Who are the best anti-heroes of literature and film?
I have a few ideas for the best anti-heroes of literature. First, let me explain my view of true anti-heroism. To me, anti-heroes are irredeemably immoral or amoral characters. They don’t act for good, yet they provide a much-needed balance to the world. My anti-hero is no flawed hero — he or she is a bad person down to the last molecule, yet does good. Here are the two top anti-heroes in my book: Satan (Paradise Lost by John Milton and the Bible) It’s easy to see Satan as an agent of pure evil. After all, he’s a fallen angel who defied God and tempted Adam and Eve into sin. He cajoles and bargains for people’s souls. The driving force behind his misdeeds is the thirst for power. He’d rather rule in Hell than serve in Heaven, consequences be damned. When you look closer, he has done good. He gave mankind free will. If Adam and Eve remained under God’s tutelage, humans would have remained soft, complacent sheep herded by angels and the “good guys.” Satan gave us the wondrous Pandora’s
I’m sure other folks will provide answers from novels, so I’ll offer some examples of the best anti-heroes from film and from comic book literature. Film Anti-Heroes: There are two anti-heroes on film that I think pretty much define the concept and how to execute it to perfection on film… • Travis Bickel from Taxi Driver is perhaps the ultimate anti-hero on film. Bickel defies most conventions for heroism and selflessness — he is bigoted, anti-social, frequents porn theaters, accepts money to drive around while people have sex or use drugs in the back of his taxi, he’s paranoid and eventually heavily armed, attempts to assassinate a political candidate, erupts in moments of violence against even innocent people at times, becomes a mass-murderer, and so on. Bickel seems to clearly suffer post traumatic stress after fighting in the war in Vietnam, generally appears to be losing his mind, cannot have normal and healthy relationships with other people, and he is vividly aware that he’s
