And, if so, how could magic bring such a substantial and intrinsic personality change about? Can the ring’s magic actually alter (and, in this case, redeem) the soul? Similar arguments could be made about the power of psychotropic medications, such as Prozac, to seemingly transform deeply ingrained personality patterns associated with depression, thereby freeing the afflicted individual from a downward spiral of despair and restoring the potential once clouded by debilitating negative emotions. As with Caleb’s ring, such medications have the power to penetrate and illuminate the darkness of the soul, to offer redemption, to release the individual from self-imprisoning torment. Does the fact that they are external agents of change diminish the beneficial results they bring?
Seeking but not yet possessing the ring, Caleb, Rafe, and Livvie find their lives indirectly affected by its symbolic presence as a source of power and danger. Although Alison, unlike the others, seems relatively indifferent to the ring, she is swept up in the turmoil caused by their obsessions and fears.
As Caleb, in the process of helping Alison home, holds her in his arms, Livvie and Rafe glare with suspicion. Livvie demands to know what is going on, and Rafe anxiously asks Alison whether Caleb has hurt her. Both assume the worst in the person they distrust the most, with Livvie implying that Alison is merely feigning illness to gain Caleb’s attention and Rafe suspecting Caleb of trying to seduce her. When Caleb explains that Alison was sick and needs to see a doctor, Livvie accuses Alison of “playing victim.” |
