Love them or hate them, tropes are here to stay. They’re an easy way to show a viewer what a story is about, giving them the familiarity they crave, while being given the creative freedom to subvert audience expectations. Tropes are timeless, and most don’t need to vanish entirely—the problem with more common tropes lies, not in their use, but in their lack of originality. Whether it be your standard love triangle, or the chosen one, people become sick of tropes which don’t bother to reinvent themselves.
However, in the hands of a skilled writer, even the most tired clichés can be redeemed. The key lies in taking an expectation…and twisting it.
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1) The Chosen One
The Chosen One trope is the cliche most criticized by readers. This trope dates back to ancient times, when our heroes were Demi-gods or outright Gods, blessed with special powers. At the time, the idea of a specially gifted being was thrilling, and even empowering to later audiences. Now, in a world where people want connections with protagonists, and realism, chosen ones can come across as impossible to relate to. If you’re an ordinary person, trying to navigate your everyday life on your own, how can you empathize with someone who has great powers through no effort of their own?
Of course, the key, as with any trope, is to either reinvent the trope or add more to it. Despite outcry over the idea of the chosen one, more recent stories, such as Harry Potter, remained a hit with audiences.
Harry Potter worked as a “chosen one” because his destiny was actually a freak accident. He wasn’t chosen by some preternatural force—he was chosen by Voldemort, an individual who, despite his terrible powers, was also human. Harry’s status as a chosen one isn’t beneficial to him, either. He isn’t better in his classes than other students; in many ways, he’s average. Aside from talents like speaking to snakes and seeing into Voldemort’s mind, his chosen one status otherwise gives him few advantages against others, if any.
In fact, Harry’s status as a chosen one is actually detrimental, because his abilities come as a result of having a piece of Voldemort’s soul inside him. His fate isn’t just to defeat Voldemort—in order to destroy the last piece of the Dark Lord’s soul, Harry himself has to die. Ultimately, we all know Harry lives…but at the time, both Harry and the readers were reeling. We didn’t know there was a way out. Harry also suffered through brutal dreams and mind control. The chosen one trope was turned on it’s head in Harry Potter by being shown as something negative, rather than something positive.
If this wasn’t enough, the fifth book drops another bombshell: Neville, the most ostracized student in Harry’s year, could have been the real chosen one. Had Voldemort gone after Neville’s family, Harry would have been another student like any other, and readers would have been reading Neville Longbottom and the Philosopher’s Stone as their first entry into the world. Admittedly, this sounds like an awesome story too, because, chosen one or not, Neville was a late bloomer. He wasn’t academically gifted; he struggled to cast basic spells; he was picked on first, even by the kinder students; and he had to work to express himself. The poor kid was also saddled with a toad. Harry himself was relatable, struggling in classes, dealing with bullying, and worrying about fitting in.
Even marked by destiny, Harry and Neville face struggles we can all understand; because readers can connect with them, most are willing to forgive the use of the chosen one trope.
Harry Potter subverted the trope in a number of ways, but the opportunities are endless. What if a chosen one dies at the beginning of a story, forcing their friends to concoct another plan to defeat the big bad? What if a chosen one becomes a villain, as Anakin did? What if the chosen one ends up failing, leaving another character to take up the mantle? What if the protagonist of the story isn’t the chosen one, but his sidekick who looks on from the sidelines? With so many ways to change the trope, it isn’t irredeemable—what it requires is a twist.
2) The Everyman/Everygirl
This trope is the opposite of the chosen one: the protagonist is so ordinary, so run of the mill, anyone could relate to them. Initially, this trope was appealing because it showed anyone, no matter how normal they were, could do great things. You didn’t have to be a king’s son or a super hero to save the day.
Unfortunately, this trope has become equally tired, mainly because the protagonists who fall under it are made to appeal on a broad level. Since the protagonist is written to be relatable to anyone, they end up being relatable to no one. Instead, the Everyman or Everygirl ends up being a self insert for the reader, a vehicle for the plot rather than an individual we can connect with. People are meant to project themselves into the story…but in a world where readers crave personality and diverting relationships, this is frustrating.
Bella Swan is a character many readers cite as lacking personality. On some level, her Everygirl status worked, because thousands bought the book and fell for the Team Jacob VS Team Edward debacle, usually planting themselves in the middle as the object of affection. Bella’s first person prose makes the reader feel like they are reading about themselves…but for those seeking escapism from their everyday lives, this was dull.
Not every character needs pink hair or a special power (which can become problems in their own right). However, characters still need to be unique. This doesn’t mean they have to be “quirky,” wearing mismatched socks or juggling rubber ducks (though such traits can be interesting). Instead, they need to have traits or skills which set them apart from other characters in the story.
Harry Potter might have been a student like any other, but he had his own interests and traits. Harry is good at Quidditch, but not perfect at it. Harry is decent in Defense Against the Dark Arts, but occasionally awful in Potions. He’s downright terrible at Divination, and he breaks school rules.
Harry, like most of us, is good at some things and bad at others; he avoids being a Gary Stu because he’s not perfect. Though he’s a school kid, an Everyman in the sense he does the things we do, he has flaws. He loses his temper; he can be sarcastic; he is reckless; he is irresponsible when it comes to his homework; he’s made jokes about Neville, showing he isn’t always perfectly kind; and he breaks school rules on a yearly, if not monthly, basis.
Harry Potter might just be another teenager…but we can relate to him because we remember times when we were flawed. We remember when we made the wrong comment. We remember earning detentions for bad decisions. We remember blowing off homework, and going out of bounds. Harry being imperfect allows us to connect with him.
An Everyman or Everygirl is a valid entry point, but the protagonist needs to have their own skills, traits and, perhaps most importantly, flaws, all of which should affect the plot in a surprising way.
3) Not Like Other Girls
Most agree this trope is annoying, but hear me out. If a character is labeled as being different, but isn’t actually different in any notable way, this can be a misfire. After all, everyone is unique; what makes Mary Sue so special? She might prefer books to athletics, and she may prefer sweatpants to skirts…but so do many other girls. She might like girls; she might be good at crotchet. She might be interesting…but special? What even makes someone “special?” We’re all special in our own ways. Unless we’re discussing a chosen one, every protagonist is going to be ordinary in some way (assuming he, she, or they, are done well).
This one is something of an anti-cliche. Writers were tired of writing women who all loved pink dresses, and shopping at the mall for makeup. The result was the “not like other girls” trope, and literature became littered with bookworms who preferred cats to people and wore glasses that hid their inner beauty. These were artists or tech geniuses, and they just didn’t belong.
In reality, so called nerds will always find other nerds, especially in high school, where the pool of people only grows.
To be fair, there’s nothing wrong with having a character who wears glasses or reads to avoid socializing; just as women who love dresses and shopping exist, so to do women who avoid everything feminine. The problem arises when this persona becomes their whole personality.
Bella Swan reads…and that’s it. She doesn’t have any other hobbies. She isn’t into clothes, cars, sports…what does she do all day?
Also, even outcasts have friends—their fellow outcasts. Unless your protagonist is especially strange (and most protagonists who are labeled as different aren’t really) than it seems out of place that they wouldn’t connect with someone.
We don’t need another girl with massive glasses and an easel under her arm…even the word “quirky” scares readers off, because that becomes the character’s whole personality. Still, there’s nothing inherently wrong with someone who’s odd, or struggles to fit in; the trick is to find a balance, and to make them strange in ways we haven’t seen.
If a book was written with Luna Lovegood as the protagonist, that would be an example of a “not like other girls” story done well. Luna is more of an outcast than even the bookish Hermione. She wears radish earrings, believes in conspiracy theories, and goes barefoot when she can’t find her shoes…but it’s more than her weird wardrobe that makes her stand out. Luna actually thinks differently. An engaging protagonist should startle the reader with their viewpoints. Luna has a way of being blunt, despite her dreamy manner, and is perfectly aware she is bullied—yet she chooses not to hold a grudge about it. She’s both childlike and candid, optimistic and honest. Hers is a viewpoint which stands out. Even Hermione’s way of thinking seems pretty typical when set against Luna’s perspective.
If an author is going to tackle the “not like other girls” trope, they can do so—provided the character is unique in not only superficial ways, but in how they see the world and interact with it. Luna’s comments were always unexpected, and her mind refreshing. The choices she would have made as a protagonist would have differed from those others made, and writing someone in her vein would make for a fresh story—even with the most “quirky” of heroes.
4) The Love Triangle
Admittedly, I have a weakness for this trope. It’s effectiveness comes down to the inherent conflict it presents…and many readers still adore it, because it’s ultimately a character driven trope. Since every book has unique characters, no two love triangles should be the same. Despite it’s enduring popularity, though, there are a subset of readers who want to see the trope die a quick death.
After all, the trope has its weaknesses. Even if you have original characters, they end up going through the same motions: Character A realizes they don’t just love Character B, but Character C as well. Every reader picks either Character B or C, but in almost every story the hero picks Character B. Character B is the childhood friend, the one who didn’t mess up, the one the plot was built around…of course they’re going to be chosen. Everyone knows the story will end with a happily ever after. Everyone knows Character B will mess up, all will seem lost, and then he’ll redeem himself somehow and the pair will marry.
Some readers also find the trope unrealistic: the protagonist remains oblivious to not so subtle flirting, and then dawdles when the best choice is obvious. Many readers claim that people just don’t act like that in real life…though given most of our stories involve vampires, grandiose weddings, and dystopian over rulers, it’s safe to say some reality can be suspended to service the drama.
The key, again, is to make the trope unpredictable. What if, after everything, Character A decides she doesn’t want to settle down at all? Perhaps after trying so hard to settle down, she sees how much more she could do on her own. Another possibility lies in tragedy: Character A might choose Character B…only for him to die. Torn between Character B and C, external factors might also drive Character A to making a choice. A marriage to character C may be annulled because C actually has a deadly disease which forces him to leave her side in search of a cure, leaving her to turn to Character B for comfort. Character B might be chosen, only to die of old age; Character C, waiting on the sides, can then slide in to take his place. Character A might even be forced into an arranged marriage; while grappling with Character C, the one she can’t have, she may realize she does, in fact, have feelings for Character B.
The love triangle seen in The Hunger Games is riveting because it’s complicated by both external pressures and the protagonist’s own confusion. Even the reader doesn’t know how Katniss feels, because she barely has time to process it herself. She claims she would be with Gale if she wasn’t forced to marry Peeta to save all of their lives…but is it a facade or not? Peeta’s kisses aren’t described as unpleasant, and Katniss feels safe having him sleep beside her. She still cares deeply for him as a friend, leaving readers hooked. Does she care about Peeta? Choice or not, would marriage to him be a bad thing? Even the fact she doesn’t have a choice spices up the trope. Most heroes have the chance to sort through their feelings and pick someone. Seeing how someone navigates their attraction when they’re thrust into a relationship they didn’t pick initially feels different.
Also, forced relationships make the reader yearn that much more for the character the protagonist can’t have. It’s human nature to crave what is impossible to get. The impossibility of Katniss being with Gale has even Team Peeta sighing to themselves.
Finally, the love triangle could be spiced up by making it less clear who Characters B and C are. A third character could be introduced as a distraction. A Character D could be introduced, creating a love square! Character’s B or C, or both, could be in love triangles of their own. Character A and B could both be trying to date Character C. Hell, Character A might even end up with both Character B and C, forming what is known as a throuple.
By challenging the usual outcomes or conventions of this trope, the love triangle can remain exciting (even if some continue to complain it’s not “realistic”).
To conclude, these tropes are likely here to stay, but people’s opinions of them will fluctuate as writers either repeat the same narratives, or offer something new by twisting these ancient ideas into something unpredictable. Whether it be another chosen one, or another love triangle between three trouble teens, there are ways to shake up the old. Some books, such as Harry Potter or The Hunger Games kept these tropes alive…but a myriad of ways remain for writers to make the familiar fresh.
What common tropes annoy you? Would you still read a chosen one story, if it was done well? I’d love to know!