Character Type & Trope Thesaurus: Cowboy

In 1959, Carl Jung first popularized the idea of archetypes—”universal images that have existed since the remotest times.” He posited that every person is a blend of these 12 basic personalities. Ever since then, authors have been applying this idea to fictional characters, combining the different archetypes to come up with interesting new versions. The result is a sizable pool of character tropes that we see from one story to another.

Archetypes and tropes are popular storytelling elements because of their familiarity. Upon seeing them, readers know immediately who they’re dealing with and what role the nerd, dark lord, femme fatale, or monster hunter will play. As authors, we need to recognize the commonalities for each trope so we can write them in a recognizable way and create a rudimentary sketch for any character we want to create.

But when it comes to characters, no one wants just a sketch; we want a vibrant and striking cast full of color, depth, and contrast. Diving deeper into character creation is especially important when starting with tropes because the blessing of their familiarity is also a curse; without differentiation, the characters begin to look the same from story to story.

But no more. The Character Type and Trope Thesaurus allows you to outline the foundational elements of each trope while also exploring how to individualize them. In this way, you’ll be able to use historically tried-and-true character types to create a cast for your story that is anything but traditional.

DESCRIPTION: The traditional cowboy or rancher.

FICTIONAL EXAMPLES: Ennis Del Mar and Jack Twist (Brokeback Mountain), Woody (the Toy Story franchise), Curly (City Slickers), John Dutton (Yellowstone)

COMMON STRENGTHS: Adventurous, Alert, Calm, Confident, Courageous, Decisive, Disciplined, Honorable, Humble, Independent, Industrious, Nature-Focused, Observant, Patient, Persistent, Resourceful, Simple, Traditional

COMMON WEAKNESSES: Abrasive, Cocky, Impulsive, Inflexible, Macho, Rebellious, Reckless, Stingy, Stubborn, Tactless, Uncooperative, Uncommunicative

ASSOCIATED ACTIONS, BEHAVIORS, AND TENDENCIES
Preferring solitude
Being a hard worker
Having simple needs—not being fussy about what they eat or where they sleep
Preferring to be outdoors
Having strong knowledge of local plant and animal life
Having a way with animals and being fond of them
Being humble
Being stoic; not showing much emotion
Rejecting any organization or person trying to exert authority over them
Resisting change and progress
Believing in vigilante justice

SITUATIONS THAT WILL CHALLENGE THEM
Having to spend time in an urban environment
Being stuck with someone who is entitled or “soft”
Meeting someone he’s interested in who is very different from him
A situation where he has to ask for help

TWIST THIS TROPE WITH A CHARACTER WHO…
Likes to work with others
Is from a culture or religious background that’s different from the people around him
Is able to appreciate moral and ethical complexities
Has an atypical trait: Extroverted, Gentle, Materialistic, Philosophical, Verbose, etc.

CLICHÉS TO BE AWARE OF
The lone wolf character who has no friends except his horse
The cowboy who only sees the world in black and white
Tough and gruff cowboys

Other Type and Trope Thesaurus entries can be found here.

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