The Representation of Outlaw Archetype across Literatures: A Comparative Study An outlaw hero is a person of distinguished courage and noble qualities who operate above the law and in a way challenges the status quo of rules. Outlaw is a popular figure in both folk and popular culture. What makes them less of a criminal and more of a hero is the moral code supposed to be followed by the outlaw and the sympathy he gains from the masses. Though they challenge the system and may even further towards violence, their deeds are not done in self-interest. They may loot the rich but distributes it among the poor and needy. According to Eric Hobsbawm, outlaws are created by the societal tensions. Though the most famous outlaw we have known is Robin …show more content…
A branch called ‘Robin Hood studies’ exists in the British academia, completely dedicated to the English outlaw but otherwise most of the contribution is made by sociologists and cultural critics. According to Stephen Knight, the outlaw literature has an anti-authoritative textual tradition (knight XV, introduction) as it is quite difficult to contest the authenticity of the source material and this could be a reason why the literary critics have not shown a lot of interest in this domain. Bandits (1969), written by the famous Marxist historian, Eric Hobsbawm, is an important work enlightening this area. He makes a detailed study about social bandits and also dedicates a specific chapter discussing the noble outlaw. According to him, there is a visible disparity between the noble status attributed to the legendary outlaws and their real-life counterparts. He further states "Such is the need for heroes and champions that if there are no real ones, unsuitable candidates are pressed into service… the image of the noble robber… is that of the champion, the righter of wrongs, the bringer of justice and social equality” (Hobsbawm, 42). Graham Seal, another notable scholar in this field has developed a principle called ‘Robin Hood principle’ which states that “Wherever and whenever significant numbers of people believe they are victims of inequality, injustice and
George Orwell once offered this definition of heroism: ordinary people doing whatever they can to change social systems that do not respect human decency, even with the knowledge that they can’t possibly succeed.
In the novel Bless Me Ultima, by Rudolfo Anaya, he uses archetypes to connect the reader to every person whose has ever existed. By adding these archetypes to his work, it helps the reader connect to the novel and it helps us associate with the human experience. Through his experience as a writer, he found his own way of writing. Anaya can relate to many other authors in the way that they try to write a story from their roots and what their childhood was like, not like all the American books they are used to reading. Rudolfo Anaya, Sandra Cisneros, and Chinua Achebe all have a similar way of writing because they all include archetypes in their literature to connect us as humans.
The definition of an outlaw is “One that is unconventional or rebellious”. Billy the Kid and Jesse James were two notorious outlaws, both icons of the Wild West. Billy the kid, a hard headed criminal with no mercy, a ruthless killer that so many men and women were afraid of became a problem that the law could not put up with. On the other hand Jesse James became an organized crime boss that tried to strike it rich by rebelling against the North. Jesse James also became a large problem to the law. Both men had a story to tell, two different stories that when compared, are not very different at all.
The McCanles outlaw gang was wanted for train robbery, bank robbery, cattle rustling, and horse theft. In 1861 word came to Wild Bill that they had set up a camp at Rock Creek Station, in Jefferson County, (just outside of Wild Bills jurisdiction). Wild Bill had it set in his mind that he was going to get these guys. If Wild Bill took the outlaws out of his jurisdiction, he himself could be put i...
The function of the outlaw hero in this dominant mythology is to serve as the opposition of natural man versus civilized man, or in other words to have the outlaw hero pitted against the official hero somehow. Some the ideas or beliefs that constitute said American mythology were aging, society, women, politics and law.
Somewhere out in the Old West wind kicks up dust off a lone road through a lawless town, a road once dominated by men with gun belts attached at the hip, boots upon their feet and spurs that clanged as they traversed the dusty road. The gunslinger hero, a man with a violent past and present, a man who eventually would succumb to the progress of the frontier, he is the embodiment of the values of freedom and the land the he defends with his gun. Inseparable is the iconography of the West in the imagination of Americans, the figure of the gunslinger is part of this iconography, his law was through the gun and his boots with spurs signaled his arrival, commanding order by way of violent intentions. The Western also had other iconic figures that populated the Old West, the lawman, in contrast to the gunslinger, had a different weapon to yield, the law. In the frontier, his belief in law and order as well as knowledge and education, brought civility to the untamed frontier. The Western was and still is the “essential American film genre, the cornerstone of American identity.” (Holtz p. 111) There is a strong link between America’s past and the Western film genre, documenting and reflecting the nations changes through conflict in the construction of an expanding nation. Taking the genres classical conventions, such as the gunslinger, and interpret them into the ideology of America. Thus The Western’s classical gunslinger, the personification of America’s violent past to protect the freedoms of a nation, the Modernist takes the familiar convention and buries him to signify that societies attitude has change towards the use of diplomacy, by way of outmoding the gunslinger in favor of the lawman, taming the frontier with civility.
In her book, Limerick describes the “idea of innocence” that permeated the American West (36). According to the author, the underlying motive for every action was pure (even when it really was not). According to Western American folklore, early settlers did intend to victimize Indians and trespass on their land, but instead came to America to pursue new opportunities and improve their lives (Limerick 36). The same ideological theory may be applied to the motivations of the sensationalized outlaws from the time. For example, in her book Limerick details the life of John Wesley Hardin, an outlaw, who began his violent life of crime at the age of fifteen (36). According to the story, Hardin shot and killed a black man (Limerick 36). However, idolized as the son of a preacher, Hardin hid his crimes behind the veils of “bravery” and “honor” (Limerick 36). He claimed that he actually shot the man --...
The storyline is normally about a hero who comes to a town to bring peace and drive the villains out. A hero is usually seen as a vigilante as he is not told to come to help but does anyway. The hero often appears as a quiet, secretive, mysterious person who may make the audience admire him one minute and dislike him the next, he is also a very smart, cunning and adaptable which are all good values in a hero. The villain is usually fixed to one idea he thinks it is a smart cunning person but in the end is always defeated. Many scenes are set around the Saloon (bar) and there is quite often a romance involved with the hero and a local girl, the villain competing for her affections! There are two different types of villains in typical westerns Native Americans and white villains (cowboys).
In “The Thematic Paradigm,” Robert Ray explains how there are two vastly different heroes: the outlaw hero and the official hero. The official hero has common values and traditional beliefs. The outlaw hero has a clear view of right and wrong but unlike the official hero, works above the law. Ray explains how the role of an outlaw hero has many traits. The morals of these heroes can be compared clearly. Films that contain official heroes and outlaw heroes are effective because they promise viewer’s strength, power, intelligence, and authority whether you are above the law or below it.
The image created for the outlaw hero is the “natural man.” They are adventurous but also wanderers, and loners. Outlaw heroes are more likely to commit a crime, use weapons and carry guns. The outlaw hero represents self-determination and freedom from conflicts. On the other hand, the official hero is portrayed to be “the civilized” man. He often follows the norms of society, and has typical roles such as a lawyer, teacher, and family man.
...nd a man of reserve against violence. Also as a man who will stand for the good of the community, protecting those who need protecting as the Vigilante of the western frontier. The Virginian was a true cowboy hero because he was a vigilante who followed his own moral code. The cowboy’s moral code was not dictated by the laws of society because he was an independent who was working to escape civilization. The Virginian was the first of the western heroes who gave the world someone to look unto as an example. He showed a very strong moral code which had a special responsibility to the protection and respect of women such as Molly. He also had a great many skills which gave him the realistic air that made the hero’s of the west so popular in the early 1900’s as the western frontier came to a close.
In "The Thematic Paradigm", Robert Ray explains how there are two distinctly different heroes, the outlaw hero and the official hero. The official hero embraces common values and traditional beliefs, while the outlaw has a clear sense of right and wrong but operates above the law (Ray). Ray explains how the role of an outlaw hero has many traits. "The attractiveness of the outlaw hero's childishness and propensity to whims, tantrums, and emotional decisions derived from America's cult of childhood", states Ray. (309) Ray also says, "To the outlaw hero's inconsistence on private standards of right and wrong, the official hero offered the admonition, you cannot take the law into your own hands." (312) The values of these two traditional heroes contrasts clearly. Society favors the outlaw hero because we identify with that character more. We see ourselves more so in the outlaw hero than in the official hero. The outlaw hero has the "childlike" qualities that most of us wish we had as adults. To civilians it may seem that the outlaw hero lives more of a fantasy life that we all wish to have.
In the media, prisons have always been depicted as a horrible place. The film, The Shawshank Redemption, is a prime example that supports the media 's suggestions about prison life. In the film we are familiarized with Andy Dufresne, who is a banker that is wrongfully convicted of murdering his wife and her lover. While trying to both remain discreet and find his prison identity, he assists Ellis Boyd 'Red ' Redding, a peddler, and Brooks Hatlen. In his attempt to fit into the rough prison subculture, Andy strategically starts a business relationship with the captain Captain Bryon Hadley and Samuel Norton. The film gives an insider 's look at various aspects of prison life. These aspects include prison culture; explicitly, guard subculture and inmate subculture.
There is another type of hero that almost no one is aware of. In the poorest areas of the country, live mostly minorities and other ethic background. All their lives they’ve been expected to work harder and expected not succeed in life. Some individuals living in poverty with a determination to succeed work hard all of their lives to become what everybody doubted they could. Escaping the crime, drugs, and prostitution is enough to escape hell, even if they don’t go to college. Despite of their financial problems, drug and crime surroundings, or difficulties in the language skills, their desire to triumph fuels their persistence. Those who make it to success are the few living examples of the purest form of hero anyone can be. They are not only their own heroes but also the heroes of the poor children who dream of becoming like them someday.
For a time, the main characters in a story, poem, or narrative were easily classified as either being a hero or a villain. A hero would be easy to identify by the traits he'd possess, such as bravery, honesty, selflessness, trustworthiness, courage, leadership, and more. The villain would be easy to identify as well, possessing traits such as maliciousness, deceitfulness, immorality, dark, wishing harm upon others, and more. But what if the character lacked the natural heroic qualities but wasn't a villain either? What if the person displayed personality flaws that would traditionally be associated with a villain, but has heroic intentions? These questions were finally answered with the emergence of the anti-hero in literature.