There’s no end to the books and guides, manuals even, written about writing. Set to that body of work with a ginsu knife and you can carve out probably a dozen or more sub-categories of study within the world of writing.
I know my shelves are lined with books about writing. One topic that’s never well enough addresses for me is the Hero / Anti-Hero. Popular media is rampant with bad-ass tough guys with that one redeeming quality. Are these dudes pinnacle examples of the literary craft? Probably not. But they draw us in, make us what to know more.
A good character can pull even the worst plot through the muck and get it on its feet again. In Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, we follow Indy on another exciting, but somewhat predictable whirl wind adventure. In fact, by the tank chase through the desert, we’d seen all the tricks the filmmakers had available – but we *love* Indy, so we watched him battle his way through another legion of very Stormtrooper-esque Nazis.
A good character should never be confused with a Good Character. Luke Skywalker is a good character. Bobba Fett, with only three damn lines, is a Good Character. So what makes ‘em good vs. Good? Well, the best characters have a bit of the baddies in them.
The Anti-Hero, grim faced and of questionable morality, but stern ethics, is a literary entity that I think the average reader can more readily identify with. I mean, even on our best days, sometimes we call in sick to work, lie about eating the last cookie, or slip a stop-light.
I don’t see the “hero” archetype ever living up to its expectations in a realistic setting, so perhaps there is actually only the Anti-Hero?
Consider Hector from the Illiad. This dude was considered by his contemporaries and the listeners of the tale for centuries to follow, as the pinnacle of the ancient Greek arête. The best man. He defended his home, family and whiney brother with his life. Hector knew that Paris was an adulterer, had absconded with a king’s wife and brought an incredible doom to Troy, but he defended him anyway. He’s a hero for his defense of King and Country, but a bit of an “anti” for intentionally choosing the wrong side.
Maybe this isn’t the best example of an anti-hero. How about Dirty Harry? A loose-cannon cop with a bad attitude and “the biggest handgun made by man.” He’s a police officer, ostensibly out to do good, out to keep the streets safe for Little Janey and Little League Pete. At the same time, he’s as destructive as a force of nature and a fearless gun fighter who’s put more than a few baddies six feet under. A good guy we want to fear. James Bond, essentially an SAS thug with expensive tastes. He’s saving the world, no doubt. But he’s also been licensed by MI6 to kill at his discretion.
What’s the difference between a Hero’s Fatal Flaw, and an Anti-Hero’s Redeeming Quality? Well, staying with the Anti-Hero, it’s usually something “cool,” something we admire. The Wolverine from Marvel comics is a perfect example. He’s on the good guy’s team, but he’s not really very good. In fact, he’s a cigar smoking, beer swilling brawler, who’d just as soon knife ya as look at ya. Corwin, from Roger Zelazny’s Amber Chronicles is another great example. He’s charming and suave, yet cold hearted enough to lead an entire shadow population to their deaths ascending Mount Kolvir, his justification being quite simple: they are from a Shadow World, Amber is the only one true City.
In more contemporary media, I suppose Anakin Skywalker could be considered an Anti-hero. He’s a Jedi, but treads dangerously close to the Dark Side, forever tempting powers he simply cannot understand. But here’s the failure in the character: he’s got nothing we want. He’s emotionally unbalanced, suffering from an unrelenting Oedipal complex and constant badgering from his foster-family (the Jedi Order). He’s a killer. He’s a powerful force user. But… he’s lacking that something special. It’s as if he was designed to be an anti-hero, but can’t fulfill the “cool” part. He lacks that suave, debonair charm. Sure, he wears black and has a bad boy attitude, but ultimately, he chooses to murder the Jedi Order’s young students. Perhaps he’s more of a Fallen Hero, or dare I say it, never even achieved that Hero status?