Orphans as Heroes
- Manang Muyang
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Orphans as Heroes
Harry Potter was also an orphan; his parents were killed by Voldemort when he was a mere baby.
It seems orphans are likely heroes because their life experiences give them compassion and readers easily empathize with them.
Would you know of other orphan/heroes in books and movies? I'm quite sure there are a lot.
- katiesquilts
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I'm actually quite a fan of the "orphan as a protagonist" plot. If we learn why they are orphans right away, the character is usually very emotionally structured, as you mentioned. If we don't really know what happened to their parents, then it gives us something to look forward to later in the novel/series. I love the moments when both the character and the readers learn some earth-shattering fact about the dead parents' past!
- Manang Muyang
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- Donnavila Marie01
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- Donnavila Marie01
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-- 05 Jun 2017, 09:06 --
Pollyanna! That was the other one I was thinking of.
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I was thinking along these lines too... In a short movie, it's best to cut out what's really unnecessary. Sometimes that includes parents, apparently. Lol.AliceofX wrote:I always thought it came down to plot economics. Taking away parents often makes the plot simpler and leaner. Sort of why Disney movies have so few mothers. Say if Belle, Ariel or Jasmine had mothers. Either the plot would need additional complicated details, or else they would just be standing there. That's why I think orphans are so beloved by authors. They're uncomplicated and easily relatable.
- Manang Muyang
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Amazing! One of the ingredients of becoming a good person or a hero is to be on your own. It pushes you to go further and attain something which the typical kids with parents can not do because they enjoy the comfort of their parents.kandscreeley wrote:What about Annie? I'm sure there are more, but that's the first one that came to mind.
-- 05 Jun 2017, 09:06 --
Pollyanna! That was the other one I was thinking of.
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