Archetypes in Genre: The Soldier
In every narrative format, storytellers work with a cast of characters that is as vast as anyone could imagine. Background or surface-level characters don’t require much in the way of development, sprinkled liberally throughout the story for little more than padding out the world which the storyteller has created. Though it is severely frowned upon in the current day and age, stereotypes are still relied upon for these ‘there and then gone’ characters quite often, not out of any kind of insensitivity on the part of the author, but as a tool of expediency and to convey the underlying message that these characters are not vital to the continuation of either the plot or the development arcs of the primary cast of the story.
Now, in other presentations and talks that I’ve given on the art of narrative, I have explained that there are three levels of character construction, and for the purposes of establishing this concept within this series of articles/essays, I will once again clarify this idea. The levels are as follows:
Stereotype
Archetype
Full Persona
Everyone is familiar enough with stereotypes, both in fictional narrative and in social environments. Generally speaking, there’s a largely negative view of stereotypes, but they do serve a function in our world, as an initial stepping stone to observing and understanding the people around us and the ways in which they behave. This is, however, only a first step, and of the three character types, the stereotype is the least useful for long-term storytelling.
The middle category, the Archetype, is the key level of character development, even more important than the Full Persona for the following reasons. Firstly, no Full Persona character in genre fiction, or any kind of fiction for that matter, can become a wholly realized personality without first having a basic skeletal structure of Archetype to grow and develop off of. If I were to cite a singular popular example, I would go with John Snow from A Song of Ice and Fire, since his Archetype is actually the one we’ll be examining in this piece; his is ‘The Soldier’ Archetype. The Soldier is typically host to a variety of trade-based skills and attitudes, versed in the methodology of personal and small-scale combat, and presents a gruff or stoic demeanor. All of these character traits are easily spotted in John Snow, though he is further developed into a Full Persona thanks to his being a noble’s bastard (presumably from the early narrative in the series), being literate, and being possessed of enough unique perspective of the world around him to be more than just a skilled sword going about carrying out his duties.
In science fiction, the Soldier is usually a military character, a mercenary, or a bounty hunter, relying heavily on tradecraft, weapons training, and technology that is typically devoted to battle. In the Star Wars mythos, Storm Troopers and Republic commandos are clearly Soldier types, and the Mandalorians as a whole are quite obviously intended to be a people completely devoted to this mentality. Specific and notable characters who are Soldier Archetypes at their base are Boba Fett, the unnamed Mandalorian from the Disney+ series, and Chewbacca. They become more than an Archetype by way of their personality traits being presented as more nuanced, relatable, and complex.
In the horror genre, the Soldier is usually a strong survivor type, often killed off in the narrative at some point in order to demonstrate just how lethal the antagonist force or creature really is. How many policemen in those 80’s creature features or slasher films tried to help out the cast of victims, only to be butchered in the most horrific manner? The Full Persona characters who are Soldiers at their core tend to demonstrate a greater adaptability to ongoing circumstances throughout the story, and are more likely to cause actual, longstanding or lethal damage to the antagonist. For a near-perfect example of this, I would direct you to Dean Winchester, from the television series ‘Supernatural’. Dean is not exactly the deep thinking sort from the jump of the series, a dutiful trooper in the fight against the spectral and, well, supernatural. Of course, he does eventually grow beyond the Soldier Archetype and build as a character, though this takes longer than one might expect out of such a long-standing series.
In the fantasy genre, The Soldier is often exactly that- a soldier. Be they a member of a nation’s military or a city guard, they are armed, armored, and ready for a hostile situation at almost all times. As I mentioned before, we’ve seen plenty of characters in the genre who have this Archetype at their foundation, and even as talented as he is, not even the likes of George R.R. Martin can avoid relying on this time-tested technique of character development and narrative progression.
One of the facets of the Soldier in fantasy that is more obvious than in the other genres, however, is that the Soldier Archetype in fantasy is usually host to some fundamental character flaw. For example, Whiskeyjack, a vital character in Steven Erickson’s ‘Malazan’ series of novels, is too attached to his subordinate troops. While this might normally be admirable, it causes him to get more personally involved in combat scenarios than might another commanding officer, exposing himself to more personal injury and trauma than them.
In my own tale, ‘Not So Epic’, the character of Andre Dolstov is a veteran mercenary who exemplifies what one might expect from an experienced fighter. However, in keeping with the flaw requirement of the Soldier Archetype, he is a raging alcoholic. While he does offer his own explanation for this habit throughout the tale, it doesn’t negate the fact that he has this flaw attached to him.
The Soldier is useful and littered throughout the Genre Triad, and with any luck, we as readers and viewers can continue to rely on their presence for entertainment. In the future, I hope to examine how characters who are Soldiers at their Archetype level interact with the other primary Archetypes, and how one can be pleasantly surprised when those standard exchanges are subverted.
Until next time, folks, take care of yourselves, and as always, keep reading.