Why is the Orphan archetype so resonant in stories?

Huckleberry Finn. Tarzan. Little Orphan Annie. Harry Potter. Superman. Babe. Billy Elliot. Good Will Hunting. And perhaps the most famous of them all:

Why is the Orphan archetype so resonant in literature, TV and movies? I have lots of theories, but I’m interested to hear your thoughts first.

While we’re at it, what other orphan characters spring to mind? For inspiration, you can go here to see 579 movies that feature orphans.

See you in comments for your thoughts on the matter.

UPDATE: Great comments and quite helpful, I think, for writers to consider the Orphan type. Made me think: What if we ran a month-long series on other types? Warrior, Addict, Martyr, Virgin, Gambler, Searcher, and so on.

One of the beauties of working with archetypes is you can take the five primary ones — Protagonist, Nemesis, Attractor, Mentor, Trickster — and use these other types to help develop unique iterations.

For example, imagine a Nemesis as a Prostitute or an Artist? A Mentor as a Prince or a Beggar? An Attractor as an Avenger or a Healer? A Trickster as an Alchemist or a Child?

Anybody up for a series on archetypes and types?

Comment Archive