[RexNorton]

Part II - The Dramatic Themes of Final Fantasy VII and the Game's Ending
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So far we have identified two completely different stories that exist within FFVII. There is the 'apparent but false' story that shows the world being destroyed by foolish human beings (Sephiroth and the Shinra). There is also the 'hidden but true' story that shows us that Jenova is manipulating everything. In contrast to this we have Cloud, the apparent protagonist. We also have our hidden protagonist, Aeris (as Cloud puts it, "She was so close, we couldn't see her") who, in addition to being the first and last character we see in the game, is the one who accomplishes the major task (the summoning of Holy) which saves the life of the planet. Cloud, in turn, attacks Aeris twice and gives up the Black Materia twice and doesn't start being a productive member of the party until after his experience in the Lifestream.
On opposite ends of the spectrum, we have Sephiroth our "apparent but false" antagonist and the "hidden but true" antagonist, Jenova. Aeris and Jenova are the exact opposite of each other, different in just about every way possible. Aeris is the last Cetra, a race that was characterized by its migrations into various star systems. They would colonize, cultivate, and communicate with these planets until the eventual move to continue their search for the Promised Land. Jenova goes onto planets, destroys them, and claims their life energy for its own. Aeris ('heiress' of the knowledge of the Cetra) is the symbol for life and truth in the game with her constant excitement about the future and her own natural abilities to heal herself and those around her, as well as her insight that all is not right with Cloud. Jenova, in turn, represents illusion and destruction in its most absolute form and is also able to reassemble itself whenever it is dismembered. Note the contrast between Aeris' healing ability and Jenova's ability to reconstruct itself after it is destroyed.
Cloud and Sephiroth, by contrast, seem to be less protagonist/antagonist and more flip sides of each other. Both are men who have been deceived about their past and want to find out the truth about themselves, but are mislead from this agenda by Jenova. Cloud comes to believe that he is a clone of Sephiroth. Sephiroth comes to believe that Jenova is his mother and that they are both Ancients when, in fact, his mother is Lucretia, a human woman and Jenova is an alien creature bent on the destruction of the Planet for her own rise to power. Both characters are 'puppets' of the monster Jenova. Both characters spend time in the Lifestream, an experience which sets both of them on their true path of accomplishment. Both characters are infused with the Jenova cells at the hands of Hojo.
The terms 'nothing is what it seems' defines the theme of Final Fantasy VII. In fact, it defines each of the characters in the game as well. All of the heroes in this game undergo a realization where they have to confront a belief about their past which is proved to be false. Let's look at all of them.
Cid spends years blaming Shera for the failure of his rocket launch. Later on in the game he finds out that the oxygen tank that she was trying to fix, which stalled his launch, was actually malfunctioning, just as she said. Shera didn't ruin Cid's dream, she probably saved his life.
Vincent spends years in stasis, punishing himself for his involvement in the Jenova project. Later on, he determines that hiding from the problem won't solve anything and that he must confront it in order to atone for his past mistakes ("I was frozen in time, but now I feel my time is just beginning!").
Yuffie spends the first part of the game trying to steal all the Materia from the group, in order to help restore the power of her hometown, Wutai. Later on, she realizes that Cloud and his party are the ones who are really fighting for the future of the human race and that this fight is her true quest.
Cait Sith is really Reeve, of Shinra Inc. But more so, Cait Sith/Reeve realizes that the Shinra/Sephiroth/Jenova is the threat, and that Cloud, Aeris, and Co. are the solution and must come to terms with being able to betray the Shinra and follow his own morals.
Nanaki believes that is father was a coward who abandoned Cosmo Canyon to save his own hide. Later on, he finds out that his father was the hero who saved Cosmo Canyon from destruction by the Gi Tribe.
Tifa believes that something terrible will happen if she tells Cloud that Zack was the member of SOLDIER who was really at Nibelheim. Later on in the game, that knowledge proves to be the key to uncovering the truth about Clouds past, a revelation that allows him to finally resist Sephiroth and Jenova and fight against them.
Barrett is the mastermind behind the destruction of the first two Mako reactors, an act he defines as being for the future of the planet. Later on, Barrett says that the Mako reactor attack was the wrong way of doing things since it cost innocent people their lives. He goes on to reveal that he is really fighting for the future of Marlene, his late best friends daughter.
Cloud, the "false hero" is the most screwed up character in the game and needs no analysis to prove this. He is the symbol of 'nothing is what it seems.' He is the character from whose eyes the story is told, yet he is revealed to have totally false memories about his past. His true memories aren't revealed until he and Tifa are in the Lifestream together and even then, they don't seem to realize that Sephiroth is just Jenova's slave. This is what serves to make the story so confusing. By telling the story through Clouds eyes we, the player, see reality as Jenova wishes Cloud to experience it. Cloud doesn't realize what is really going on until the end of the game and never says so out loud, but rather implies it, through this line, "I think I'm beginning to understand...an answer from the planet." Aeris, the hero, is the most honest character in the game yet, as Tifa puts it, "She talked about the future more than any of us... Although she never talked about it to us, she must've had a rough life... I think Aeris looked forward to tomorrow and the future more than anyone... She must've had many, many dreams..."