Did Scar dis-attach himself from Mufasa?

[Remorazz]

I think Scar outlawed/didn't use Mufasa's name because One, he didn't want competition/comparison to a better king, and Two, because he may have felt a little guilty.

[TheBlackCatCrossing]

The guilty comparisons are interesting and while I enjoy reading them, I think Scar is too much of a selfish bastard to have any ounce of 'regret' in his black little heart.

Plus, maybe it was a reference to Prince John from 1973's Robin Hood and how HE hated hearing his brother King Richard's name. Any takers?

[cleargreenwater]

The guilty comparisons are interesting and while I enjoy reading them, I think Scar is too much of a selfish bastard to have any ounce of 'regret' in his black little heart.

Plus, maybe it was a reference to Prince John from 1973's Robin Hood and how HE hated hearing his brother King Richard's name. Any takers?

"Any takers?" ...besides picturing Scar sucking his thumb now?


Disassociation doesn't always happen on account of guilt, though, its something that develops over time. A good friend of mine is a Registered Nurse, and that first year or two of working with patients was rough, until she learned to "clip" those empathy connections to her patients and view them mechanically. Scar had probably been disassociating from seeing Mufasa as "Mufasa his brother" and framing it as "Mufasa the king" for a very, VERY long time before Mufasa was actually murdered.

I don't myself ascribe any deeper meaning to the Mufasa Ban than the topical understanding, insecurity and an unwillingness to admit failure, but I don't want to pee on anyone's rainbows, either (that I reserve for SP, LOL.) Dramatic fanworks of remorseful Scar shedding a silent tear for his brother in low moments and being driven to madness by guilt are very popular interpretations, with the "Madness of King Scar" from the Broadway production to fueling that fire, and the fact pattern can be read either way--as the saying goes, you pay your money you take your pic.

[Tekir]

By looking at Mufasa, he probably didn't see the brotherly figure anymore but only the social status Mufasa occupied and was refered to in the Pride Lands. A position Scar always sought (well, to a certain point in his life anyway) and that he wouldn't be able to get in his lifetime. That fact would've probably fueled his anger and jealousy toward Mufasa as he would never be able to hold this privileged position his brother had. Feelings that would've blinded him so he would only see Mufasa as a king, as an obstacle. So Scar did disattached himself from Mufasa in some ways.

Him saying "Mufasa" later while talking about the death of his brother to the lioness was probably to appear more emphatic or attached to his brother than anything else. He probably did that so the lioness wouldn't suspect him being involved in his death in any way. He probably forbade anyone to say Mufasa's name later as it would bring old and unpleasant memories to him. It may be that he felt some sort of guilt when hearing his name or maybe it would only bring back the bitter aftertaste of all the hate and jealousy he used to have for Mufasa.

[Chizuna]

I definitely believe that Scar dis-attached himself from Mufasa. In the interrogation class my teacher talked about key words a lot, like noticing a person using 'he was' or 'him' or even acting like the person's still around that they harmed, using words like 'he is' or praising the person's character but notice that they never use the person's name. Because when it's 'Mufasa' or 'brother' it becomes more personal, it's simply a way for someone to deflect the guilt and blame from themselves and keep the story straight. Kind of like when you get mad at someone, they become 'that person' or 'him' because it makes them sound worse than they really were in your angry little mind .

[Kal]

He made all that effort to finally off his brother and take the kingdom... yet all everyone ever talks about still is Mufasa! If I was an evil plotting plotterer then that would definitely make me mad! Probably not an issue of guilt.

[Lauren]

I think Scar hated Mufasa so much that he didn't care what he called him. He probably just said what ever came to his mind. I think the reason he outlawed the saying of Mufasa's name was because he knew he was no where near the King Mufasa was. He knew he was a greedy, selfish, and careless king, but he didn't care.

I pretty much agree on this. Besides, as a king himself (although a tyrannt), he wanted to feel like he has his own position and not just a slide-in-replacement. His frustration towards Muffy drew the line for him.