They're all orphans.
The orphan hero is one of the oldest archetypes, appearing in stories of every kind. The archetype is not only a child who is orphaned by the death of their parents, but also ones who are lost, abandoned, kidnapped, held captive by evil step-parents, or reared by animals. It's not news that stories often have their heroes growing up in less than ideal circumstances.
Myths and fiction like to give us children of high birth raised by adoptive parents. As they grow up, their exceptional qualities betray their humble upbringings. Hercules's strength far exceeds an ordinary man's, Naruto's healing factor and unexplained powers hinted at unseen forces, and Harry Potter's visits by owls and magical letters make it obvious he's not just some boy. These stories often begin with a traumatic birth and a miraculous survival. Nature feels the imbalance and restores these heroes to their rightful place. Rarely is a hero's origin truly low; at least one parent is divine, supernatural, or noble. Though, Hercules's story seems to be a special case. His birth and subsequent adversities were the result of the his divine father Zeus's affairs with women and his divine stepmother's scorn for her husband. So in this case, nature transgresses against itself. Greek myths be whack, yo.
Fairy tales and folk stories did not always concern kings or gods. Folk tales were passed on through storytellers and frequently concerned issues lived out by ordinary people. A common fairy tale is the child whose mother or father has just died. The death of a parent sets a story in motion, throwing young people out of their homes or bringing evil to their doorstep in the form of an evil stepmother, jealous siblings, or scheming uncles. The story of Baba Yaga has a set of twins sent away to a witch by an evil stepmother. At the end of their story, the witch is not vanquish nor are they given a more luxurious life. Their reward is simply a return to normal life. These characters weren't destined for greatness; they are exactly what they appear to be - children of cruel and indifferent parents. These parents exist, have always existed, and fairy tales often confronted these dark facts of life directly. The heroism of these orphans is their ability to survive and outwit the forces that mean to do them harm without dying or losing their humanity.
So why are orphans so popular? Do authors get some sort of sadistic satisfaction out of the suffering of the protagonist?
A traditional interpretation is that heroes without parents are "children of the world". They are free from any familial obligations that might lead to a boring story. Their experience with parental loss or lack of loving parents isolates them from common existence. They are outside normal life, and are able to observe the world from a completely different perspective. The absence of parents or a family also allows heroes to interact with the world on a larger scale and lead more exciting lives filled with both exceptional joy and suffering. This is why superheroes often have this type of background.
Some orphan heroes only want a home and family. Snow White and Cinderella escape their evil stepmothers by marriage. However, comic book heroes are rarely given a traditional family. They develop strong bonds with friends, but are constantly proving their worth to the world. At the same time they are desperate to keep the people they care about safe. Spider Man continually worries about Aunt May and Mary Jane, especially after Uncle Ben's death. Naruto dreams of being Hokage, but is determined to save his criminal friend, Sasuke.
Some heroes become so anchored to their role as saviour that they are unable to form a dependable family unit. The hero is unable to have a family or children because the world is in need of constant saving. Think of the fleeting romances between Superman and Lois Lane or the hot and cold relationship between Spider Man and Mary Jane. Some heroes like Harry Potter and Aang are able to shed their "children of the world" status and become deeply involved in their own families, but only after the danger has passed.
As children of the world, these characters end up serving their environments instead of a set of parents, and the most common way of pleasing the world is by saving it. Luke Skywalker is tasked with restoring balance to the force and the galaxy. Harry Potter is the only one who can free the world of the dark lord Voldemort. Aang must restore balance to the world as the Avatar. Naruto fights for friendship in a world fueled by hatred. Batman has dealt with the death of his parents, and is driven to create a world safer for other children. Each one of these characters shows us the different types of journey a hero might find themselves on.
Orphan heroes in fairy tales tend to differ from orphans in myth and fiction. Because they are grounded in real life, Fairy tales acknowledge that sometimes a hero never meets their parents, and that some homes are best never returned to. Life doesn't always give us a happy ending. That's why we try to find them in books.
No comments:
Post a Comment