Character Type & Trope Thesaurus: Reluctant Hero

In 1959, Carl Jung first popularized the idea of archetypes���”universal images that have existed since the remotest times.” He posited that every person is a blend of these 12 basic personalities. Ever since then, authors have been applying this idea to fictional characters, combining the different archetypes to come up with interesting new versions. The result is a sizable pool of character tropes that we see from one story to another.

Archetypes and tropes are popular storytelling elements because of their familiarity. Upon seeing them, readers know immediately who they’re dealing with and what role the nerd, dark lord, femme fatale, or monster hunter will play. As authors, we need to recognize the commonalities for each trope so we can write them in a recognizable way and create a rudimentary sketch for any character we want to create.

But when it comes to characters, no one wants just a sketch; we want a vibrant and striking cast full of color, depth, and contrast. Diving deeper into character creation is especially important when starting with tropes because the blessing of their familiarity is also a curse; without differentiation, the characters begin to look the same from story to story.

But no more. The Character Type and Trope Thesaurus allows you to outline the foundational elements of each trope while also exploring how to individualize them. In this way, you’ll be able to use historically tried-and-true character types to create a cast for your story that is anything but traditional.

DESCRIPTION: This protagonist doesn’t want to be a hero and actively works to avoid becoming one. Throughout the course of their arc, they eventually embrace and grow into their role as the hero of the story.

FICTIONAL EXAMPLES: Frodo Baggins (The Lord of the Rings franchise), Katniss Everdeen (The Hunger Games trilogy), Vianne Mauriac (The Nightingale), Han Solo (Star Wars: A New Hope), Sarah Connor (The Terminator)

COMMON STRENGTHS: Adaptable, Alert, Cautious, Courageous, Empathetic, Generous, Honorable, Humble, Independent, Introverted, Just, Loyal, Pensive, Resourceful, Responsible, Sensible, Talented

COMMON WEAKNESSES: Apathetic, Cowardly, Cynical, Evasive, Hostile, Indecisive, Nervous, Paranoid, Selfish, Stubborn, Suspicious, Timid, Uncooperative, Worrywart

ASSOCIATED ACTIONS, BEHAVIORS, AND TENDENCIES
Being self-reliant
Having high moral standards
Disliking being the center of attention
Enjoying solitude
Preferring to be seen as ordinary
Being self-serving or self-centered (initially)
Having a strong sense of justice
Tending toward skepticism
Having commitment issues
Underachieving

SITUATIONS THAT WILL CHALLENGE THEM
Having to decide to engage in a difficult situation or do nothing
A loved one facing mortal peril
The stakes becoming personal, making it harder for the character not to act
Others acknowledging the character’s weakness and pushing them to change

TWIST THIS TROPE WITH A CHARACTER WHO���
Has a good reason for their reluctance that goes beyond insecurity or selfishness
Has skeletons in their closet
Has an atypical trait: Flamboyant, Playful, Vindictive, Whiny, Witty, etc.

CLICH��S TO BE AWARE OF
The character making an abrupt reversal from reluctant to fully committed hero
The reluctant hero who takes on the hero mantle after their mentor or other key character is killed

Other Type and Trope Thesaurus entries can be found here.

Need More Descriptive Help?

While this thesaurus is still being developed, the rest of our descriptive collection (16 unique thesauri and growing) is accessible through the One Stop for Writers THESAURUS database.

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