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freedomAn integral aspect of Terra's character -- and one of the major themes of the game itself -- is freedom. Terra's character is defined by freedom and its opposite, restraint. The idea of freedom drives her past and defines her present self. As such, Terra symbolises two major themes of freedom: the philosophical absence of restraint, and conscience-oriented inner autonomy. For the majority of her life, Terra has been subject to a total lack of the absence of restraint; in other words, she's be constrained and denied outward freedom. By outward freedom, I refer to any outward forces -- anything outside of herself -- affecting her freedom, in this case in a negative way. The Empire stole Terra away from her homeland, her parents and whatever life she could have lived at a very early age. She was brought up under extremely detrimental conditions: her will was sapped away by the Slave Crown she was forced to wear, and she was made to do terrible things as per the demands of her training to become the ultimate humanoid weapon. Her freedom was restrained: she had no control over her actions or thoughts. Her very will was stolen from her. The effects of this are clear and devastating. Terra discovers she's murdered countless people during her training exercises; although she wasn't in control of herself, it was by her hands that these things happened and are bound to have a psychological effect. Her trust in people is reduced, and she's paranoid even of people who show kindness to her. The message here isn't subtle: freedom is a must. After these events, another aspect of freedom emerges in Terra: the unsettling of her inner autonomy. Inner autonomy refers to the ability to have control over oneself. With this, Terra blatantly struggles. She is completely aware of being completely unable to express or even accept love. Most pivotally, she doesn't know why: for most of her story, she searches and questions and reaches out in an effort to find a solution to this problem. Terra's inability to discover love speaks volumes about her inner autonomy. She's facing the effects of having her freedom restricted for a long period of time by certain individuals, and unconsciously endeavors to draw a distinction between the cruel Empire and her kind allies, both of whom seek to use her power. This lands her in an emotional deadlock: she's confused herself, and her reactions to things are thus confused and confusing at times. More importantly, she seems incapable of loving. What shatters her self-made barriers is the unconditional love the orphans she comes to be a caretaker to offer her. Even so, and even while she subconsciously accepts their love, Terra is slow to realise just what exactly she's experiencing. When she finally does, she embraces it wholeheartedly, signalling her prevailing over herself. Thus, she sets herself free.
Content and layout copyright © Aeryvae. Terra Branford and all other items pertaining to Final Fantasy VI copyright © Yoshitaka Amano and Square-Enix Co., Ltd.
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