Hey, I really enjoy your SPN metas. I was curious about your view on the W. brothers’ childhood. Or, about one specific detail about it, anyways – I agree the rest is canon or implied through the characters’ actions throughout the show. How do you know John was an alcoholic? I’ve seen many interpretations, but as far as I’ve heard he’s never been seen drinking on the show. Is it your (and many others’) headcanon or do you know something for real? Please tell :)
Hey – again, thanks for your question – I apologize if I couldn’t get on it right away. So, the truth is – I love writing fanfiction, and I do enjoy writing metas as well, but I haven’t been in the fandom very long (and never knew what belonging to a fandom even meant until last year) and trying to do some research into this question really reminded me of that. Because, I have to admit, I never even thought about this issue, but apparently there is a fierce, brutal divide between people who see John as an abusive drunk in canon and people who don’t – and this divide seems to run, rather neatly, along the fault line of that other split in our fandom (which means, quite honestly, that most of what I read about John today I simply can’t take very seriously).
No, I think it all boils down to – once again – what we do with our subtext. Do we see it? Do we believe it? Do we think it’s there for a reason?
If the answer to those questions is no, then John is – sort of alright. Sure, he did leave his boys alone now and then, and Sam and Dean didn’t have the easiest relationship with him, but we never saw him drunk or violent on screen, and that’s that.
This is a good meta that for the most part mirrors my own views on John Winchester; however, I do disagree with the idea that John did the best he could or that he never “intentionally neglected or hurt” his children, because canon simply doesn’t support it.
He left a 10 (9?) year old and a 6 (5?) year old alone in a motel room for at least 3 days with inadequate food and a loaded shotgun out where either one of them could reach it and hurt themselves.
He left an 18 year old and a 14 year old alone in a motel room for at least a month.
He was “always missing.” (pilot)
And he was emotionally abusive towards his children.
We see this in Dead Man’s Blood. When Sam is pushing back against his father, questioning him, saying “how do you know? Why?” John finally gives in and gives them a bit of information and then goes “any other questions?” in a tone that suggests Sam better shut the hell up and follow his instructions. Sam’s doubt frustrates him, but instead of snapping at his younger son, he deliberately jibes Dean about the car.
“I wouldn’t have given you the damn thing if i thought you were gonna ruin it.”
That is Dean’s most prized possession. It’s his car. He takes better care of that car than he does himself. Now really. That car did not need to be touched up. It was in damn near perfect condition. But it wasn’t good enough for John Eric Winchester. No, in his eyes, John was “ruining” the car.
John was angry at Sam, and he took it out on Dean. And it was obviously a pattern, a regular part of their interaction, because Dean’s reaction to John’s admonishment is very telling, as is Sam’s.
Dean looks at Sam, Sam is smiling as if its the funniest thing in the world for Dean to get a dressing down from their Dad and Dean does a halfhearted little smile and gesture of self deprecation. (I just went back and watched it, if I could make gifs, I totally would because watching it pissed me off all over again. 13:41 of Dead Man’s Blood)
So to say that John wasn’t intentionally hurtful or neglectful to his children just isn’t the case. He did it. On screen. And it was implied that this was a regular occurrence through subtext, and through spoken admissions by both of the brothers.
Personally, my issue with John is that I whole heartedly believe that he clearly had a case of narcissistic personality disorder, and his children were a classic example of the Scapegoat/Golden child dynamic, which I have spoken about here.
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