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flavoracle:
The Road to Villain Redemption
Something recently occurred to me regarding narrative structure and common character themes within modern fiction. I wanted to share what I’ve found with all of you as fellow writers and fellow fans of fiction.
Here it is…
Basically any satisfying villain “redemption arc” in modern fiction boils down to the idea of the villain finding acceptance among a healthy peer* group.
Conversely, nearly every modern heroic “downfall arc” can be seen as the hero isolating themselves from all peers* until they’re left only with abusers, minions, and/or enemies.
*For the purposes of this discussion, I am defining the word “peer” with two specific criteria. For someone to be a “peer,” one must:
Consider that person’s life to be as valuable as yours
Believe that person has the potential to teach you something valuable, and that you have the potential to teach them something valuable
I believe there are four main archetypes that categorize the types of isolation such characters exhibit, and that each one has a consistent path towards narrative redemption.
The Living Legend - The reason that these characters have no peers is because they believe they are simply on a different level from everyone else. They see themselves as simply too brilliant, too mighty, too beautiful, or too righteous for anyone else to compare. As such, they see themselves as more valuable than others, and that no one else has anything to teach them.
The path to redemption for this isolation archetype is humility. Recognizing that there are others in the world who they can learn from, and whose lives are as valuable as theirs.
The Outcast - These are characters who feel they have been rejected by their peer group AND they have given up hope of ever finding acceptance among a peer group ever again. This second point is crucial because a character who has been cast out or rejected by their peers can still be a hero as long as they don’t buy in to the notion that they will be an outcast forever, and there’s nothing they can do about it, nor is there any other peer group out there worth being a part of.
With that in mind, for characters currently dealing with this type of isolation, the path to redemption begins with finding hope of ending their exile. This typically occurs either by finding forgiveness and/or acceptance among their old peer group, or by finding acceptance among a new peer group. (Typically this new peer group will consist of individuals the character previously would not have considered to be peers.)
The Martyr - This type of isolation occurs when a character believes they carry a burden that no one else can and/or should be asked to bear. Oftentimes this isolation archetype is magnified by the character being unwilling to even tell anyone about the burden they bear, believing that even talking about it would be either futile or cruel.
The path to redemption here begins with a willingness to ask for help and share the load. Often it may begin with simply sharing the burden they’ve keeping a secret, allowing peers to share potentially valuable perspectives and insights about it.
The Hermit - This type of isolation stems from the character simply believing there is no value to be gained by having peers, so they maintain their distance and simply don’t engage. I would argue this archetype is fairly rarely viewed as a sinister “villain” within a story, but is more often considered an obstacle to the hero of the story.
The path to redemption for this type of isolation is simply learning to care about others and finding value in getting involved.
I think it’s worth noting that the path to redemption for each of these isolation archetypes is the same as the path to perdition if that path is simply traveled in reverse. I think it’s also worth noting that many villains experience overlap between archetypes, but most villains will exhibit at least one.
So what do you all think? Do these observations seem to fit with your experiences with modern fiction? Do you have any examples of characters who break these rules? Any additional insights you’d like to share? I’d love to hear your thoughts!!
P.S. If you are someone who is currently experiencing rejection or isolation in your own life, please do NOT interpret this as a judgment of you, or implication that you are somehow villainous. You’re not a villain. The fact that you’re reading this at all means I consider you to be a peer of mine. Your life is valuable and there are lessons you can teach us. Please stay on the heroic path and don’t give up hope. I’m rooting for you!!
flavoracle:
The Road to Villain Redemption
Something recently occurred to me regarding narrative structure and common character themes within modern fiction. I wanted to share what I’ve found with all of you as fellow writers and fellow fans of fiction.
Here it is…
Basically any satisfying villain “redemption arc” in modern fiction boils down to the idea of the villain finding acceptance among a healthy peer* group.
Conversely, nearly every modern heroic “downfall arc” can be seen as the hero isolating themselves from all peers* until they’re left only with abusers, minions, and/or enemies.
*For the purposes of this discussion, I am defining the word “peer” with two specific criteria. For someone to be a “peer,” one must:
Consider that person’s life to be as valuable as yours
Believe that person has the potential to teach you something valuable, and that you have the potential to teach them something valuable
I believe there are four main archetypes that categorize the types of isolation such characters exhibit, and that each one has a consistent path towards narrative redemption.
The Living Legend - The reason that these characters have no peers is because they believe they are simply on a different level from everyone else. They see themselves as simply too brilliant, too mighty, too beautiful, or too righteous for anyone else to compare. As such, they see themselves as more valuable than others, and that no one else has anything to teach them.
The path to redemption for this isolation archetype is humility. Recognizing that there are others in the world who they can learn from, and whose lives are as valuable as theirs.
The Outcast - These are characters who feel they have been rejected by their peer group AND they have given up hope of ever finding acceptance among a peer group ever again. This second point is crucial because a character who has been cast out or rejected by their peers can still be a hero as long as they don’t buy in to the notion that they will be an outcast forever, and there’s nothing they can do about it, nor is there any other peer group out there worth being a part of.
With that in mind, for characters currently dealing with this type of isolation, the path to redemption begins with finding hope of ending their exile. This typically occurs either by finding forgiveness and/or acceptance among their old peer group, or by finding acceptance among a new peer group. (Typically this new peer group will consist of individuals the character previously would not have considered to be peers.)
The Martyr - This type of isolation occurs when a character believes they carry a burden that no one else can and/or should be asked to bear. Oftentimes this isolation archetype is magnified by the character being unwilling to even tell anyone about the burden they bear, believing that even talking about it would be either futile or cruel.
The path to redemption here begins with a willingness to ask for help and share the load. Often it may begin with simply sharing the burden they’ve keeping a secret, allowing peers to share potentially valuable perspectives and insights about it.
The Hermit - This type of isolation stems from the character simply believing there is no value to be gained by having peers, so they maintain their distance and simply don’t engage. I would argue this archetype is fairly rarely viewed as a sinister “villain” within a story, but is more often considered an obstacle to the hero of the story.
The path to redemption for this type of isolation is simply learning to care about others and finding value in getting involved.
I think it’s worth noting that the path to redemption for each of these isolation archetypes is the same as the path to perdition if that path is simply traveled in reverse. I think it’s also worth noting that many villains experience overlap between archetypes, but most villains will exhibit at least one.
So what do you all think? Do these observations seem to fit with your experiences with modern fiction? Do you have any examples of characters who break these rules? Any additional insights you’d like to share? I’d love to hear your thoughts!!
P.S. If you are someone who is currently experiencing rejection or isolation in your own life, please do NOT interpret this as a judgment of you, or implication that you are somehow villainous. You’re not a villain. The fact that you’re reading this at all means I consider you to be a peer of mine. Your life is valuable and there are lessons you can teach us. Please stay on the heroic path and don’t give up hope. I’m rooting for you!!