Board Thread:Speculation House/@comment-38281837-20190124040215

Most of RWBY's main cast draw inspiration from characters in folktale, mythology, or literature. One notable exception (at least so far) is Emerald Sustrai, whose source of inspiration has not been disclosed, possibly because it will be plot-relevant in the future. So I'd like to propose a theory: Emerald sustrai may be based on Esmeralda, the gypsy girl from Victor Hugo's "The Hunchback of Notre Dame". I think there are a number of interesting parallels and connections.

Let's begin with what we know about Emerald, which is... not a lot, actually. We know that she was an orphan, making her living as a thief when Cinder discovered her talents and took her in, and we know that her abilities focus on illusion and deception. Based on how she interacts with Mercury and Cinder, it seems like she views that group as a pseudo-family that she can be part of, with Mercury as a 'brother' (an equal who she can work with but also bicker with) and Cinder in a more parental role; this is probably why (in season 6) without Cinder around to guide her, Emerald begins to have more and more doubts and reservations about working with Salem.

Now let's take a look at Esmeralda. For those who haven't read the book, spoliers ahead. At the beginning of the story, we are introduced to Esmeralda as a gypsy girl traveling around Paris with her troupe. As a member of the troupe, Esmeralda had many dealings in the criminal underworld, and one of the accusations levelled against her was that she was a thief; she was also accused of being a witch because of her ability to make her pet goat do tricks using a tambourine. However, we later discover that the gypsies are not Esmeralda's real family -- in fact, Esmeralda was abducted by these gypsies as a baby (replaced in her crib with a baby Quasimodo) and raised as one of them. Her name isn't even really "Esmeralda"; 'la esmeralda' literally means 'emerald' (OK, I buried the lede a bit here), and is a reference to the emerald that she wears around her neck, her only memento of her mother.

Supposing that this connection is real, what does it mean for Emerald Sustrai?

Well, probably nothing good. Esmeralda is a terribly tragic character, losing her mother, losing her freedom, losing her life, and even arguably losing her identity (when she brielfly reunites with the mother she'd never known only minutes before her execution). Perhaps Emerald will end up having a crisis of identity after discovering a secret truth about her past, change sides, and sacrifice herself to try to defeat Salem...

Thoughts? 