The greatest pieces of literature would be nothing without their characters. This could be regarded as an obvious statement, of course stories cannot be made without the people — and sometimes animals — that drive them. Yet, there is something deeper about the word “character” than just the physical presence of an individual. A character is also the personality that readers can latch onto, from the courageous hero to the redeemed villain. These personalities, reiterated in novel after novel, have gradually led to the creation of character archetypes and a moral code for those who read about them.
When lists are created of the most famous characters in literature, they usually contain similar explanations. For example, Harry Potter, Sherlock Holmes and Elizabeth Bennet are overwhelmingly considered to be some of the most influential or iconic characters in literature. The first words that come to mind when readers think of these characters are probably bravery, intelligence and witty independence, respectively. These are character archetypes. The brave teenager who comes from humble beginnings, the cunning detective and the spirited woman who eventually meets her match have all become standard models for hundreds of other characters. Taking the names off of these famous characters and describing them in the way above, we can see how the traits they are defined by are ambiguous and can be used to describe other famous personas. The brave teenager who comes from humble beginnings could just as easily describe Percy Jackson or Katniss Everdeen. The cunning detective could be Dupin, Nancy Drew or Father Brown. The spirited woman who eventually meets her match could be Jo March or Scarlett O’Hara. Many of these characters even have more in common than just these simple descriptions. For example, Jo March and Elizabeth Bennet both did not want the traditional paths for women laid out by their time. Correspondences like these further flesh out some of the most popular character archetypes, and the fact that these books were published in varying time periods – Pride and Prejudice and Gone With the Wind are 123 years apart — makes a strong case for the timelessness of certain archetypes.
Standing the test of time is no easy feat, and in the case of literary trends, permanence can be an indicator of universals. In the case of character archetypes, their continued existence reveals what we see to be ideal and who we wish to emulate. The protagonists in books are often meant to stand as role models, readers who find a book they really love often wish to become more like that main character. If some characters are meant as the exemplary example and those characters fit within an archetype, I would argue that these archetypes embody what readers think is the morally right path.
We can see this play out through looking at the sort of decisions and personality traits these archetypal characters possess. Katniss Everdeen was mentioned previously as the “brave teenager who comes from humble beginnings.” Within that statement, bravery is obviously the desired characteristic. Yet, besides the environment Katniss Everdeen exists in, the character is also made by her choices. Famously, Katniss Everdeen stands against oppression and the death of the innocent. Throughout the Hunger Games series, she fights for those who cannot fight for themselves. This determination to protect others, then, can be seen as a trait most readers think of with high regard. I described Elizabeth Bennet as “the spirited woman who eventually meets her match.” Most people are familiar with the basic plot of Pride and Prejudice, and this is widely because the characters have become standard archetypes for romance plots even today. Elizabeth Bennet rejects traditional female accomplishments of her day, and she mostly does and says whatever she wishes. Though she begins with distaste for Mr. Darcy, she eventually realizes his merits as an equal partner. Through this information, and through the knowledge that Pride and Prejudice has inspired so many up to this day, we can see that we, as readers, typically prize both capable women and relationships based upon equality.
Of course, not all archetypes are positive ones. On the opposite side of the spectrum from characters like Sherlock Holmes, there are hyper-intelligent villains who fight through deceit. We cannot mention Sherlock Holmes without mentioning his foil, Professor Moriarty (the classic evil mastermind). There are twisted heroes who begin on the right path but end up widely off it and magical people who aim to tamper with the environment, for example, the White Witch from The Chronicles of Narnia threw Narnia into a long winter. From these archetypes, we can draw a similar basic conclusion: the traits personified by these characters are seen as undesirable and immoral. Using natural gifts like intelligence for the wrong reasons (Professor Moriarty) and corrupting the world around us (White Witch) are features of antagonists, and thus are archetypes that display who we should not wish to be.
Books are extensions of the world around us, and as such, readers can discover the tendencies of their own world through exploring fictional ones. Who do we see as protagonists and antagonists? What sort of qualities do they have? The distinctions we make and the archetypes that we create can reveal the lines we draw between what is “good” and “bad.” As you continue to read and to explore the characters in fictional worlds, take the time to consider the values each stands for and whether in your own story, you’re the protagonist or the antagonist.
Jane Locke is a freshman in the College of Arts and Sciences. She can be reached at jlocke@cornellsun.com.
