Should We Let "The Chosen One" Die?
A couple of months back, I released a video about my least favorite tropes. Chief among them was (and is) the Chosen One trope. This trope’s presence in a story is almost guaranteed to put a bad taste in my mouth as soon as I pick up the book, and it’s bound to get at least one star docked. Today, I want to take a closer, more analytical look at this trope. I’ll talk about what it is, what it means for stories, and how I feel about it as a whole.
What is the Chosen One?
The Chosen One is a common fantasy and science fiction trope in which one individual has been chosen by some means to be the individual responsible for resolving the plot. It’s up to this person, “because of reasons,” to carry the plot from beginning to end. That plot might be carrying the ring to Mordor, or it may be killing the Dark Lord. This trope is found across all mediums, from books to films to video games.
The Big Issue with the Chosen One
Multiple complaints can be voiced regarding the Chosen One trope and why some people (myself included) are tired of seeing it. There is one, however, that I think stands chief among the rest: predictability. Stories featuring the Chosen One are often extremely predictable and formulaic. You know what’s going to happen not just with a particular scene or character, but with the story as a whole. The Chosen One sets up the entire arc of your story—they’ve been chosen to do something, they’re almost definitely going to do that thing, so you’re just along for the predictable ride.
It’s so predictable in fact that trope subversions can often feel half-hearted and lazy, too. The most common subversion of this trope that I see is that the prophecy dictating that there’s a chosen one wasn’t real in the first place. Oh goodness, how subversive. Wow. I’m enthralled. Definitely didn’t see that coming.
Sarcasm doesn’t translate very well in writing, so just to clarify, I’m being sarcastic, here. Subverting the Chosen One trope is essentially the bare minimum that a writer can do to sneak in a little Chosen One plot magic in a story, these days. If you’re throwing in a trope like this to a modern story and you aren’t subverting it, that goes far beyond mere laziness, in my opinion. You’re practically copying and pasting one of thousands of other manuscripts.
Why is the Chosen One Predictable?
This trope is predictable because right from the beginning, you’re told what the plot of the story is. Not only that but you’re told who the hero of the story is. There’s one good guy you’re supposed to be rooting for you, and you know what the good guy needs to do by the end. The good guy has to take this piece of jewelry and plop it into a volcano. That is going to happen by the end of this story, no doubt (cheap trope subversion notwithstanding).
Sure, sure, journey before destination and other B-Moneyisms, but I like to have at least a little misery regarding my destination, no matter how enjoyable the journey might be in the meantime. Plus, after having experienced so many Chosen One stories, I feel like I’ve already been on the journey. The Chosen One is going to grapple with the reality of being the Chosen One, at least one person is going to be jealous that the Chosen One is the Chosen One, and there’s going to be a manufactured conflict that makes it seem like the Chosen One might not do the thing, then the Chosen One decides to do the thing in the end.
Or, worse still, all of that happens, but then it turns out the Chosen One wasn’t the Chosen One at all, because someone else does the thing and now that person was the Chosen One all along. All the signs were there! You’re just dumb for not noticing them.
It’s predictable. Even when you throw in some subversions, it’s a plot that can be predicted with a few sticky notes and markers, with no need for the chaotic red thread. With the subversions counted, the story’s plot typically still doesn’t move too far from the beaten path.
Do I Think it Can Be Done Well?
I believe that almost any trope can be subverted to a great enough degree that it constitutes being done “well” and can tell a great story. There are hundreds of thousands of writers out there; surely, one of them can think of a way to make even the worst trope fresh and impactful! The question isn’t so much “can it be done”, but rather “should it be done”. Should fresh writers be trying to subvert the Chosen One trope in fantasy and science fiction?
In my opinion, the answer is no, at least for right now. I think that we need a break from the Chosen One trope for at least a couple of decades. Get it out of rotation, let it die, then let a few people bring it back with renewed eyes. Too harsh? Let me explain my thinking on this one.
When I pick up a book and that book kicks off with a good ol’ Chosen One trope, I’m extremely likely to put that book down. It doesn’t matter if the author subverts the tropes. It doesn’t matter if the writing is excellent. I’m so exhausted by the Chosen One that it’s an instant no from me. It takes people insisting that I check out a story in spite of its tropes for me to give it a chance when it starts things off with a prophecy and a Chosen One. Sometimes, that still doesn’t totally work out for me. Overcoming something as daunting as the Chosen One in a story is a nearly insurmountable task. So my question is: why even bother? Why not lay the trope to rest and think of a new, creative way to tell your tale?
Conclusion
Let’s go ahead and get this little rant wrapped up, shall we? The Chosen One is a tired trope in which one person is the only individual out there who can resolve the story’s plot. There are plenty of ways to subvert this trope and in fact, it’s subverted more often than not in today’s media. However, subverting the trope doesn’t mean the trope isn’t there to begin with, and this can often lead to an extremely predictable, run-of-the-mill plot. I believe that the Chosen One can be done well, but that it needs to be given a break for a couple of decades before we give it another chance.