#I don’t talk abt it in this post but the fact that sokka ultimately DOES lose his boomerang is ALSO crazy

[comradekatara]

sokka’s crisis of identity in “avatar day” after losing his boomerang is played for laughs and he does ultimately retrieve it by the end of the episode, so it’s not a particularly dire conflict, but i do think it’s interesting how pressing this loss clearly is to him. when they’re attacked by the rough rhinos at the beginning of the episode, aang delays them by grabbing his staff, and katara delays them by grabbing her waterbending scroll, but when sokka’s boomerang is left on a tree stump, they don’t bother going back for it. katara is even kind of mean about it, like his boomerang isn’t as important to him as aang’s glider or katara’s scroll. but his boomerang is also a cultural artefact that connects him to his heritage. i think that hakoda probably gave sokka his boomerang (he could’ve made it himself considering his blacksmithing abilities, but like. where would he have found the materials and tools needed to make it), and so it represents a direct connection to a memory of his father, in the same way that katara’s necklace represents her last memory of her mother. the boomerang signifies the skill, adaptability, and ingenuity of his forefathers just as the necklace is a symbol of the resilience, courage, and strength of katara’s mother and grandmother before her. it’s more than just sokka’s favorite weapon, it’s a part of him. the unique skill and precision of the boomerang represents who he is, as someone whose greatest strength is his mind rather than his brawn. and its connection to the men of his tribe, specifically his father, is his only remaining link to a legacy and tradition he has always aspired to embody. and not for nothing, but i’ve always found it so incredibly apt that the prized, cherished object of a boy with such prevailing abandonment issues is one that is known for “always coming back.”