Sophs #1 journal and Friday's class -Your Favorite Stock Character
A stock character is a character type, often a stereotyped character, used repeatedly in genre fiction (like horror, sci-fi, moral tales) and of course, movies and television shows that like to use these character types. Examples include the mad scientist, the blond airhead, the femme fatale (sure, look it up), the rags-to-riches hero, and the conniving villain. In The Devil and Tom Walker, Tom Walker exemplified the stock character known as The Miser, one who would value money over everything. You should know the Greek tale of King Midas, a miser who learned, as many do, that wealth isn't everything. Go to this link to read the Midas tale. Tom Walker's wife was the stock Shrew, the nagging wife who browbeats her husband.
You've read enough (and seen enough tv and movies) to recognize stock characters, so tell me ...who is your favorite "stock" character?
Define the stock character type you choose and then give me some details about your specific character that proves that he or she is, indeed, stock. Of course, tell me why you enjoy your character. Choose a character from books, movies, short stories, and television shows.
I've provided an example for you, namely Ebenezer Scrooge.
Ebenezer Scrooge is a miserly misanthrope (he's a miser--all about money--and he's a misanthrope--a "hater of mankind") in the Charles Dickens' classic, A Christmas Carol. His love of money and disdain for Christmas characterizes the original Scrooge. Note that the word "scrooge" to denote characters like him is now regularly used in our vernacular. Scrooge overworks and underpays his loyal employee, Mr. Bob Cratchit. Cratchit, a good and holy family man, has bills to pay and a crippled son (Tiny Tim) to take care of, and he faces his trying responsibilities with Christian fortitude. He even refuses to admit to his poor family that Mr. Scrooge is a bad man. You might say that Cratchit is a stock character himself, the "poor but happy" fatherly figure whose diligence and Christian piety keep his family in food and clothes.
Back to Mr. Scrooge, who grudgingly allows poor Bob to stay home on Christmas Day, but orders him to arrive earlier the next. He greets holiday well wishers, like his kind nephew, with a "Bah, humbug" that of course, is now universally recognized as the reply of the Christmas Scrooge. Suddenly, however, his world is turned inside-out when he is visited by the ghost of Jacob Marley, his former business partner and a scrooge like himself. The forlorn ghost, who now does penance by walking the earth in heavy chains, money boxes, and keys, warns Scrooge to mend his ways, lest he suffer the same fate.
Scrooge is shaken, but falls asleep. During the rest of the well -known story, he is visited by three Christmas ghosts. He then undergoes a miraculous change. The new Christmas loving Scrooge sends a huge turkey to the Cratchit home, raises Bob's salary, and becomes a surrogate grandfather to Tiny Tim.
This Christmas tale is a story of faith, faith in humanity and the goodness that lies within us all. These qualities were once buried in Ebenezer Scrooge, but were unearthed in the joyful end of the novel.
If you need some more help, see the Schoolsville post entitled, Sophs--Breakfast, Anyone? More Stock Characters!
posted by JTF @ 12:30 PM
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My favorite stock character would most likely be Superman. This super powered, strong-armed hero has very predictable acts and never fails to do what is right. As a stereotypical hero he must defend for the weak and helpless for the greater good of everyone else. He is a true hero stock character because most of his thoughts and actions can be predicted from other experiences. Whenever there is a scream down on the street you know Superman will be there at the last moment to thwart the bad guys and save the day. As a super hero he must have a disguise so that no one knows who he is and real life so his loved ones can’t be targeted. With Superman, everyone watching the movie knows that the bad guy will never win and that Superman will always pull through at the last moment. Superman’s character is one that represent the hero that a lot of us wish to be. He represents the mysterious savior that makes you feel safe when you are frightened. Although Superman may not be real, his characteristics are very much so.
Claire Standish is considered the ‘princess’ in the movie The Breakfast Club. Her outer appearance to people is that she is a stuck-up, conceited, popular girl who doesn’t really care about anyone but herself and her group of friends. She was caught skipping school to go to the mall to shop, and that landed her in a Saturday detention at her school. She tells her dad that she’s not a ‘defective’ and she shouldn’t have to be at school on a Saturday. Her dad fluffs her ego and tells her that skipping school to go shopping doesn’t make her a defective. Claire unwillingly sits through the detention, but only next to the ‘jock’, Andrew because he’s more on her ‘level’ than the other kids. Throughout the day she’s mocked by the ‘criminal’ John Bender and constantly makes jokes about how he’s an outcast and how no one would miss him if he left. John then goes on to tell about his home life and Claire is shocked when she realizes what he had to go through. The rest of the detention she begins to become more open and willing to talk to the other kids, especially John. We then learn that even she has her problems, even though she seems like she’s perfect in everyway. She thinks her mom hates her and she wants to get away from her parents and live with her brother. But even though she’s gotten a better view of kids she wouldn’t have looked twice at in the halls, she continues her act of being the ‘princess’ saying that she’d be nice to Brian, the ‘nerd’, in the halls if he said hi, but then she’d make fun of him when he left. At the very end, we get to see Claire put her image behind and break from her stereotype when her and John become closer. As cheesy as it sounds, this story is about not judging a book by its cover because you might actually like their story and become closer to them.
My favorite stock type for a character is the villain of the story. Ive always liked the villains of any story ever since I was little. I like the villain because it never takes long for you to notice them and they are always a huge character in the story, but unfortunately are almost always unsuccessful. Ive always thought that the villains were cool because they all have the same characteristics such as: wanting to defeat the hero, playing by their own rules, and ruining the town or city which in which they reside. Every Halloween I would always dress up as a villain of a movie,such as Darth Vader of Star Wars. One of my favorite villains would probably have to be Darth Vader. In Star Wars he was the worst villain because he was powerful and very evil but in the end he found out that he wasn't as evil as he once thought and became a hero. So some villains can become good after a period of time and that's what I like about some of them. Today I still find myself routing for the villain in some movies. This is why my favorite stock character is the villain.
My favorite stock character is Mulan. She is the "courageous person", or, a person who has fearlessness or bravery, in the Disney movie, Mulan. The setting of this movie is ancient China, during the time of the Huns. Mulan's elderly father is called back to war, and she feels that he is too old to be able to fight again. To stop him from going to war, she cuts her hair, steals her father's armor, and runs away to take his place on the battlefield. This takes an immense amount of courage, because she could be banished from China if anyone found out that she was indeed a woman. Mulan trains with the other soldiers, and soon they go to battle with the Huns. She starts an avalanche by shooting a canon at it, killing the Huns; or, so she thought. Mulan is injured during that battle, and the army finds out she is a woman; they leave her in the mountains, where she sees the Huns escape from under the snow. She travels to the Emperor's palace, and saves China from the Huns, regardless of her being a woman. Mulan exerts a great amount of courage during this entire movie, especially at the end. Mulan is the best stock character out there because of the courage it took to achieve what she did; she is an inspiration to everyone who watches Mulan the movie.
Over the past two years I’ve been reading the Gossip Girl series and these books are a perfect melting pot for all different types of stock characters. In the books there is the typical rich, stuck up, snob, who only thinks for herself. After finishing the series I would say that Blair, this stock character, is my favorite one because she was always up to a new scheme and was always doing something different, and interesting. Blair fits this stereotype perfectly because first of all she’s rich and feels that everyone and everything should revolve around her. When she goes to her high school, which is a private school, she acts as if she is the head of the school and tries to make everyone “worship” her. It’s always interesting to see what she’ll do next just to make people follow her. Also, when things don’t go the way that Blair wants them to she throws a fit. It’s like watching a five-year old throwing a temper-tantrum. When someone new walks through the doors of the school Blair tries to sabotage them immediately making sure that she is still number one in the school. Whenever a friend comes running to Blair for help Blair isn’t really one to open up and offer the help. She tries to make sure that she can get something out of it first. It’s pretty sad, but something interesting always happens because of this. Blair’s family has a lot of money and she knows this. She tries to use this to her advantage as much as she can and is always trying to better herself with things like getting into a good college, not getting into serious trouble at school, and throwing some pretty wild parties. Throughout the entire series Blair is always starting something new and it’s always interesting to see what she’ll do next. I would definitely say that this is my favorite stock character because even though they’re not the nicest person out there, these types of people always have something interesting going on in their life.
One of the most exciting and entertaining kinds of stock characters is the indestructible action hero. This type of character is a classic. Action movies need a hero who can pretty much win indefinitely. This character finds himself taking on various opponents, many of which seem to have the upper hand against him. However, this hero never loses. In every fight he engages in, he defeats his enemy in an exciting and extravagant way, often exaggerated to the point where it isn’t possible in reality. This makes the movie incredibly fun to watch, as the hero you’re rooting for always pulls through. He often has a past that is never fully explained, yet, after seeing him take on his adversaries, it’s clear that he had very special training. This kind of hero is in many popular movies, such as Liam Neeson’s character in the recent movie Taken. He is the perfect example of this character type. He formerly worked for the government, and while his exact occupation was never given away, it’s assumed that he was involved in something very dangerous. After his daughter is kidnapped, his true indestructible action hero traits show, as he goes to rescue her from her captors. He ends up taking on a huge crime organization in France, and by the end of the movie he had single-handedly defeated it entirely. Multiple times he is ambushed by his foes, but in the end none of them are able to bring him down. An indestructible action hero has all of these attributes, and while the character is used in media over and over, it never gets old to see someone you want to succeed always do so.
One of my favorite movies, “Mean Girls”, portrays the life of a transfer student from Africa named Cady. She comes to high school, and makes friends with a girl named Janet. Since Cady is pretty, the most popular gorgeous girl in the grade asked her to join her group, “The Plastics”. This girl is named Regina George. Her and Janet are enemies, and Janet convinces Cady to join the group just to go back and tell her all of the things they say about her. Regina George is the stereotypical “popular girl”. She is mean, nasty, gorgeous, and looked up to by everyone in school. Whatever she does, everyone else copies no matter how ridiculous it is. She constantly makes people feel that she is superior to them, and that they are nothing. She has a “Burn Book” in which she writes trash on anyone and everyone. She released it, showed it to the principle, and wrote a fake page on herself to make it look like it was not hers. She is rich, and has the “cool mom” who lets her do anything. Of course, every guy in school wants her, and she is not afraid to claim every guy so that other girls cannot have them. On the other hand, she’s not afraid to snatch a boy from any girl, even her friends. She is the perfect example of a stock character.
A main type of stock character that is used in many stories is a comic relief character. A comic relief character is there to lighten the mood of the story so that the story line does not get to gloomy, sad, or depressing. Comic relief characters lighten the mood by adding little one liner jokes, or by doing stupid or silly acts that make the viewer laugh. One of my favorite comic relief characters of all time is Shaggy from Scooby-Doo. Shaggy is not the smartest person in the group and when you add Scooby-Doo as Shaggy’s partner, you get quite a pair. Shaggy gets scared by the most insignificant things, such as mirrors, spiders, or your occasional spooky noise. Since Shaggy is spooked by these silly things it makes the viewer laugh at him. When Shaggy sees a really scary thing he sometimes jumps into Scobby-Doo’s arms, or legs, since he’s a dog! Just this act alone makes the viewer laugh, because nothing like that could happen in real life. Shaggy is sometimes the savior of the story, because even though sometimes he messes up, his screw ups sometimes save the day by capturing the antagonist. Shaggy is a great comic relief character, because of his silly attitude, his ability to be scared easily, and because he sometimes screws up and saves the day.
I would have to say that my favorite stock character is Michael Newman in the movie click played by Adam Sandler. In the movie, Mike is a normal man looking for a way to make life easier for him and ends up finding a magical remote that controls time. He uses the remote to ‘”cheat” in life by rewinding time to get another chance at things and fast forwarding time to skip things that he doesn’t want to live through. He uses his newfound powers to get ahead in life by getting more time to do his work while still having the same amount of time for his family. His life seems to be perfect until he finds out that the remote has a side effect if you aren’t using it properly, it will skip through the times in your life that you want to remember. Before he knows it, Mike is on his deathbed thinking about all of the things that he missed out on all because he wanted to make life easier for himself. Since he admits his mistake, the angel that gave him the remote gave him one more chance at life. He got to restart from where he got the remote. The angel offered him the remote again, but this time he said no and threw it in the trash.
"The O.C." is my all time favorite show because of its incredible story line and the acting is phenomenal. The story line seems so realistic and many teenagers can relate to it. Although we might not all be spoiled millionaires like the kids in the show, we can relate to their problems and the situations they go through as they are in high school. An example of a stock character from this show is Ryan Atwood. He is portrayed as the tough kid from Chino, a rough part of California. He moves in with the Cohen family, who are very wealthy and live in Newport, California. Although he seems like just another rich kid, he really knows what it is like to come up from nothing. Having been physically abused by his biological father, Ryan finds it hard to get close to people. Ryan is very tough and he isn't afraid of a good fight. Although he seems like a bad kid, he really only fights when he needs to stand up for himself. He may be quick tempered, but he is always there to help someone who is in trouble. Ryan is sometimes thought as of being cynical, but really he is just being practical. Ryan is a very caring boy, at heart, despite his tough-guy image. Ryan is the type of friend I would like to have because he would never let his friends down. He is a good example of how following your heart can help you to achieve much in life!
My favorite stock character is Larry Tudgeman from Lizzie McGuire. He is the classic example of the nerdy outcast. Most people at school completely ignore him or make fun of him on a regular basis. He is in all of the smart classes and clubs about science. He even helps tutor. He is also a nerd by the way he dresses. It is said that he has worn the same shirt for numerous years. It is a tan polo shirt with a green collar that is buttoned all the way up in an unstylish fashion. His hair is always greasy, which makes it appear as if he hasn’t taken a shower. This may be a reason why people tend to avoid him, or it may be because of his unusual obsession with science and his love for picking his nose. He also has a strange obsession with the role playing game Dwarflord. Role playing games aren’t exactly the way to become the popular kid. Another way he was a nerd was that he always tried way to hard to become friends with the popular kids. He’s my favorite “nerdy” character because he exemplifies the classic nerd in every way. I began to like him as a nerdy kid when everyone avoided him. He makes the show enjoyable, especially when he gets into arguments with the popular kids. I also like how awkward he makes Lizzie and her friends feel when they try to be nice to him. He is the kind of nerd I love to laugh at when he does something weird.
Hercules is the most stereotypical character in Disney history. He's the man, the hero, the big shot. Everything he does is to save others so that he can become a hero. He wants to go down in history and he does. Hercules was a 1997 animated Disney movie about a boy who lost his godhood. The character Hercules wast the main character in the movie. Throughout the movie he tries to become a hero so that he can be reunited with his father in Mount Olympus. Everything he does is stereotypical because he just tries to save people to get respect from others. He is the exact image of the wannabe hero at the begging of the story and since everyone wants a happy ending he does fulfill his dream and is united with his family in Olympus once again. At the end of the movie he is a different stock character, the hero. Another way he is stereotypical is that in the end he saves his girlfriend by risking his own life. This is stereotypical because when the movie gets to that scene you know exactly what he is going to do. Hercules is my favorite stock character because he is just a really good guy that always tries to help others he's just extremely predictable.
My favorite stock character is Cruella De Vil from 100 and 1 dalmatians. She is the evil villain that never gives up. She loves to capture dogs. She is well known throughout the city. She doesn’t care what other people think about her. She knows how to get what she wants and doesn't give up. If she fails she goes with a different plan and she has many. If her accomplices fail she is mad and hits them because they are not good at doing her dirty work. In the end Cruella always loses; the dogs trick her and so do the dogs owners. At the end she is so close to catching the dogs but the dogs are smarter then they look. The dogs take her to a cake-making factory at night. She goes on a wild ride following the dogs and getting into a giant cake. The cops catch her and try to get her to love dogs. Cruella doesn't get what she wants and is very disappointed.
An example of a stock character would be Troy Bolton from the High School Musical Series. Troy is portrayed as the all around good guy who’s athletic and has the brains. Throughout all three of the High School Musicals, Troy is always generous, friendly, and has a great heart. What I mean by that is that he would never hurt someone and he cares very much for his family and friends. You can predict what Troy will end up choosing in the end and you always now how he will act to people around him. Troy is a well-rounded guy whos decisions reflect the people around him. He always chooses the right path and in the end what he chooses will be the right decision. Troy always stands up for what he believes in and what is right. When you watch the High School Musical series, you realize Troy is mature and knows what he wants. You also always know Troy will have his friend’s back and be there for them anytime, specially his true love Gabriella Montez. No matter what happens he will always love Gabriella even through the tough times. I believe Troy is the perfect example of a stock character because you know how he will act, react, and respond to what happens around him.
In my opinion, my favorite type of stock character is the underdog. The underdog is usually shown as weak, someone you wouldn't expect to come out on top. The underdog is usually the good guy in the movie that you want to see succeed.The movie Dodgeball is a good example of an underdog story.The movie tells the story of a gym owner named Peter, and his group of friends who enter a dodgeball tournament in hopes to win 50,000 dollars to save their rundown gym, Average Joe's from being bought by huge fitness center, Globo Gym. Peter and his friends are the lovable underdogs in the tournament. In the end, Peter and his friends win the tournament, proving that the underdog usually comes out on top.
There are many types of stock characters, but my personal favorite would have to be a misfit. They are usually shown as people from different areas who move and automatically don't fit in. They are made fun of at school and no one seems to like them, but in the end they do something no one expects and they come out on top. A perfect example of this type of stock character is the Grinch. He is born a little out of the ordinary. Green, hairy, and like nothing the town had ever seen before. He starts school and is automatically made fun of. No one likes him because he is different and he tried so hard to fit in. He moved to the top of mount crumpit because he didnt fit in, but no one should ever feel the need to do that because they are a misfit. When he moved he despised everyone and thought he would until the day he dies. Then he met a little girl named Cindy Lou Who and she changed his life. The Grinch became the Cheer Mister and everyone started to like him. Which was very different for him since he had never felt any feeling before. He tried so hard to stop Christmas because it made everyone so happy, but he just couldn't do it. He finally loved everyone in the town. He stopped himself from destroying all the presents and everyone seems to like him again. He was a misfit in the beginning and he came out on top in the end.
My favorite kind of stock character is the action hero. This kind of character never gives up and seems to always win in the end. This character is strong, fast, sometimes has super powers, and sometimes hides their true identity. The action hero faces many different enemies and their henchmen. It almost seems like in every movie and TV show the hero always prevails in the end. Also they fight for a cause such as saving a country, world, or universe. He puts others before him or herself. The action hero usually gets down sometime during the movie and it looks like he is going to lose the fight against the villain. Amazingly the hero in movies barely ever dies and in his last ditch effort somehow defeats the villain. Batman is a perfect example of the action hero. Bruce Wayne is an extremely wealthy man that chooses to help the city of Gotham. He uses his money to create weapons, vehicles, armor and other tools to aid him in fight against Gotham’s criminals. He fights the Joker in the movie “The Dark Night”. Near the end of the movie Batman makes his way through the Joker’s many henchmen, saving hostages and finally defeats the Joker, but not by killing him by hanging him by his feet from a building and letting the police take care of him. Also at the very end of the movie he defeats Two Face and also dies after suffering a huge fall. The action hero is my favorite stock character.
My favorite stock character is the bad-guy-turned-good, because they usually are more adamant about doing good, while still forgiving to those who make mistake. Why because the understand what its like. The bad-good-turned-good also includes those who didn’t mean to do bad things like Edmund from the Chronicles of Narnia. The white witch, into doing bad things against his family, tricked him. He met the white witch before he knew anything of Narnia, she was kind to him the middle child, and so went it came the time to talk to her he gave up his family and all those who helped them. But then his family saved his life. This is went he turned good, and at the end of the second book he killed the white witch. Also in to other books he came to be know as Edmund the Just, for his forgiveness, which saved innocent people from unfair prosecution, and changed many people to the good side. On the flipside I also like the characters that are bad that you think are good also make the stories more diverse and add great plot twist to the story. That’s why these are my favorite stock characters of all times.
The stock character that I often end up watching would probably be the hero. I like to watch movies where the main character or characters become the hero that saves the day. These movies are usually movies that have an early climax like the movie Armageddon with Bruce Willis and Ben Affleck. The early climax for example learning the world was going to end in the first half hour of the movie. This is then followed by a struggle to find the solution to solve the problem for example doing the impossible by planting a nuclear war head inside an apocalyptic crater . The hero takes control of the movie by making a sacrificing in some to save the lives of others and ending the chaos that had been caused by the problem. In this movie Ben Affleck’s character sacrifices his life to save the world but in the end it is Bruce Willis is the one who ends up detonating the bomb inside the crater and killing himself. The hero usually has the most emotional parts of the entire movie, for example meaningful kiss, the final fight with the villain, or over coming adversity. The hero may have a kiss with the girl of his dreams right before the final act like when Ben Affleck’s character says goodbye to his girlfriend via video chat.. The hero most usually ends up killing the villain within ten minutes of the end of he movie. Or the hero could not be a hero in the beginning of the movie who follows his dream to become the hero in a situation. These situations usually are in any action movie. I enjoy action movies because they are fast paced and full of twists in the plot.
There are many different types of stock characters that are displayed in works of art. My personal favorite would be that of the ‘bad boy’. The boy that everyone knows about, that no father wants to be alone with his daughter, and that every girl has a soft spot for. Luke Dane’s nephew Jess from Gilmore Girls would be a perfect example of a bad boy stock character. He enters the scene as a mysterious kid from California, and anything new to the small town of Stars Hallow is big news. He swoops in and steals the heart of one of the least likely people of all – the local goody-two-shoes, Rory Gilmore. In a huge scandal, Rory and her boyfriend Dean break up because it’s obvious Rory is in love with Jess, and Jess and Rory end up being together – the stock character good girl, and the stock character bad boy. I guess it’s true what they say about opposites attracting. Stock characters are found in all different types of literature and works of art. They’re easy to find.
My stock character is the delinquent in a story. This is the kid who doesn’t follow the rules and doesn’t fit in with the general community. My favorite stock character is Ponyboy from The Outsiders. He is the ultimate idea of a punk kid. He smokes, carries knives, wears leather jackets, has grease in his hair, and is in a gang of people who act the same way. Through out the story, however, you see that he is different from the rest of them. He likes to think and read, watch movies, and he goes to school. As you read you see that even though he acts that way and hangs out with them, that they aren’t freaks or delinquents because they have greasy hair and leather jackets but they are people.
Serena van der Woodsen is the “it girl” in my favorite television show Gossip Girl. Serena is born and raised in Upper East Side Manhattan. She is the girl everybody knows and everyone wants to be like her. Although she is popular, her appearance causes people to never take her seriously and to use her to benefit themselves. The drama with her mother Lily, who only cares what people think of her sends Serena away to boarding school. This causes everyone to talk and make up horrible rumors about Serena that ruin her reputation; causing people to think she is someone she’s not. Because Serena wants nothing more than to be taken seriously, she decides to prove herself by looking for a job. Each time she finds a job she is forced into difficult situations where she has to decide between doing what people want of her or what she thinks is right. Serena’s best friend Blair Walforf has always been jealous and second best to Serena. Serena has always been there for Blair and all her other friends. Serena really is a really a genuine, smart person which she always constantly has to prove. The rumors and stereotypes made about her could easily have destroyed her, but her determination is what makes her who she is.
My favorite stock character is the “rags-to-riches” hero, because they are the one that has nothing, but makes the best out of their situation and rises to the top. A stock character that I think is a great example of this is Hercules from Disney’s movie “Hercules.” This hero was born a god and given the powers but forced to live as a human and seen as an outcast. Hercules had godlike strength, but this was always causing trouble. He decided to leave home and he head to the temple of Zeus, where he finds out the he is the son of Zeus, and he soon begins his training with Philocretes, or Phil. Hercules takes on all sorts of monsters, and becomes extremely famous. This is the epitome of a “rags-to-riches” hero, because he starts at the very bottom and works his way all the way up to the top. People just saw him as a menace that was always causing trouble, but they didn’t understand him. When he found where he belonged, Hercules became the best of the best and went from a zero to a hero.
The type of stock character I am going to write about is "The Slacker". In cinema the Slacker is usually a laid back, easygoing dead beat. The Slacker doesn't really care what the world thinks about him/her. They are usually unemployed as well. My favorite slacker from cinema would definitely have to be The Dude from one of my favorite films, "The Big Lebowski". The Dude's real name is Jeff Lebowski but because he is so easygoing and care-free everyone just calls him the Dude. The Dude is pretty much the epitome of the slacker. He is unemployed, lazy and doesn't have a care in the world. Like many slackers in film, The Dude is overweight and not very bright. The Dude went to college but, like most slackers, just scraped by with the bare minimum. The Dude doesn't have much money, mainly because he has no job, but some how he manages to get by. The only real activity The Dude does is go bowling with his buddies, which isn't the must physically strenuous activity. Even when The Dude is given the task to save a rich billionaire's wife he is still very laid back and nonchalant even though someone's life may be at stake. This is why I believe that The Dude is the embodiment of the stock character "The Slacker".
My favorite stock character would be the quiet outcast type. In every movie or book, there seems to be someone who doesn’t do much other then observes, but when this person does something, it’s truly phenomenal. The best example of this is Charlie from The Perks of Being a Wallflower. In the book, during a series of letters, he illustrates life as a “wallflower”. He’s the classic story of an outcast without friends who somehow finds friends, and learns to love the life he lives. With Charlie, the few words he speaks to his friends are some of the best they’ll ever hear. In movies and books, it seems that the quiet outcasts always end up having the best things to say. These characters, such as Charlie, always think too much, and are usually very emotional. Charlie cries in almost every letter he writes, whether his tears be triggered by happiness or sadness, it becomes almost normal for the people he’s around to see him crying. As in most typical books, the outcast boy (Charlie) falls for the older, gorgeous senior girl (Sam). Sam and Charlie become best friends, and eventually before she leaves for college they kiss. The entire story, you find yourself rooting for Charlie to get the girl, and we he almost does at the end, you’re so happy for him. To me, the outcast stock character always seems the most real. Charlie doesn’t hide his emotions, and when he really believes in something, without a doubt he’ll stay up for it. Outcasts always tend to have hidden talents that you wouldn’t originally expect. Charlie, a scrawny tiny freshmen boy can easily beat up even the toughest of people. You would never know, though, because he tends to sit on the sidelines of life until he is absolutely needed.
My favorite stock character would have to be Patrick from the Perks of Being a Wallflower. He is basically a typical best friend stock character. The changes in his personality and troubles make him even more this character, as the best friend character is usually unique to a point but who’s troubles and ideas mostly contribute to the story surrounding the main character. As the story is about Charlie, from Charlie’ point of view, even though Charlie may not be Patrick’s best friend, he is easily Charlie’s, and a best friend character. Patrick has his own very difficult issues that are mentioned in the story. There are descriptions of Patrick from Charlie’s point of view that are very concerning and vivid, just enough so that the reader becomes connected to Patrick. This connection helps when reading about how Charlie is concerned for his friends. This also makes the feeling of loneliness so much more tangible when Patrick starts to freeze Charlie out. These descriptions still only shed more light on his character; they do not put the focus on him more than need be. I like this character because, like most best friend characters, he is made to be likeable.
The stock character that I find most intriguing is the hero, perhaps the most common. The hero is the center of the story, and often the easiest to relate to and sympathize with. I like heroes because of their often remarkable charisma, as well as their enduring persistence. The ability of heroes to combat adversary, whether it be with initiative, or with apprehensiveness, should be appreciated. A good example of a hero is a character named Konrad, from the German film “Das Versprechen” , or “The Promise”. The film tells of the lives of two lovers over a period of about 25 years, when the Berlin wall separates them, and how Konrad perseveres in order to see his lover and their son, even when they grow farther apart, as each get married to another. Konrad persists, and takes great risks to see the ones he loves. The hero is so admirable because of this tenacity when faced with adversary.
In almost every story there is a hero who always saves the day no matter what, even if they are knocked down they get back up to defend what they love. The stock character that I am writing about is the hero, more specifically Ichigo Kurosaki from Tite Kubo’s series “Bleach”. What makes Ichigo heroic is the fact that he does what he needs to do in order to protect and defend those around him no matter what it takes. Ichigo gets stronger as the enemy gets stronger even if it means putting himself at risk of losing himself. He will put his life on the line if it means that the people he loves. One of the biggest reasons that I chose to write about Ichigo is because he is totally awesome when he fights and he still is able to give his opponent respect. I thoroughly enjoin Ichigo Kurosaki because of how high his morals are and that he can completely kick his enemies behind, especially if they hurt his friends. Ichigo isn’t like most heroes in the fact that he isn’t a generic superman, but more of a Japanese samurai/angel sort of hero. He still has the same qualities as a traditional hero but much more foreign and unique which is why I decided to write about him being a stock character.
My all time favorite stock character would have to be the jokester; the kind of person who in any situation is always funny; even when he or she shouldn't be. This kind of character is in many different movies, television shows, and books, but my favorite jokester is from the television show “Friends”. There are many stock characters in this show, for example the stupid macho guy, Joey, the scientist, Ross, and the neat freak, Monica, but the character Chandler is the jokester in the group. Chandler is always telling a joke or doing an impression of another character. His primary role on the show is to add humor, even when things are not going so good. Sometimes his jokes aren't even that funny, but the timing of the jokes make you double over in laughter. In one of the episodes of friends the character Joey, who is the dumb macho guy, says something really stupid and instead of just pointing out the stupidity in what was just said Chandler says “you have to stop the Q-tip when there's resistance.” This is the kind of thing that Chandler will say to make his point; he is very witty and always has something creative to come back with. Chandler is also very sarcastic; in another episode Chandler and Ross are talking; Ross has had three failed marriages at this point and is often ragged on for it, so Chandler says, “You know if you're not careful you may not get married at all this year.” Chandler is the quintessential funny guy; he is always cracking jokes or sarcastic comments and can never take anything to seriously, and that is what makes him so loveable.
The definition of an anti-hero is a 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. My character is Tony Montana, in the movie “Scarface.’ Although, the man dealt drugs. He was killed because of the principles that he never let down. He did this bad things for noble reasons though, which were to bring his family out of poverty and to seek revenge on the communists who killed his family in Cuba. Another reason he could be considered a hero because he gave his life for the little kid in the car, and never once killed an innocent person. I enjoy characters like this because he fought for what he believed in, although it cost him a lot and did not make all right decisions along the way. That is why I think that he is an anti-hero.
My favorite stock character is "Kramer" from Seinfeld. He is know as being to "doofus" in the show. His trademarks include his humorous upright hairstyle and vintage wardrobe, his taste in fruit; his love of smoking Cuban Cigars, his violent bursts through Jerry's apartment door; frequent pratfalls and his penchant for nonsensical, percussive outbursts of noise to indicate skepticism, agreement, annoyance, and a variety of other inexplicable responses. I enjoy this character because he brings humor yo the show. Kramer is my favorite stock character.
My favorite type of stock character would have to be the Hero. A hero always chooses to do the right thing or stands up for what is right. A hero does not always have to be a superhero or someone who has powers. It can be someone in everyday life that can cheer someone’s day up or help someone pick up their books. A person like that is Batman. Batman doesn’t have anything that’s different from any normal person. He still fights crime and stands up for what’s right after what happened to his parents. That is because he is someone you can depend on or count on. Batman will always save the day even when things seem hopeless. There is always a villain or obstacle that Batman must overcome such as the joker. In the end Batman will always defeat the villain and save the day even though he can get hurt or killed just like the rest of us. He does this because he cares about everyone and we need more people like him in our daily lives.
My favorite stock character is Regina George from Mean Girls. She could be described as the typical popular girl who’s rich, selfish, and spoiled. Her mother strives to be a “cool mom” so she declares Regina can do whatever she wants because there aren’t any rules. Regina is rude and two-faced to anyone not part of her clique; she’ll say something nice about you to your face, but a whole different thing behind your back. Throughout the movie, she bosses people around, acting like a queen. At the end of the movie, a school bus hits her. She has to wear a brace all around her body and understands what it feels like to be someone she used to make fun of.
My favorite stock character type would be the conniving villain. The villain is a stock character because they are the person, or people who make life as terrible as they can make it to who ever they please. They never a fear from anyone or anything and their minds are made up already. They work as long as they need to, to get the job done and are always on the move. Without them, there would not be any drama or climax of a story or movie. Basically, the movie would be dull and vapid, not jumping off your seats exciting or worth watching in the first place.
My favorite villain would have to be the Grinch from “How The Grinch Stole Christmas”. The Grinch is a villain because he was trying to ruin Christmas for the town and because of him, the town was in total chaos. I enjoyed him as the villain because without him, the town would not have been as appreciative about Christmas and what really matters besides the presents you get. The Grinch is a misunderstood guy who never gets a shot, therefore was secluded into his cave on the mountaintop. He is a stubborn guy who always wants his way, and will get it eventually. The main reason I adore the Grinch is because he gave it to the Christmas spirit, and saved the little girl, Cindy when she was falling to her doom. The Grinch had a total transformation near the end, when he was awarded with the Christmas Spirit award, shocking everyone. Setting up the fallen tree, handing out the presents, and cutting the Christmas ham, the Grinch earned respect, rather than ignorance from his town. In the end, with Cindy helping him he ended up saving Christmas, rather than stealing it in the first place. That’s why the Grinch is my favorite example of a villain, stock character.
My favorite stock character is the Grinch from the movie, how the Grinch stole Christmas. The Grinch hated Christmas and everything about it. He hated everyone being so caught up in gifts, and being so cheerful. The Grinch got upset when he went down to the "Who-balation" because the mayor was trying to persuade Martha May, his old crush, into marrying him with a car and a huge ring. When the Grinch went back up to his cave that night, he wanted to do something horrible to ruin Christmas. He came up with a plan to go down after Santa had given out presents, and steal everything they had. The next morning, all of the Whos were very disappointed, until Cindy Lou Who, a little girl who was trying to tell everyone the real meaning of Christmas, told them that Christmas is about being with the people you love. All of the people in the town of Whoville then realized that their Christmas was never ruined, because its not about what you have, its who you are with. When the Grinch heard the Whos singing, he had an epiphany. He realized that maybe, Christmas was about more then what he thought. His heart was said to grow two sizes that day. This movie teaches people that Christmas is not just about presents, it is about the love you share with the people around you. The Grinch was someone who hated Christmas and everything about it, but at the very end of the movie, he managed to figure out that Christmas is a great time to spend time with the people you love which is why the Grinch is such a good sock character.
There are many people you could choose from in the category of “stock characters.” It could be the hero, the villain, the sidekick, the bestfriend, the enemy, or any character that particularly stands out. My personal favorite example of a stock character is Marlin from my favorite movie: Finding Nemo. Marlin is the very overprotective father of his only surviving son. Nemo. A fight between the two leads Nemo to a forbidden fishing boat. When Nemo is inadvertently taken by a scubadiver, it is Marlin’s job to find him. Along the way he overcomes many obstacles in his perseverance to find his son. He is also introduced to many other stock characters such as his new friend Dory, an Australian turtle named Crush, a Great White named Bruce, and many other ocean creatures. When the two are finally reunited, Marlin’s outlook is completely changed. The thought that he might have lost his only son made him solely appreciate everything he had. He has more trust in Nemo and their bond becomes inevitably stronger after the arduous journey. They worked together to find each other, and to help their new friends. Marlin went through a complete emotional turn-around, which makes him a good example of a stock character.
My favorite stock character is the dumb jock. The reason that they are my favorite stock character is because their dimwitted humor that makes all of us chuckle. A perfect example of this stock character would be Kelso from that 70s show. Throughout the show he is always coming up with dumb ideas to try and have a good time. Everyone has to appreciate the comical dialog, beliefs, and ideas of this type of character. My personal favorite situation that this character gets themselves into is the tight spot. When they make a bet or a wager that gets them in over their heads, and they have no idea what is really happening. They are always the butt of the joke, but they always have an optimistic spin on things because they don’t know that they are the butt of the joke.
As my favorite stock character I would to choose Flounder from the movie The Little Mermaid. Flounder embodies all the characteristics of the perfect sidekick. The perfect sidekick should be supportive and not judgmental but should guide their companion who is the hero of the story to greatness. Though one may think the sidekick is not important it is an integral part of a hero’s journey to the goal of the movie. Flounder in the movie is Ariel’s best friend and companion he guides her to do what is right for her. In movies the sidekick can even have a more important effect on the story than any other character because he must choose what is right for the lead character. We often become fond of these characters because they represent a moral compass in the face of danger or evil for the lead character. Flounder is my favorite sidekick because he represents the young child-like aspect of Ariel’s personality. While Flounder is the child in Ariel Sebastian is the equally important more adult side. He tells her to listen to her father and obey her family but Ariel does not. She chooses to be the child that she really is. Both sidekicks are almost the rolls of the angel and the devil. But they only represent obedience and fun. This becomes and important choice for the hero. The sidekick can be good or bad but always represents a part of the hero’s personality.
One of my favorite stock characters is Hermione Granger, an intelligent bookworm in J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter series. She is described as the smartest witch in their year. She is always the first to raise her hand in response to a question in class and master a spell, and she aces every test. She is also described as a bit of a know-it-all, always correcting people, though she means well. Her smarts sometimes get annoying, but they are useful at important times, helping her friends to solve riddles and mysteries. Her excessive reading comes in handy when needing information about anything and everything. She doesn’t get embarrassed or ashamed of her “nerdiness”, or when people tease her. She is proud of herself, and this is what I like most about her. Even though she is so intelligent her biggest fear is failing, and that shows she is human just like the rest of us. What I like most about this character is that she goes beyond her stock type, and is a great brave and loyal friend. She is modest and doesn’t brag about her smarts, something that sets her about from other stock “geniuses”. This character is enjoyable to read about, always amazing me in how much she knows and does, yet always staying humble and true to herself.
My favorite stock character would be the charming prince. The charming prince is the one who, though a series of struggles, wins the girls heart. He protects the “princess” from all harm and becomes an overall hero in the end. When I was little I watched many movies where princesses were saved from evil witches and rescued from towers. This stereotype seems to be the foundation of many Disney movies and also in a lot of recent movies. The charming prince appeals to many people (especially girls) because every little girl dreams of finding and marrying her prince. Some examples of recent movies I have seen with a charming prince in them are 27 Dresses, Uptown Girls, The Proposal, and Twilight. Although these movies do not have the perfect Disney description of a charming prince, the girls always end up falling for their perfect guy by the end of the movie.
Dr. Evil, from the movie Austin Powers, is my favorite stock character. His character is clearly a spoof of many different "bad guys," mostly taken from James Bond movies. You can tell just by hearing his name that he is a stock villain. He always has a secret base, in space, inside a volcano, and even underneath the famous Hollywood sign. Dr. Evil is predictable to. His Evil plan usually consists of holding the world for ransom with a missile or, holding the world for ransom with a laser beam. In his secret lair he sits at a panel of his evil minions. He makes sure they agree with him or else he will lower their chairs into a fiery pit. When his evil plot is working he laughs a long cackle, as many villains do but his is more exaggerated and comical. Dr.Evil always thinks his plan is fool proof. When he captures the hero, Austin Powers, he just throws him into an elaborate death trap such as a pool of sharks with laser beams on their heads. Just as every villain does Dr.Evil says he prefers not to watch him die. This basically allows him to escape easily because the traps are slow and ridiculous. This shows the very stereotypical escape that many spy movies use. Dr.Evil being a spoof charter makes it much more obvious to add humor. After Austin escapes he brings down Dr.Evils plan and destroys his base. Of course Dr.Evil has an a escape plan like any good villain would and he launches himself through time or space. This ensures he will be back at his evilness again, which will also fail in the same generic way.
My favorite stock character would be the rebellious and popular guy. The kind of person that is also known as the rough and tough “bad boy”. This character is in most modern movies and always seems to attract the attention of the innocent and quiet people. Constant rule breaking seems to be the main purpose of these guys and usually nothing gets in their way. A great example of this type of stock character is Landon Carter from the movie "A Walk to Remember". He is the cool guy in his group of friends who gets in trouble frequently. When his actions are taken a little too far, Landon is forced to take part in the school play. Thinking this is the worst punishment of all, Landon jokes around and doesn’t take it seriously just like his stereotyped character would do. For some reason the outlandish teenager has taken a strange interest in this girl, Jamie Sullivan, who is the total opposite of him. So throughout the movie his image starts to change and his character shows another side, a caring and respectful side. Just like most movies, Landon isn’t as “bad” as most people thought, and falls in love with Jamie. Even though stereotypes are everywhere, no one has to keep that title. What you are now may change throughout your lifetime. Landon Carter was definitely a great example of this stock character and is one of my favorite of all time.
there are many different types of stock characters. some include the hero, villain, sidekick, best friend, mean girl and rude old man. My favorite stock character is Jenny. Jenny is the best friend stock character. She is in the movie Forrest Gump. In the movie, she is the only one who lets Forrest sit with her on the bus ride on the first day of school. From that day on, they were best friends. She stood up for him when bullies would say mean things. one time, when he still had leg braces on, he was being teased by the bullies. They were throwing rocks at him. Jenny told him to run, and so he did. He ran so fast that even the bullies could not catch up to him on their bikes. Jenny tought Forrest things and he tought her how to do things as well. He even stayed out late with her and let her come into his house at night when she got scared. Later, in High School, Forrest was walking with Jenny again. The same bullies showed up, but this time they had a truck instead of bikes. Jenny told Forrest, "Run, Forrest, RUN!" and so he did. He ran only a little bit faster but still overcame the bullies. Jenny was the kind of friend that never left Forrest's side. She did not care about his learning disability or the fact that on the first day of school looked different than all of the other kids. That's a true best friend. That's why I picked Jenny as my stock character.
When I think of a movie that is full of stereotypical stock characters, I think of the movie “Mean Girls”. In the start of the movie Cady Heron is a transfer student from Africa and is unfamiliar with her new school and the American way of life. On her first day everyone automatically assume that Cady is a freak just because she is from Africa. She spends lunch in the bathroom and is very upset when she gets home. Cady’s second day goes better when he meets and befriends two “outcasts”, Janice, the Goth, and Damian, who is “too gay to function.” Janice and Damian show Cady the ins and outs of their high school. In the cafeteria Janice tells Cady of all the different cliques in the school. There is the Jocks, the Asian nerds, the girls who “eat their feelings”, the girls who don’t eat at all, the preps, math league, the wannabes, and so on. The last clique Janice tells Cady about is a group called “The plastics”. The plastics could be defined as the most popular group in the school. All the girls want to be like them and all the guys want to date them. There are three girls in the group, Gretchen Wieners, Karen Smith, and the “queen bee” Regina George. Through out the movie Cady tries to get revenge on Regina George but while doing so she ends up becoming just like Regina. Eventually, Regina discovers the truth and strikes back by spreading the contents of her "Burn Book," a book that the plastics wrote about the girls in their school, around the school. When all the girls in the class learn all of the nasty things others have been saying about them there is mayhem in the school. Regina also puts a fake note of herself in the book, in order for Cady to be blamed. Called into the gym, the girls are forced to listen to one of the teachers who made the girls realize that all of them have been hurt by everyone saying mean things about everyone else. She has each girl confess and apologize to the rest of the girls. At the end of the movie it shows that all the girls branched out of their cliques and are ultimately kinder to one another. “Mean Girls” is filled with many stock characters and stereotypes that everybody can relate too.
A stock character is a stereotyped and commonly used character, for example a nerd or geek. A perfect example of this stock character is Napolian Dynamite. He is the epitome of a nerd. One thing that all geeks have in common is their fashion, or lack of fashion. Napolian Dynamite fits this stereotype perfectly. I can clearly remember one of his most unfashionable outfits. He was wearing a pair of poorly fitting blue jeans with a tucked in, red tee shirt with a picture of a wolf on it. He also regularly wore big glasses that looked like something one of your grandparents would wear. Another reason I consider him a nerd is because of his social skills. Geeks are stereotypically considered to be socially awkward and Napolean Dynamite defiantly is. Anyone who has seen the movie could tell you that throughout the entire movie he had extremely awkward interactions with other characters. His uncomfortable interactions were one of the main aspects that made this movie funny. The last reason I would consider Napolean Dynamite a geek is because he was constantly picked on. Everyone has been picked on at some point in their life but nerds seem to be the common target. I recall one seen when Napolean was being picked on that most people can probably quote. Napolean was sitting in class eating tater tots out of his pockets when one of the jocks said “hey Napolean give me some of your tots” and Napolean responded saying “No go find your own, im freaking starving” because he didn’t give up his tater tots the jock kicked him and squashed his food. Picking the perfect geeky stock character was easy because Napolian epitomizes the classic nerd and he instantly came to mind.
In every story about the good and the bad there is a hero from Hercules to Dora the Explorer. All of these characters have one thing in common, they all help in some way they all make the world a better place to be, even though they may just being going to candy mountain or saving the world from the evil Greek gods. The character I think most exemplifies the hero description is Batman! He is a wealthy man in disguise to rid Gothom of the evil in it. From the villains such as the joker and two-face. All of his actions make him something everyone wants to be which is the thing a hero should portray the most. He may make a mess sometimes but he always does right in the end even if it is the hardest thing to do for himself and the city. He truly shows that hero is more than a person who super human abilities, he shows that even though we are only human we should inspire people to the greater good. “You wanted me, here I am.” Is what Batman says and which shows that even when times get tough he will always be wherever you need him. All he does makes everyone want to be him he persuades people to be something that they know they are not. He made the chance to be more than anything anyone has ever known in their life. He shows that we can be whoever we want to be even though it is hard.
My favorite stock character Happy Gilmore. Throughout the movie Happy never changes. He starts out being a loud mouthed hockey player never giving up the opportunity to get into a fight or challenge somebody. When Happy picks up a golf club for the first time and hits a booming drive he thinks nothing will ever come of it. But when he is convinced to go to a golf tournament and wins it, he thinks this could be the way to fix his life financially because his grandmother the woman who raised him didn't pay her taxes and her house was being forclosed. He is determined to become a better person not somebody who yells and throws clubs and gets into fights. By the end of the movie Happy is a reformed person. He is able to repay the irs for his grandmothers debts. He also wins a very large tournament against Shooter McGavin who is the main antagonist of the story. Because Shooter wants to win so badly he tries to sabotage Happy on the 18th green by having a buddy drive a car into a tower and knocking it over onto the green obstructing Happy's putt for the win. Happy against all odds makes the putt for the win defeating Shooters chance once again for winning this tournament and getting a famed green jacket.
My favorite stock character would be the sidekick. Piglet portrays many of the aspects of a perfect sidekick. Piglet is always there for Winnie-the-Pooh. Even though Piglet can be very timid at times, he is very brave when he needs to be. Piglet knows Pooh better then anyone else in the Hundred Acre Woods. Piglet has a very strong emotional connection with Pooh, he knows him like the back of his hand. They help each other out all the time no matter how bad it is. A sidekick must know how to make the hero look better, sometimes Pooh isn't always in the best of situations but Piglet is right there to make sure he knows how to get out of sticky situations. Piglet is the cute little character who makes friendly Winnie-the-Pooh look brave and stong even when Pooh does not feel like he is. The sidekick is just as important as the hero. That is why my favorite stock hero is the sidekick.
My favorite type of stock character is the acts hardcore stock character (quite a mouthful I know.) The reason I like this character so much is because everyone always looks up to him or her because that person acts like tehy do not care about anythin but once you get down to the core of theperson they are a "soft teddy bear" or so to speak or they are just trying to hide somthing dark abd secret about themselves. I would have to say my favorite example of this type of stock charactr would be Charlie in the show Two and a Half Men. This man is an alcoholic "player" who always acts like everything is okay but once you get to know him he cares deeply about his brother and nephew. He is also the reason he is my favorite type of stock character.
My favorite character is Elle Woods from Legally Blonde. She is the typical popular blonde girl with lots of friends, a lot of money and good looks. She is usually considered the “dumb blonde”. Elle’s boyfriend, Warner broke up with her for not being very intelligent and then he went to Harvard. After her boyfriend broke up with her she became very upset and never wanted to leave the house. After months of doing nothing she decided to go to Harvard and become a lawyer to win him back. The first week there she realized that it is not as easy as she thought it would be. She stuck with it though and came out on top. She proved everyone wrong and graduated from Harvard.
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