What Carrie Fisher Means to Me
By: Avram Vargas
Princess. General. Rebel. Author. Script Doctor. Feminist. Fighting Spirit.
Carrie Fisher.
We have lost many beautiful talents this year, but the departure of Carrie Fisher has gutted me the most, and she will remain the only loss to shed tears out of my eyes this year. I’m not feeling so destroyed simply because I’m a huge Star Wars maniac. As a Star Wars fanatic, I’ve had the fortune of learning what a tremendously remarkable woman Carrie was. Of course, she will always be my favorite princess (and general) and this will stand by as her most recognized role, but there is so much unrecognized beauty outside of Leia, and in Carrie. It saddens me to see how many people don’t know how much heart she had, but once you hear about it, you quickly learn so much. As a naive kid, I never imagined that in real life Carrie faced her own issues with mental illness and addictions, and with a display of so much strength as well. She was fearless and open about her problems, and it led pathways to her recovery and safety, and I think this is an important lesson for many facing similar issues. Her openness was matched with witty humor that created a fresh balance of showing vulnerability and endurance at the same time. I think it’s easy to look towards her and find a role model as someone who never gives up, and finds happiness in all the thick mess that life can be. This is what she brought to Leia, and not what Leia brought to her. If you need any testament to the wise mind that is Fisher’s, I recommend picking up some of her books. She’s a natural writer, and allows you deep into her mind and personality. Her newest book shows just how self aware she was, and they’re from journals from her days at my age. Being a dedicated script doctor is also one of her unrecognized talents, and new pieces of her edits on the original Star Wars trilogy’s scripts are already surfacing all over the internet. This is why Carrie will be remembered as a figure of women empowerment in Hollywood in many ways, and for years to come.
However, what I really want people to remember about Carrie is how much of a great person she was. Out of the holy trinity of Star Wars, she is one of the two who uses twitter, and the one who uses it the most. It was through her twitter that I think I really fell in love with Carrie. I witnessed her motherly instincts with all her loving fans. She not only interacted with fans with jokes and funny tweets, but she even went out of her way to help fans cope with their own issues. Perhaps Carrie saw some of herself from younger days in fans, and it was not out of the ordinary for her to personally message them and offer her words of wisdom. Whether it may have been anxiety, depression, or just a moment of sadness, Carrie took time out of her day to be loving to those who needed a shoulder to cry on. And what better shoulder to cry on than the General herself?
I’m sure many of you have already learned or read many of the things I’ve said, but these details on Carrie are what make her the personification of hope, to me.
Rest well, and may the Force be with you.
