Ax's arrogance

[Shock]

he did annoy me at times, mainly in the MM4 where he talks about humans not being able to invent soap as if the andalites ALWAYS had soap. ya right

techically, we've always had soap. it just used to be in the form of animal fat rather than the chemical concoction that they have now.

[Green armadillo ette]

I think deep down Ax was seriously conflicted at times, and very lonely, and the arrogance was sometimes real but a lot of times simply a cover.

Also, Ax may have wanted to feel superior, because he constantly felt inferior. Marco always had a "Well duh, you should know this" attitude when explaining anything to Ax. The rest of the Animorphs, with the exception of Cassie, were exasperated by explaining Human culture to him.So Ax used the andalite's obviously more advanced technology as a defense against the human Animorphs weird culture.

[TobiasMasonPark]

     Maybe the Andalites aren't aware of it. Like children who point out the flaws of others. They don't see it as an insult. It's fact.
Post Merged: December 29, 2010, 01:02:08 PM     And it's not Ax's arrogance that annoys me as a reader. He's a kid; he's expected to be a little arrogant. And even Ax says that he's tried to calm down with that particular vice.

     And it's not the Andalite's arrogance towards other races; namely the Hork-Bajir and the humans.

     No. It's the arrogance they show towards members of their OWN race. The military type Andalites look down on the scientists because they think to much and fight too little. The Andalites are boasting about how superior they are, when they're exactly like humans; with their own insecurities and prejudices.

[ericthecro]

You also need to take into account that he was essentially raised and schooled during a huge war.  He was most likely fed pro Andalite propaganda throughout school.  I'm sure a German schoolchild or even an American one would sound like that if they were raised during WWII

[Gafrash]

I always took Ax's arrogance as partially being because he's young.  Also, you have to remember that he is essentially marooned on an alien planet.  Of course he's going to cling to his culture and defend it and if that means being arrogant, then so be it.  There were moments, though, that Ax was seriously disillusioned about his people (for example, remember when he was made to take the blame for Elfangor giving the kids the ability to morph).  I think deep down Ax was seriously conflicted at times, and very lonely, and the arrogance was sometimes real but a lot of times simply a cover.  It's like the person who uses anger to cover the fact that he's afraid.

Two thumbs up!

When Tobias morphed Ax, with the Andalite's body came its raw sentiments of optimism. Optimism that when shift and shaped by circumstances of war can unfold into arrogance, me thinks.
Prince Seerow had judged himself a worthy teacher to the helpless intelligent Yeerks. Since then, how long had the war been going for until Elfangor's early days? The war factor may indeed come into account with their people's arrogance.

Ax is the latest generation, fully growing up in his Homeworld under these circumstances. He then gets stranded with aliens on Earth, who have their own set of values. I am sure the 'arrogance' thing is only due to a comparison between the two species. Swap places and revert the situation, and what would the Andalites take humans for?