The Unknown

Mystery is attractive. The unknown has been attracting writers for years. Ghost stories, vampires and werewolves are resurfacing topics that never seem to lose interest. This fascination in the unknown can be seen in early short stories like Nathaniel Hawthorn's Young Goodman Brown, or in modern day series like in Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga.

First up is the classic Young Goodman Brown by Nathaniel Hawthorne. In this short story, we follow Young Goodman Brown as he takes a walk into a dark forest that represents evil. He meets up with the devil and sees that everyone in his town is evil. Here he struggles with himself and his decision to leave his wife Faith. He then sees her being converted to satanism by the deacon of his village, and he can't trust anyone. At the end we don't know if this was a dream or not, leaving it up to our own interpretation. 

More recent is the Twilight Saga by Stephenie Meyer. Here we follow Bella Swan and her feelings for a vampire, Edward Cullen, and a werewolf, Jacob Black. While this story is more of a romance, it still deals with the classic mysterious themes with the supernatural. Bella falls in love with Edward and in the end turns into a vampire herself. 

This interest in the supernatural and mysterious has been continuing for centuries. Just as Brown was drawn to the forest, and Bella was drawn to the vampire, we are drawn to these types of stories due to the interest in the unknown. The intrest in a new discovery.

The Anti-Hero

Hero or not?

     When you think of a hero, you think of someone strong, a role model. Someone who is perfect in all ways.But lately, on TV you may notice a different type of hero; a more.. un-hero or an anti-hero. These characters lack the traditional heroic qualities.  

     This isn't a new idea, and has been seen throughout literature for years. A clear example can be found in Irving Washington's The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. The protagonist, Ichabod Crane has many of these anti-heroic traits that can be compared to modern anti-heroes. 

     Take Dr. House for example. At first glance hes the brilliant doctor saving lives, but on further inspection (not too much needed) you can easily tell he hates people. He believes everyone lies and trusts no one.

Similarly, Ichabod Crane hates the people of the town, and can't wait to get enough money through marriage, to leave. He just wants to marry Katrina to get his hands on her father's fortune.

     Another clear connection can be seen in their manipulation. Dr. House often manipulates his team to get them to do what he wants. He's not afraid to lie or break the rules to get there. Likewise, Ichabod Crane is willing to manipulate his students to make them like him so he can be invited for food at their homes. He wants money? No problem! He'll just marry Katrina. Problem solved.

     Lastly both Dr. House and Ichabod Crane are proud. Dr. House believes he's the best and that he's always right. There's no point even trying to argue, you can never win against House. Ichabod Crane believes he's the best dancer and singer even if the people disagree. Oh well, we can't all be perfect.

     Sometimes it's the heroes who make the difference; sometimes it's the anti-heroes. Either way, whether you decide to like them or not, they're the ones you're gonna follow and in the end,although you'll try and deny it, there will always be a little bit of liking for the anti heroes as well. Hope you found this

~Georgia