Light and Dark: Cecil's Struggle For Balance

by Raincrystal 

"One to be born from a dragon
Hoisting the light and the dark
Arises high up in the sky
To the still land..."

"paláaádin (pl-dn) n. 1. A paragon of chivalry; a heroic champion. 2. A strong supporter or defender of a cause. 3. Any of the 12 peers of Charlemagne's court." (The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Third Edition)

Most people think of Cecil as a "holy knight." The obvious archetypical answer once led me to believe that the Mysidian Legend's "light and dark" were Cecil and his wayward brother Golbez. Recently, however, I began to believe in a new viewpoint. Cecil himself is both the light and the dark.

Each Final Fantasy game has its own theme, but the series itself has its own theme, and that is the concept of "balance." The main characters must learn to accept both light and dark, both past and present, both human and beast, both dreams and reality, and both the self and others. This is the constant inner struggle which characterizes the series and renders each important moment so poignant with its dramatic tension.

Cecil's struggle is one of Light and Dark. In the beginning he is a Dark Knight, but with noble intentions. "I mastered the Dark Sword as his Majesty commanded me," he tells Kain, "but it was to defend and not to rob." Cecil is a defender, using his might to take from the people what he thought would hurt them. When he is ordered to take the crystal from Mysidia, he believes it is for the people's own good that he must confiscate a dangerous item. He protects people, but with fear and force and might. This is the Dark way of doing things. Later, at the urging of the elder of Mysidia, he becomes a Paladin. At this point, he accepts the challenge of the Light to change his heart and actions. From then on his behavior is gentler and more careful. Instead of using force and fear, he tries to make the world itself safe by protecting the Crystals. He acts in a Light way now.

Yet becoming a Paladin does not erase the fact that he was a Dark Knight in the first place; his former Darkness would affect him forever. When he became Light, he was then both Light and Dark. A paladin is not a holy knight; in fact, historically it was the title given to the king's personal champion and defender. I think Cecil would have appreciated the irony of that definition, as he became a Paladin only by betraying his king. Nowhere except in recent vernacular connotation does the word signify Light or holiness; it simply means a noble knight. Light and Dark aren't really "good" or "evil," but ways of living, and Cecil's heart never changed. He was always good, whether he was acting through the means of Dark or Light.

Throughout the game Cecil shows signs of struggling to reconcile the twin forces through which he must act. He is not accustomed to the ways of Light, and sometimes tries to overcompensate for his former darkness. When Golbez comes to his senses, Cecil does not at first call him "brother," thinking that he must repudiate Dark affiliations in order to behave according to the Light. Yet the world is founded on balance; there are crystals of the Dark as well as Light, and both are needed to open the way to the moon's core. Without this balance, Cecil cannot accomplish his destiny.

By the end of the game, Cecil has learned to harmonize the forces within him. As Golbez turns away to sleep in the moon's core, Cecil is able to call him "brother." The Paladin feels secure that he can accept the Dark in himself without compromising the Light. Because his struggle for balance is so well resolved, he is able to enjoy the happiest ending of a Final Fantasy hero for games to come.

Want to chat about the balance-struggles in FF games? Drop me a line at Sukurri@aol.com.