Are There Clear Defined Roles? (Good & Evil)

In many circumstances the roles of whether being of good natured or evil, are anonymous. Whether the reader or audience is reading a book, or watching a movie, the roles are not clearly defined until later on. Depending of the type of book or film, this can vary, as in some; the roles are clear and defined.

Depending on the type of book your reading, or the type of movie you’re watching, the author is to define the roles of each character, depending on the difficulty of the book but also for whom the book is intended to. If it were a book that was intended for the audience of minors, and children, then the roles are clear and defined for the reader, as of which character is the villain and hero, the bad ones and good ones. At a novice level book or movie, the villains are usually hidden, creating a suspense, which adds clarity and emphasizing the villain by making him mysterious, which overall is the ingredients for a perfect scene. In a less complicated book or movie, the villain would already be identified and described meaning that the roles are clear and defined. But, the protagonist, nevertheless is always given a clear, heroic, good natured role, meaning that we the audience and reader can identify the good with ease.

This is also presented in the graphical comics and novels we study and analyzed in class. Comparing ‘V for Vendetta’ and ‘Batman: The Dark Knight Returns’, we seen that the roles of the villains are blurred and not defined. The Dark Knight Returns gives out a clear idea of this, as Joker, and especially Two-Face, whom is revealed as villain later on. Two-Face, earlier on the novel is considered as a man of good, fighting for the city against crimes, and the mobs, but later on Two-Face turns out to be an villain, as the audience didn’t expect this transition.

Not in every book, novel, comic, or movie are you going to find out that the roles are clearly defined. Again, it depends on the type, and difficulty of the book, whereas in a easy to read, targeted for teens and under, the roles of the characters are to be clear, and defined. In a more novice book targeted for more advance reader, the roles are going to be reveal much later on, as there will be several twists.