Angst-ridden youth
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The Angst-ridden Youth or Angst-ridden Hero is a stock character famously epitomized by James Dean. The young Anakin Skywalker (of the Star Wars films) and Harry Potter (of J.K. Rowling's books) are also this type of hero.
The hero is usually handsome and has a some sense of common good, but is conflicted in some way by a haunting mental or spiritual flaw, usually a dark past or an uncertain future. While Anakin Skywalker and Harry Potter are both angst-ridden heroes, they are of different types.
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[edit] Uncertain Future
Anakin Skywalker is a young, handsome and powerful Jedi. He is the light of the future and the "Chosen One who will bring balance to the Force". He has, however, an uncertain future, whether to fulfill the prophecy and bring balance, or to challenge fate and save his secret wife in a misguided act of selfish love. This is what causes all the anxiety and insecurity in his mind. He allows these emotions to work through him, eventually festering him into that which he has sworn to destroy. As such, he fulfills his destiny by destroying his master and truly does bring balance.
[edit] Dark Past
Harry Potter, on the other hand, not only has an uncertain future, but he also has a dark past. The brutal murder of his parents causes a great amount of frustration in him, only fueled by living with an aunt and uncle who not only detest speaking of Harry's parents, but also loathe the young boy himself. Harry's future is as uncertain to the reader as it is to him: to date, the final volume in the series remains unpublished. At his first meeting with his nemesis, Voldemort (the murderer of his parents) offered him a chance to join forces, which Harry quickly refused. Fans agree that the chances of Harry joining Voldemort remain slim, as Harry's mentor, Dumbledore, has taught Harry to realize that his love for his parents is his true power, and that it will never be consumed.
[edit] Other Types
Another Angst-ridden Hero would be Raziel from the Legacy of Kain series of video games. At first his sole motivation is vengeance, to settle his dispute with his former master for tearing him from his grace. As the story progresses and we learn more of Kain's motives, Raziel begins to turn into the traditional Angst-ridden, he now seeks the truth and is inevitably manipulated at every turn, not being able to trust anyone. At the end of Legacy of Kain: Defiance, Raziel realizes his true purpose, not as the leader, but as the weapon of his once again master, Kain. He had known of this fate in the previous game and loathed its inevitability, but by defiance he had embraced it and was more than willing to give his life for a better cause, showing traces now of three types of heroes: Angst-ridden hero, anti-hero and finally tragic hero.
