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engh_2016In life, we are used to the black and the white. Most of us prefer it, having things out in the open and clear. We want the clear dichotomies to rule and leave no space for ambiguities. But most often than not, this is not the case. No matter how much we may like it, life has its grey areas too. A common place for these 'greys' is in the portrayal of many characters in movies, books, TV shows, etc. Growing up we got used to the fact that the good guy is pure, virtuous, honest and courageous; in contrast to the evil, vindictive, bad guy who is up to no good. Good triumphs over evil is what we believed in, but as we grew up we see that many characters are not so transparent in their orientations. I have watched movies and read books where the protagonist had questionable morals, and wondered why this bad guy was the “main guy”. A few google searches lead me to my answer, the antihero.
Dictionary.com describes the anti-hero as a “protagonist who lacks the qualities that make the heroic figure, like idealism, courage or morality”. These are individuals who possess certain attributes like aggressiveness, selfishness and ignorance, which are imperfections that separate them from heroic figures. These features are often dark, usually attributed to villains. In fact, anti-heroes blur the lines between the protagonist and the antagonist. The literary anti-hero can be seen across all times, and is not a new archetype, though it has recently gained unprecedented popularity. Certain movies and TV shows have anti-heroes that are crowd favourites. The most popular example would be Deadpool, the highly skilled, wise-cracking but amoral mercenary. Deadpool is not bad enough to be a villain, but not good enough to be a hero. Thus he falls right into the category of an anti-hero. What makes him a hero is that he usually fights the guilty. When he fights the guilty, he is in turn protecting the innocent. It is this fine line between innocence and guilt that makes him who he is. This is only a prominent example of an anti-hero. Jason Bourne (The Bourne Trilogy), Han Solo (Star Wars), Captain Jack Sparrow (The Pirates of the Caribbean), Jay Gatsby (The Great Gatsby), Amy Dunne (Gone Girl), Tyler Durden (The Fight Club), Don Draper (Mad Men), Saul Goodman (Breaking Bad) etc, are just some characters that blur the moral lines between good and bad.
Anti-heroes are increasingly become well-liked characters among audiences. People are rooting for the villain, now more than ever. But why do we love them? Why do we want to root for people who cheat and steal and lie? What does this say about us? We love them because of the portrayal of the character is realistic. It understands the selfish motives and flaws of people. We want to cheer on the people who are like us, in their faults and mixed morals. They make us feel better about the lies we tell or the crimes we commit (not that we’re all criminals). We get consoled about our own failings and mistakes when we see our favourites doing the same on screen or on paper. They’re complex characters as well. We all have our own emotional hardships, and when we see the characters with the same turmoil as ours, they end up being more relatable. Also like the hero, the anti-hero is a strong character, even though they make lack the moral standing. He gets what he wants, by hook or by crook. An anti-hero is often the underdog, even when we don’t agree with them we find ourselves cheering for them.
Why the definition of anti-heroes matters is so we know where the line is to be drawn. Even in a fictional universe, the world breaks down into black and white and it is up to us how to differentiate the two, keeping in mind all the shades of grey.
Dictionary.com describes the anti-hero as a “protagonist who lacks the qualities that make the heroic figure, like idealism, courage or morality”. These are individuals who possess certain attributes like aggressiveness, selfishness and ignorance, which are imperfections that separate them from heroic figures. These features are often dark, usually attributed to villains. In fact, anti-heroes blur the lines between the protagonist and the antagonist. The literary anti-hero can be seen across all times, and is not a new archetype, though it has recently gained unprecedented popularity. Certain movies and TV shows have anti-heroes that are crowd favourites. The most popular example would be Deadpool, the highly skilled, wise-cracking but amoral mercenary. Deadpool is not bad enough to be a villain, but not good enough to be a hero. Thus he falls right into the category of an anti-hero. What makes him a hero is that he usually fights the guilty. When he fights the guilty, he is in turn protecting the innocent. It is this fine line between innocence and guilt that makes him who he is. This is only a prominent example of an anti-hero. Jason Bourne (The Bourne Trilogy), Han Solo (Star Wars), Captain Jack Sparrow (The Pirates of the Caribbean), Jay Gatsby (The Great Gatsby), Amy Dunne (Gone Girl), Tyler Durden (The Fight Club), Don Draper (Mad Men), Saul Goodman (Breaking Bad) etc, are just some characters that blur the moral lines between good and bad.
Anti-heroes are increasingly become well-liked characters among audiences. People are rooting for the villain, now more than ever. But why do we love them? Why do we want to root for people who cheat and steal and lie? What does this say about us? We love them because of the portrayal of the character is realistic. It understands the selfish motives and flaws of people. We want to cheer on the people who are like us, in their faults and mixed morals. They make us feel better about the lies we tell or the crimes we commit (not that we’re all criminals). We get consoled about our own failings and mistakes when we see our favourites doing the same on screen or on paper. They’re complex characters as well. We all have our own emotional hardships, and when we see the characters with the same turmoil as ours, they end up being more relatable. Also like the hero, the anti-hero is a strong character, even though they make lack the moral standing. He gets what he wants, by hook or by crook. An anti-hero is often the underdog, even when we don’t agree with them we find ourselves cheering for them.
Why the definition of anti-heroes matters is so we know where the line is to be drawn. Even in a fictional universe, the world breaks down into black and white and it is up to us how to differentiate the two, keeping in mind all the shades of grey.
