The last decade was a period when the world, especially America internalized the impact of the historical events that were experienced since the 1960’s to date. These events were as a result of people using unpleasant means to achieve desired results, such as war to get political stability. Consequently, the events have inspired the creative industry to use anti-heroes; characters that reflect the real world. This discussion illustrates that the use of anti-heroes is a direct reflection of the creation of the same in the society.
The use of anti-heroes shows the changing American culture in relation to the adherence of the social, economic and political norms. Inspired by characters that do not follow the norms, American theatre reflects what is happening to the society (Michael 1). The culture of the society is gradually changing to focus on the desired results other than the means of doing things. The characters also show the level of moral degradation that requires people to use unconventional means to circumvent the norms of the country.
The application of the literary theory is important in the understanding of the use of anti-hero characters in drama and theatre productions. The application of imagination by the drama creators leads to the creation of such characters that describe the behavior in the community (Michael 1). The use of these characters is inspired by the understanding of the social, economic and political structures that reflect the powers and the history of the society. Through the same understanding, the audience identifies with theatre productions and characters since they reflect what the society is like.
Anti-Hero in TV Series, 24
In a mix of traits of the main character who sacrifices moral values for greater good, 24 adapt a unique aspect of anti-hero; in the name of Jack Bauer. Mr. Bauer commonly uses the most unpleasant ways to get things done in almost all his dealings. He understands the conspiracies in the political and economic structure of the country that he uses unconventional and unpleasant means to prevent crime. Inspired by the rise of terrorism in the country, TV series presents Bauer as a character who understands that the corrupt and bureaucratic social and political structures make the country vulnerable to attacks (Smith 1). Therefore, to prevent adversity, Bauer uses his courage and smart thinking skills to use unpleasant means to get the desired results; making him an anti-hero.
As an anti-hero, Bauer is flawed because he constantly breaks the law and uses illegal means of questioning government officers and criminals alike. He adopts threats as one of his most valuable assets of getting information for his role. In the larger part of most of the season, Bauer is seen working against the government as a way of avoiding bureaucracies. However, he is not a villain because he gets results done at the right time to prevent many terrorist attacks.
The audience is sympathetic to Bauer since he mostly ends up as the victim despite sacrificing himself and the family to secure the country. In every criminal or terrorist attack, he stops, he is mostly condemned by the government and ends up running away as a fugitive. Because of his concern for the country, the audiences of the TV series celebrate Bauer, making him a popular character in the popular culture. Due to the success of his means of doing things, the trend does not seem to change. This is evident from the continuance of the character in all episodes of the TV series.
Works Cited
Michael, Jonathan. The Rise of the Anti-Hero: Why the characters in TV and movies we love most are the ones with fatal flaws. Web, Accessed, July 9, 2014, <http://www.relevantmagazine.com/culture/tv/rise-anti-hero>
Smith, Patrick. 24: five ways Jack Bauer has changed television. Web, Accessed, July 9, 2014, <http://www.telegraph.co.uk/culture/tvandradio/7046424/24-five-ways-Jack-Bauer-has-changed-television.html>