The Trickster

The trickster character is most prevalent in modern media. He is the anti-hero, the anarchist, selfish and unpredictable, and he stretches far, far back in time. To the Greeks, to the Native Americans, and to the Norwegians. He celebrates the spirit and intelligence, as well as of the anti-social. Why are we attracted to him? Is it his inner playfulness? His willingness to not be afraid to embarass himself in front of others? And why has this character trait of the rebellion hit such a chord with a modern day audience? Just a few examples: Han Solo from Star Wars, Indiana Jones, practically any character Harrison Ford plays. A plethora of characters from Harry Potter series, the most obvious being Fred and George Weasley, Peeves, The Marauders, even Harry has a little anarchist spirit. All the adult cartoon shows: Eric Cartman from South Park, Stewie Griffin from Family Guy, Bender from Futurama, Bart Simpson from the Simpsons. From television dramas including Starbuck from Battlestar Galactica, and Sawyer from Lost. And from the world of comic books: The Joker, Spiderman, Deadpool, and even Ironman.

A few things these characters have in common: they are loners, they are used for comic relief, they are often despised by others, and they are never truly good or truly evil. Why are these characters so appealing? Something about the dark anti-hero, mocking, making fun of everything he sees. Staring at the world with venomous eyes and poking holes in it. That clicks with me. The first time I read (or rather, was forced to read) the play Romeo and Juliet, I immediately had a bond with Mercutio. He was an outsider, a funny man, above the system. Yes, he has allegiances, but he was really thinking of himself. When he died, I was genuinely shocked. I don't if it was because I wasn't sure of his fate at the beginning like I was the other main characters, but it hit me the hardest. Why has this trait become so popular today, when before we were more focused on the wholesome image of the hero who would always do the right thing? It is because we are more repressed than we have ever been before. Rebellion is the definition of cool. Why is that? Why have we become a nation of men and women afraid to speak out? Political correctness is the devil's tool.