4 • TUESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2012 ED! THE WEST AUSTRALIAN THE WEST AUSTRALIAN ED! TUESDAY, AUGUST 21, 2012 • 5 Topic: Heroes and Villains in literature ED! • 5

A GOOD HERO Oliver Twist: Bill Sikes threatens The term “hero” Oliver. comes from an NEEDS A GOOD VILLAIN Ancient Greek word meaning “protector” or FOULEST FIENDS Everyone loves a good villain but PEOPLE’S CHOICE “defender” so it There are so many wonderfully ghastly villains without them there would be no ED! asked around to uncover comes as no from literary history — where do we stop? the favourite heroes and villains of some literary surprise that our heroes. In Children’s Book Week, first literary 1. Lord Voldemort. If there was a gold medal for people of Perth. best villain it would surely go to “he who must Heather Zubek goes in search of Margaret Allen, State heroes existed not be named”. Like any good villain Voldemort the most memorable characters in Librarian of WA: within Greek sought eternal life and world domination. My best recollection of mythology. The Evil a hero in children’s White Witch children’s literature. 2. Witches. With so many wonderfully wicked literature would have to be Storm Boy, not only for the story of how witches they are grouped together: Cruella • the boy rescues and nurses three pelican The White Witch from The Lion, the Witch de Vil SO THE STORY GOES and the Wardrobe is beautiful and evil, a chicks and releases them, but for the conflict There are fictional characters we just love to love and great combination for a villain. Jadis, the between his bond with the pelican named Mr those we love to hate. The more dastardly the villain, the self-proclaimed Queen of Narnia, reigned Percival and its fate, with the need for him to braver the hero. Heroes have to find the strength and skill over the eternal winter she created, killing attend school. Also as a child we holidayed in to outwit the onslaught of their arch enemies. Without our anyone who stood in her way. the Coorong area, where the story was based. heroes and villains, there wouldn’t be a story. Peter Pan • The Wicked Witch of the West in the Wizard would just be another lost boy, Lord Voldemort would just of Oz was the villainous leader of the Winkie James Foley, author and illustrator of In be a grumpy old wizard and Batman’s cape would still be Country. She sought revenge on Dorothy and the Lion and illustrator for The Last in his wardrobe. Viking: her dog after they accidentally killed her sister. Superman: Christopher Reeve played the leading • Todd and Viola from The Walking Chaos The Grand High Witch from Roald Dahl’s The role in the first Superman film in 1978. Witches would have to be the most GOOD V EVIL make excellent heroes. They are just kids but horrifyingly ugly witch, wreaking havoc on the • The term “hero” comes from an Ancient Greek word have to make grown-up, life-and-death world by getting rid of all children in the most meaning “protector” or “defender” so it comes as no decisions. The villain Mayor Prentiss (in this story) is so manipulative; he is truly evil (but adventurous ways. AROUND surprise that our first literary heroes existed within Greek A CERTAIN mythology. These heroes and heroines faced danger with TOP HEROES with shades of good in there too). THE WORLD It is almost impossible to reduce the number 3. Cruella de Vil. For any animal lover Cruella de courage and self-sacrifice all in the name of the greater POWER • Some of the most of wonderful literary heroes to just five but What makes Vil from The Hundred and One Dalmatians was good. The most recognised Greek hero, Hercules, Norman Jorgensen, author of The Last grotesque and fearsome we will have to try: literary heroes the ultimate villain. This London heiress not only performed amazing feats of strength and power against the Viking, Jack’s Island and many others: villains have come from such as Harry terrorised her poor husband but also drowned most horrific monsters, including his stepmother Hera. One of my great heroes is Atticus Finch, the Japanese folklore. The 1. Harry Potter. We have to include the boy Potter or kittens and kidnapped puppies. Many of these ancient stories of heroes served as moral honourable and decent father from Harper yokai are supernatural wizard given his popularity with young readers. Superman so examples, making these characters role models. Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. Although not monsters that can also be As a baby his parents were murdered, and then Margaret Allen compelling? Usually 4. Bill Sikes. Anyone who beats children and • Interestingly, the term “villain” comes from the Old strictly a children’s book, with its themes of found today in many he had to suffer living with the dreadful storybook heroes have dogs has got to be bad. Bill Sikes from Oliver French term “vilein” meaning “farmhand” which in its racism and intolerance, Mockingbird is told manga stories. One of the Dursleys. As a teenager our hero fought villains a certain power or skill Twist was also a robber and murderer. day meant someone who was not chivalrous in nature. In from the point of view of Scout, his young more popular of the yokai ranging from the slimy Basilisk to the greatest that others lack. Sherlock early times villains were often the Black, Red or Green daughter, and is often about the adventures of is the Kappa or water villain of all, “he who must not be named”. Holmes had great powers of 5. Sauron. The unsleeping eye of Sauron from Knights who battled the heroes of King Arthur’s realm. the children in their Deep South town (in the goblin, an aquatic deduction and Superman The Lord of the Rings scoured Middle Earth • Later on, stories of “good verses evil” found their way US). I am a huge fan of pirate stories, so there monster resembling a 2. Huckleberry Finn. Like Harry Potter, Huck enjoyed X-ray vision and super searching for the Ring taken from him in battle. into the minds of children. The Pilgrim’s Progress, written are two contenders for my worst villain in duck, frog and turtle. didn’t have the greatest of upbringings. His strength. All heroes don’t need super powers This villain stopped at nothing to retrieve the during the 17th century, follows the hero Christian as he literature. Although he looks the part of a father was an alcoholic and at times he was but they do need characteristics setting them apart even if Ring and power over Middle Earth. travels to the Celestial City fighting villains and demons. dashing hero, Captain Hook from J. M. • A young slave girl imprisoned in a cabin in the woods. Huck Norman it’s just believing in themselves when no one else does. • During the 1700s heroes began to face adventure as well Barrie’s Peter Pan is not a nice man at all. called Morgiana is the enjoyed many adventures especially with Jim, a Jorgensen Good heroes also have flaws that make them more as villains. The reluctant heroes in Robinson Crusoe and His forcing of Peter and the Lost Boys to walk true hero found in the slave, who wins his freedom with Huck’s help. interesting. Superman has his Kryptonite and Ironman Gulliver’s Travels find themselves fighting villains such as the plank into the waiting jaws of the ticking Arabic story of Ali Baba has arrogance. Like any good villain cannibals and giant wasps as they struggle for survival. crocodile is the stuff of nightmares. The other and the Forty Thieves. 3. Matilda Wormwood. Six-year-old Matilda, Most villains have certain characteristics in common. Voldemort sought eternal • During the 1800s stories became more political, with any villain I love, who most likely wins the worst Morgiana foils the efforts from the book of the same name, had an amazing One of them is power. Many villains have, or have the threat to the British Empire viewed as villainous. In the villain crown, is Long John Silver, the life and world domination of all 40 of the thieves intellect that irritated her awful headmaster and desire for, absolute power. This power could be in the form 1900s comic-book writers created the superhero and one-legged, parrot-wearing, anti-hero from stopping at nothing to get it. who try to kill Ali Baba. her parents, who just wanted her to watch of wealth such as in Cruella de Vil or magic as in Lord supervillain, with Superman at times fighting the nazis. Treasure Island. television. Our heroine found a way to seek Voldemort. Lord Voldemort is seen as the ultimate villain revenge through her telekinetic powers. Meg McKinlay, author of No Bears, given his attempts at justifying his immoral ways saying Meg McKinlay Surface Tension and many other great that what he is doing is for the greater good. Harry Potter: Hermione, Ron and Harry. Gulliver’s Travels: Jack Black as Gulliver in the movie. 4. Artemis Fowl. At first a mastermind children’s books: The most evil of villains also have high intelligence. The criminal but Artemis Fowl saw the error in his My favourite hero is Harriet M. Welsch, from sinister Moriarty from Sherlock Holmes plots to outwit villainous ways and became a hero who worked Louise Fitzhugh’s Harriet the Spy. Because our detective hero using highly inventive twists and traps. with the fairies to defeat the bad guys and save she’s curious and clever, complex and flawed, Just as heroes have their flaws so do villains. The most the world. she’s sensitive and vulnerable but always memorable villains are wounded in some way. They may stubbornly, unflinchingly herself. My suffer physical scars such as Captain Hook from Peter Pan 5. Pippi Longstocking. Who wouldn’t want to favourite villain would have to be The Other or emotional ones like The Grinch. This suggests that a live with a pet monkey and horse? This Mother, from Neil Gaiman’s Coraline. There’s true villain is not born but created. A truly formidable rebellious Swedish girl was naughty but nice James Foley something truly terrifying about her that villain is one that is seemingly unstoppable. They have a because she had a great sense of fair play and goes beyond the stereotypical “bad” or determination and drive to achieve their goal; whatever it fought for the weak and oppressed. “scary” of many villains. is, making the hero of the story even more heroic.