My Favorite Tropes and Why
Hey again, Folks!
Who here knows what a trope is?
Well, in literature, a trope is “something recurring across a genre or type of literature, such as the ‘mad scientist’ of horror movies or ‘once upon a time’ as an introduction to fairy tales.” This is not to be confused with clichés, which are “Something, most often a phrase or expression, that is overused or used outside its original context, so that its original impact and meaning are lost. A trite saying; a platitude.”
Now, tropes can be clichés when they are used way too often. A common example could be the “Chosen One” trope. Yes, I know that there are tons of people out there that love this particular trope, but there are many others that consider it cliché due to its use in a lot of media.
Today I will be talking about four of my favorite tropes and clichés, and a few of them will be both. I’m pretty sure that many of you won’t like these particular tropes, but that’s okay. If you do, then awesome. But there is absolutely no judgment here. Off to the races!
My List
Big guy befriends little girl– This has got to be one of my absolute favorite tropes. It’s where there’s this quite large and scary man that hardly talks, and he is softened by an adorable little girl. This is a trope in the Disney movie Gameplan and in the movie starring John Cena, Playing With Fire. To me, it’s just too adorable watching the big, hulking giant being so cute with the little girls.
Atoner for Parents– This one is a bit sadder than the previous one, but it’s still one of my favorites. There is some character who is trying to atone for the sin of their parents. Even though they had absolutely nothing to do with what their parents did, they still try to make it right no matter the cost. There’s just such an underlying strength in doing that, especially when everyone is blaming you and trying to throw you to the wolves.
The Genie Know Jack Nicholson– Yes, that’s the name of the trope. Do you remember in the animated Aladdin where the Genie does a Jack Nicholson impression despite being in Arabia hundreds of years before Jack Nicholson was even a thought? That’s basically what this trope is. A magic/fantasy creature makes pop culture references centuries before their time. The animated Lion King does this as well when Zazu sings “It’s a Small World After All,” “Nobody Knows the Trouble I’ve Seen,” and “I’ve Got a Lovely Bunch of Coconuts.” Timone and Pumba also sing “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” Quest for Camelot has tons of pop culture references in the song sung by the Siamese-twin dragons, Devon and Cornwall, “If I Didn’t Have You.” So, it is definitely a big thing when it comes to animated films, as this is just a shortlist that has them, but literature and live-action movies have had a few of these. See if you can find them. 😉 Some might consider this to be a clichéd trope, though.
Mom of the Group– This probably isn’t the actual name for this one, but I don’t know what the real name would be, so here’s this. This particular trope tops even the Big Guy Befriends Little Girl trope I mentioned before in terms of favorites for me. This one usually has an older woman in it who becomes a sort of mother figure for the main character. Now, I’m not just talking about sage advice. I mean holding them when they cry, guarding them when they’re hurt, getting them out of danger when the main character can’t do it for themselves, and finally the sage advice. I don’t know what it is, but I just really love this trope for some reason. And I will say that this is also a type of character archetype.
And that’s it, folks. I hope you enjoyed a little sneak peek into this strange mind of mine. 😊 Next week I’ll be discussing a few of my least favorite tropes.
With Blessings,
Nicolle
What are your favorite tropes?