Trope a Dope: The Origins of Evil

Literature, film, and music are filled to the brim with recurring themes and concepts- in short, ‘tropes’. While some people might see these tropes as testaments to lazy writing, they do represent an important part of the language of any genre. When used well, they serve as recognizable symbols for readers and viewers, a sort of shorthand for summarizing the scene you want to create. When used poorly, however, they serve as little more than the duct tape holding your (ok, let’s be serious- my) lurching Frankenstein of a story together. They either become awkward filler, or simply repel the readers and viewers you want to attract. A few choice examples of good and bad trope use:

Good trope use:

Your hero has to rescue your heroine because a dragon just bit her damn sword arm off.

Bad trope use:

Your hero has to rescue your heroine because she has a vagina.

Unforgivable trope use:

Your hero has to rescue your heroine because you need a segway to the sex scene.

Good trope use:

Your protagonists win because they located skilled companions, identified their enemy’s weakness, developed a plan, and successfully carried it out.

Bad trope use:

Your protagonists win because they are incredibly lucky.

Unforgivable trope use:

Your protagonists win because good always wins. Also, hope and justice and stuff.

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The basic distinction between each of these examples is that good trope use fits smoothly in the story as a whole. This creates stories which are familiar to readers, without seeming stilted or forced. Bad trope use, on the other hand, serves as filler for a gaping plot hole between point A and point B.

The only way of avoiding this regrettable misuse of tropes is to develop a better understanding of the trope in question. By unraveling the advantages and disadvantages of using a theme or concept, tropes can be applied as an addition to a strong plot, rather than a band-aid for a broken story.  In my Trope a Dope column, I will discuss some of the tropes that are commonly used in our genre, as well as their strengths, their weaknesses, their benefits, and their drawbacks.

This week’s topic: the origins of “evil”.

While evil isn’t necessarily overtly present in all fantasy stories, there are a large number of stories which deal in the struggle between a protagonist and antagonist, and many of these ‘struggle’ based stories have heroes and villains that offer a stark moral contrast. Now, leaving aside the reality that many of our heroic figures are growing darker (a topic I touched on previously), the villains in our stories represent a whole range of moral depravity. Some of them are merely misunderstood antiheroes, some of them turned to villainy for pragmatic reasons, and some are composed entirely of a sort of sticky, tar like substance we refer to as “evil”. But all of them, from the misunderstood misfits to the destroyers of worlds, have an origin story.

Now, the backstory isn’t always told within the story. But a writer should always know the history of their main characters, for three reasons: First, the stories from their past offer ideas for present day story lines. Two, their histories tie them to the world they occupy, linking them to major events within their community and nation. Three, and perhaps most critically, their stories explain who they are and why they act as they do.

Understanding your villains is particularly important. Knowing why they pursue the hero/ine, why they seek power, why they are less concerned with the people they harm than the ends they pursue, is vital. If you know these things, you will understand where they draw their boundaries, where they will compromise, and when they will claim victory. This will also explain the urgency of your protagonist’s mission by detailing the threat your villain poses.

There are a number of common themes in the backstory of villains, each with advantages and disadvantages. The following four tropes represent a loose categorization of the ways antagonists come to life. Each trope includes an explanation of its basic components, common manifestations in fantasy, benefits, and drawbacks.

Evil Older Than Dirt– These villains have been around almost as long as the world has, if not longer. Villains who are likely candidates for his backstory include: gods, devils, demigods, nature spirits, and elementals. Advantages that come with this trope: villains with this backstory come across as impressive, cold, and powerful. Disadvantages that come with this trope: these villains can be hard to sympathize with, and can be almost impossible to beat, which makes victory difficult to believe.

Born This Way– These villains have been evil since they emerged into the world through birth or creation. They are evil (or at least perceived as such due to cultural conflicts), and have no real reason to be. Villains who are likely candidates for this backstory include demon children, sociopathic characters, and aliens. Advantages that come with this trope: these villains are frightening and unpredictable, but can be disarming early in a story. Disadvantages that come with this trope: these villains can become a caricature pretty easily, and can create a sense of ‘why didn’t someone see that this person/ thing was evil earlier and FIX it?’

Childhood Trauma– These villains became evil through a childhood traumatic experience. They often showed good traits and promise prior this event, and residual parts of their good personality may emerge either as empathy for their victims or sincere remorse. Villains who are likely candidates for this backstory include victims of crime, corporate indiscretion, war, and murder. Advantages that come with this trope: these villains are often make believable, sympathetic, and potentially compelling antagonists. Disadvantages that come with this trope: these villains can become maudlin easily. Similarly, the vulnerability that comes with a trauma which occurred in childhood can create some pretty significant weaknesses for the hero to exploit.

Mild Mannered Maniac– These villains became evil through a traumatic experience that happened in adulthood. These villains are distinct from those who suffered a childhood trauma because more recent damaging experiences have a different set of damaging effects: whereas recent experiences create stronger emotional responses in the victim, their personality, values, and worldview may not be corrupted as deeply or irreversibly. Villains who are likely candidates for this backstory include individuals who were deformed by an accident, who lose family, or who lose a reputation. Advantages that come with this trope: these villains are extremely realistic, highly sympathetic, and due to the familiarity of their problems, they strike closer to home. Disadvantages that come with this trope: these villains may appear to be relatively easy to defeat. This can make it difficult to create a story with appropriate tension.

I hope that this brief (and broad) description of different tropes has been beneficial. If you have any other tropes you would like me to touch on in the future, please feel free to add your ideas in the comments below.

Take care, and enjoy the inexorable crawl towards Winter (seeing as it is coming) or, for you lucky sods in the Southern Hemisphere, the glorious advent of Summer!

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