The anti-hero archetype has undoubtedly become increasingly popular in the entertainment business over the last few years. Characters such as Dexter Morgan from the hit T.V. series, Wolverine from X-men, Severus Snape from Harry Potter, and Edward Cullen from Twilight are few of many recent anti-heroes that audiences have grown to love. It's an archetype that people can't seem to get enough of. Why are we so fascinated with such flawed heroes? In "The Rise of the Anti-Hero, Michael suggests that the world is so full of corruption that "the characters on the silver screen needed to reflect a broader view of morally acceptable behavior. Traditional heroes were just far too un-relatable." We live in a world where racism is still a source of unrest. Human trafficking seems like it will never perish from existence. The threat of terrorism still haunts the airports and many parents are even reluctant to let their kids play on the streets unsupervised for fear of kidnapping. The ever growing fascination with anti-heroes shows that we acknowledge the imperfection of humanity, even embrace it. Viewers like a character who they can relate to; Characters who are morally righteous and pure are not. I believe the anti-hero is a reflection of all human beings and we enjoy watching/reading about them because we find truth behind all of their shortcomings. We see ourselves in the antiheroes and yearn for them to make it to the top, because that's what we as humans continually strive for.
Sunday, April 5, 2015
6. Psychosocial connections
The anti-hero archetype has undoubtedly become increasingly popular in the entertainment business over the last few years. Characters such as Dexter Morgan from the hit T.V. series, Wolverine from X-men, Severus Snape from Harry Potter, and Edward Cullen from Twilight are few of many recent anti-heroes that audiences have grown to love. It's an archetype that people can't seem to get enough of. Why are we so fascinated with such flawed heroes? In "The Rise of the Anti-Hero, Michael suggests that the world is so full of corruption that "the characters on the silver screen needed to reflect a broader view of morally acceptable behavior. Traditional heroes were just far too un-relatable." We live in a world where racism is still a source of unrest. Human trafficking seems like it will never perish from existence. The threat of terrorism still haunts the airports and many parents are even reluctant to let their kids play on the streets unsupervised for fear of kidnapping. The ever growing fascination with anti-heroes shows that we acknowledge the imperfection of humanity, even embrace it. Viewers like a character who they can relate to; Characters who are morally righteous and pure are not. I believe the anti-hero is a reflection of all human beings and we enjoy watching/reading about them because we find truth behind all of their shortcomings. We see ourselves in the antiheroes and yearn for them to make it to the top, because that's what we as humans continually strive for.
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