The Anti-Hero in All of Us

Tony Soprano, Walter White, Jack Sparrow. These characters all have one thing in common, they are anti-heros. Some would say we have entered the "golden age of television", and many of the award winning shows we all love have the anti hero at the core. An anti-hero is defined as this, "a protagonist who lacks the attributes that make a heroic figure, as nobility of mind and spirit, a life or attitude marked by action or purpose, and the like"(dictionary.com). These charecters are flawed, and often lack a sense of morality and other admirable qualities. These characters are often plagued by flaws and demons that they constantly struggle with. In the hit tv show The Sopranos, we see this with the main character Tony, a man who while a violent and cruel gangster, is also deeply devoted to those he cares about and is battling with anxiety and mother issues. But why do we like these flawed, morally inept characters? Its because on some level, we identify with them. Sure, we have never been in the situation of the Walking Dead's Rick, where taking the life of another human being might be the difference in saving your own, but we can all identify with the struggle between making a choice where there doesn't seem to be a right answer. And while I can personally say that I never cooked meth like Walter White in Breaking Bad I can and do empathize with his initial reasoning, wanting to help his family. We root for these characters because we feel as viewers that if these people who are similar to us on some level can succeed, than we can too. They are way more relatable than characters like Captain America, who's morale compass in infallible and who is the epitome of what is "right". We can't live up to that standard, and we all ultimately have a little bit of anti-hero in us, because as humans, we aren't perfect.

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