When reading the story of Achilles, you can immediately see that he doesn't posses the qualities associated with a a hero: self sacrifice and chivalry. Achilles is a great warrior, but he doesn't fit the rest of the hero archetype. He is one of the first examples of anti-heroes in classic literature.
Especially in modern culture, the anti hero is everywhere. Some examples: (Warning, spoilers!)
Chuck Bass, from Gossip Girl
Chuck Bass, the son of the late industrialist Bart Bass is a pleasure seeking slacker in New York City. We are introduced to him as someone who is not just immoral, he doesn't appear to even possess morals. He smokes, drinks heavily and is a womanizer. Later on though, he is revealed to have a heart of gold when falling in love with Blair Waldorf. You end up on his side, even though what he does isn't right in a moral sense, a classic trait of the anti hero.
Damon Salvatore, from the Vampire Diaries
In the Vampire Diaries, Damon is the brother of Stefan Salvatore, the main love interest of the heroine, Elena. At times, he seems like a true monster, killing without much thought and an excess of brutality. On the other hand, his quick wit and charming comments win you over. He is the ultimate hedonist (believing pleasure and keeping yourself happy is one's ultimate concern), but again he seems to have the 'heart of gold' which defines the anti hero from the villain. We see this when it is revealed that he is causing problems for the sake of his long lost true love, Katherine.
James Kirk, from Star Trek (2009)
In this installation of the franchise, James Kirk is more of a rebel, a likeable bad boy. In the end he undergoes a transition from irresponsibility to having others depend on him. Through the road of trials, his personality matures and grows.
Anti heroes seem to end up even more liked than heroes some of the time, probably because we can relate to them more. Infallible heroes/heroines are not people we can connect to. Also, they have a tragic quality to them that makes them excellent romantic heroes. Another commonality to these heroes is that they can transition to a more typical view of a hero- having more of a moral compass. Often, they make this change after 'the road of trials', just before 'descent into the innermost cave', symbolizing spiritual purification before the 'big battle'.
Question: I found a lot of male anti-heroes, and tried to include some unusual ones people may not have thought of; however, I was having trouble thinking of female anti-heroes/anti-heroines. Can anyone think of any?
Going along with your point about how some anti heros "can transition to a more typical view of a hero- having more of a moral compass", how about those who start off as one who has morals but then turns into an anti hero. For example, Jenny Humphrey from Gossip Girl. I don't know if you have seen all three seasons of the show, but during the first and second season, Jenny is shown as a young teenage girl who shares a common dream with the other girls at her school of becoming the "queen" like Blair Waldorf, the senior who pretty much has control over everyone within Constance (the all girl private school they all attend) Yet, near the end of the second season and throughout all of the third season, she turns into a rude, demanding, manipulative girl who puts aside others feelings and worries only about what she wants out of her life. She defies her father by dating a drug-dealing boy who has already graduated high school, she turns her back on her step brother by revealing a secret about him and his boyfriend, and also turns her back on her best friend by going out with her ex-boyfriend when she has made it clear that she still has strong feelings for him. Maybe Jenny Humphrey could be considered an anti-hero, what do you think?
ReplyDeleteYeah Eury, I definitely see your point. She almost goes through the reverse of what we could term the anti-hero's journey, starting with more noble qualities and descending into a more villainous archetype. She is a really interesting, atypical example of a modern anti-heroine. Maybe her behavior now is kind of like the 'descent into the cave' part of the hero's journey, and we will see her 'reintegration into society' later in the show.
ReplyDelete