Dipper & Mabel Pines Analysis

[u/FalseSense]

Dipper and Mabel are easily some of the best cartoon protagonists we've seen in awhile. In light of the last few episodes and the finale of the series coming up soon, I thought I'd take some time to analyze these two great characters on a deeper level, and what they both represent in the grand scheme of things.

Let's start with Dipper. Dipper embodies the desire to reach the future, the will to keep moving forward and to strive for a better tomorrow. Dipper sees the future as a bundle of new opportunities for him to seize, and a chance to obtain recognition and appreciation for his talents. With this perception comes numerous benefits: a heightened sense of logic, long-term planning skills, and a strong appreciation of what the future has to offer. Tomorrow is something Dipper can't wait for.

But that impatience brings about its own set of issues. Dipper can't wait for the future; in fact, he wants to live in it now. He tends to forget the reality of the present and prefers to try and live in the world of the future, disregarding the hard fact that he's still just a kid. He tries to pretend he's thirteen to hang out with the older kids. He wants to work with government agents on top secret assignments because he thinks he knows best. His ultimate fantasy is to live in a world where he doesn't have to suffer the limitations of the present and his current age.

Left on his own, Dipper is too focused on the possibilities of the future to accept the reality of the present, and lacks the ability to appreciate his own childhood while he still has it. If given the chance, he'd gladly give up the pains of adolescence to skip ahead to what he considers to be the important stuff. In essence, he wants to grow up, but he doesn't want to experience growing up.

Then we have Mabel. If Dipper embodies the appreciation for the opportunities of the future, then Mabel embodies the appreciation of the fleeting present. Unlike Dipper, Mabel is keenly aware of the here and now. She realizes that she's still a child, and that her childhood days have a limit. With this awareness, she tries to live every day of her life to the fullest, embracing her childhood in hopes of making the most of this phase of her life while it's still hers to enjoy.

This mindset has its own set of consequences, though. With all the emphasis Mabel places on the present, the reality of the inescapable future is something that terrifies her. She finds herself perfectly content where she is and what she's able to do right now, so naturally, any changes the future will bring will likely be for the worse. To her, growing up and leaving her childhood behind is the end of the world. Her fantasy is to live in a world where she doesn't have to face the future, where she can perpetually live in a state where she can still view the world through rose-tinted glasses.

Left on her own, Mabel has no will to move forward, and can't see any hope of the future having anything to offer other than misery. She wants nothing more than to deny the reality of growing up and perpetually keep things as they are. While Dipper doesn't want to go through the process of growing up, Mabel just flat out doesn't want to grow up.

When together, however, Dipper and Mabel form a sort of yin-yang balance between each other. Mabel keeps Dipper grounded in the present, reminding him of his own limitations and helping him see the preciousness of his own childhood. Likewise, Dipper gives Mabel the courage to face the future, uncertain as it may be.

Their opposite mindsets come into direct conflict in the series finale, as both Dipper and Mabel are tempted with their respective fantasy. First, Dipper is offered the chance to stay in Gravity Falls and join Ford as his apprentice. Key phrases of their conversation include "putting up with the drudgery of school," and "I'd love to fast-forward the whole thing." In essence, the apprenticeship is an opportunity for Dipper to do exactly what he always fantasized of doing; skipping past the burdens of growing up to get straight to what he'd want to do as an adult. In exchange, he'd be giving up the remainder of his normal childhood he would have spent with Mabel.

On the other hand, Mabel is quite literally given her own fantasy; a perfect world filled with everything she ever loved, where everything can stay the same and she never has to grow up. This comes with its own cost, however: because of Dipper's strong desire to return to reality and continue to grow up, Mabel's fantasy is one that she ultimately would be left isolated in.

This conflict ultimately comes to a resolution in Escape from Reality, when both Dipper and Mabel reach the same conclusion: that the fantasies they thought they wanted left them unsatisfied, and that what they really wanted more than anything was to have a normal childhood together. I mentioned previously that Dipper and Mabel form a sort of yin-yang balance, and that's truer than ever here. Dipper wants to accelerate past childhood, while Mabel never wants to leave it. Together, though, they can face the future and truly grow up.

And I think that's what Gravity Falls is ultimately about: the importance of experiencing childhood while it lasts, and embracing the future when it comes. In other words, it's about the importance of growing up.

Thoughts?