i think it's to create more motivation i think?? and probably to create agnst / trauma and a motivator indicator (unless pretty irrevelant to the story)
or.. the writers just dont want to write background characters that isnt pretty important in the story
I think part of it stems from yee-olde stories (to the limited knowledge I've picked up by listening to random english teachers yap with other students)
Kids were seen as more pure and uncorrupted by sin and adulthood and whatever else, so you could do more "pure of heart" protagonist stuff when you didn't have to follow corrupted adults around. Kids that had adults around were also told what to do, so to get a plot line that tells kids not to do stupid things, you need to break that some how. Kind of in the vein of
Mary wants to go to the old well -> Parents tell her not to go to the well -> Mary doesn't go to the old well -> We learn nothing.
VS
Mary wants to go to the old well -> Mary is an orphan -> Mary goes to the old well -> Mary breaks her neck and dies -> We learn not to go to the well.
or
Mary wants to go to the old well -> Parents tell her not to go to the well -> Mary goes to the well anyways because she's a yee olde blasphemer who doesn't listen to her parents -> Mary goes to the well, breaks her neck and dies -> We learn to not go to the well AND to not be evil little children who don't listen to our parents. 🎉
Sometimes, yes. Other times, it's genuinely a major part of why they are the way they are. It's one of the rare times in life EVERYONE has to go through, just under different circumstances, so it provides a contrast to either other characters or the readers themselves. Tropes aren't inherently bad, it's how they're used that's the issue.
Comments
Log in or sign up to leave a comment.
or.. the writers just dont want to write background characters that isnt pretty important in the story
But it feels tactless now that it’s so common
Kids were seen as more pure and uncorrupted by sin and adulthood and whatever else, so you could do more "pure of heart" protagonist stuff when you didn't have to follow corrupted adults around. Kids that had adults around were also told what to do, so to get a plot line that tells kids not to do stupid things, you need to break that some how. Kind of in the vein of
Mary wants to go to the old well -> Parents tell her not to go to the well -> Mary doesn't go to the old well -> We learn nothing.
VS
Mary wants to go to the old well -> Mary is an orphan -> Mary goes to the old well -> Mary breaks her neck and dies -> We learn not to go to the well.
or
Mary wants to go to the old well -> Parents tell her not to go to the well -> Mary goes to the well anyways because she's a yee olde blasphemer who doesn't listen to her parents -> Mary goes to the well, breaks her neck and dies -> We learn to not go to the well AND to not be evil little children who don't listen to our parents. 🎉
Other times, it's genuinely a major part of why they are the way they are. It's one of the rare times in life EVERYONE has to go through, just under different circumstances, so it provides a contrast to either other characters or the readers themselves.
Tropes aren't inherently bad, it's how they're used that's the issue.