Do Guns Make the Man? by Matthew Bayan

Sep 19, 2011 10:43

Found this article today, thought I'd share:


Weaponry is highly effective in defining characters. After a thousand years, we still know the legend of King Arthur and his mystical sword, Excalibur.

Other distinctive weapons that define their characters: The hammer of Thor; light sabers in Star Wars - quoted by Obi Wan Kenobi as “an elegant weapon.” Only the elite Jedi use them. In contrast, George Lucas very clearly draws a distinction between Skywalker and Solo when Han tells Luke, “Nothing like a good ‘ol blaster at your side, kid.”

Let’s look at the special linkages writers have forged between two classic characters and the weapons they use: Mike Hammer and James Bond. In Mike Hammer, Mickey Spillane created the quintessential hard-boiled detective and reinvented a genre. Ian Fleming’s creation became the model for spy novels for decades to come.

Anyone who has read about these two characters knows that Mike Hammer is one tough SOB and carries a government model .45 semi-automatic pistol. This is arguably one of the most powerful and reliable handguns you can carry on your person. Hammer not only shoots big holes in people with it, but also whacks them in the head with it from time to time. Almost three pounds of steel makes a pretty good blackjack.

James Bond, on the other hand, carries a .25 caliber Beretta that his superior, M, considers a “lady’s gun.” In one of the early Bond books, M issues Bond a Walther PPK in .32 caliber, a much stronger round than the .25 caliber bullet of the Beretta. Back in the field, what gun does Bond pull out during a fight scene? Yes, the good old Beretta. He had left the PPK behind. This tug of war over his service gun goes on for some time.


How do we get an inner knowledge of these characters by their weapons? Hammer is a big guy; he carries a big gun. He wears suits slightly larger than he needs to conceal this big .45 in a shoulder holster. He frequently looks rumpled. He sports a crewcut. He drinks beer and whisky. He is anything but elegant.

On the other hand, Bond is best pictured in a tuxedo. He drinks champagne and drives an expensive sports car. He looks completely at home in a Monte Carlo casino, where Hammer would be escorted to the door. Bond doesn’t like to carry anything bigger than the .25 Beretta because it ruins the lines of his jacket. His weapon is as subtle as he is.

Nobody would ever infer that Bond was not manly by carrying a “lady’s gun.” In fact, in terms of being a ladies’ man, Bond leaves Hammer in the dust. This contrast in the symbolic use of weapons shows very clearly how a gun can be an edifying personality component, rather than just a tool like a wrench that the character occasionally picks up and puts down. For someone whose life is put into danger, the weapon that he or she carries involves an intimate look at the way that character perceives danger.

Mike Hammer, true to his name, runs right at danger and smashes into it, believing that his power will prevail. James Bond, on the other hand, works within his environment, attempting to manipulate that environment to his own uses; he hides and observes; he gathers information; he relies on his gun only as a last resort. Where Hammer depends on his gun to solve problems, Bond relies on cunning and stealth.

Hammer frequently kills his enemies by blowing holes in them or through some use of brute force. Think of how James Bond finishes off the major villains: Doctor No gets buried in bird guano in the book, drowns in a nuclear reactor in the movie; in From Russia With Love, the killer, Grant, gets strangled in his climactic fight with Bond in a train cabin; Goldfinger gets sucked out the window of a jet plane. Bond doesn’t use a gun on them. He uses creativity.
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It's a genuine remark. Even TV Tropes points out the differences in a character's Weapon of Choice have a significant insight into the character of the... character (Sorry, trying to avoid redundancy, but I got nothing), to the point that the Hero's righthand man is called 'The Lance', and you also have the Sniper and Heavy Man, all of which signify not only the character's role, but their physical attributes and preferred method of dealing with things. I also want to point out the Doctor (of Doctor Who) who's typical preffered 'weapon' of choice is a Sonic Screwdriver -- 'Doesn't hurt, doesn't maim, doesn't kill - but that's what I like about it' and in some incarnations, absolutely detests guns as a thing of violence, and little more. Compare with River Song, who always has her blaster, and is not only a damn good shot, but has no fear of her weapon, and will even use it to destroy her boy toy's fez if it suits her. Mels' first reaction to the Doc is to put a gun to his head and say, 'I've got a gun, you've got a time machine. Let's kill Hitler.' It shows her rash, militaristic (and mercenary, if we're honest) mentality and loyalties. She's trusting, and not, following the Doctor everywhere, while also stating, 'Rule 1: The Doctor lies.'

One can even refer to Harry Potter. The Sword of Gryffindor isn't just a very valueable prop, it's a symbol of courage and valour, and is the weapon of choice when destroying Horcruxes. And in a more subtle way, each wizard's wand says a bit something about them - Lily's wand was noted as 'springy, good for Charmswork', while James was 'sturdy, but flexible, excellent for Transfiguration'; every wizard has the wand choose them, and what wand connects with their soul (and, inevitably, magic-use style) is a reflection of that individual. Rowling did a lot of research for her wands, from wand core to length to wood to personalise the wands individually so that each wizard's wand says a little bit about them.

Or how about Storm Hawks? Piper and Cyclonis are both crystal mages, and as such wield the traditional staff. The Dark Ace has a broadsword, for more power. Ravess is an archer, which requires precision and perfection, as well as fine motor skills and subtle strength that is also reflected in her violin. Snipe, on the other hand, has his mace in an archaic, medieval show of strength, even though it's a bit unwieldy, just as much as he is - his 'More Dakka!' philosophy always backfires, because he thinks that brute strength will win the battle because, quite frankly, he doesn't have the smarts to do otherwise. Junko has his knucklebusters, because he fights with his fists, brute strength. Finn has his crossbow, for his precise aim (sharpshootah! -riffs!-) because 'Finn never misses' - mind, to balance with his cocky nature, this also isn't a very good hand-to-hand combat, as shown that he's a bit of a coward and doesn't always think things all the way through. Stork is non-agressive, and I'd say more paranoid than a coward (unlike Finn). He's dark and sinister, and borderline evil - he tries to avoid trouble, but at the same time, won't run away from a fight, and regularly swoops in to save the day - from the safety of the Condor, but still. He's an intellectual, and is more likely to evade/trap his enemies than take them head-on - when he is fighting others, his combat tactics are more defensive - primarily booby traps and the like on his ship, ride or person. But, when he does charge into battle, he goes in guns blazing, with a manic madness spurned on by pushing his Berserk Button. When actually forced into hand-to-hand combat, we see he's a powerful, agile fighter, and a force to be reckoned with, but he'd much rather avoid the fight. In an ironic way (but not really, if you think about it) Stork is the best fighter of the bunch - he's the one who takes the martial art's philosophy of 'avoid a fight, but be prepared for one' to heart. Mind, he's also pretty helpless when out of his comfort zone (as noted by him banging into poles and the like on a regular basis whenever he has the misfortune of being outside the ship), but he's very resourceful.

One can go on and on with examples, but it's an honest philosophy, and something to consider when you're writing - what weapon would your character likely use, and why? Even when playing Left 4 Dead, you'll notice that some favour melee (an axe for gore, a guitar for cool factor) vs. automatic (for those who like to hold down the button) vs. pistols (for those with the practical forethought to 'conserve ammo'). Do you seek out specialised weaponry because it's cool, or because it's more your style? How about the Sniper v. the big guns? Shotgun vs. rifle? Even in swords, rapier? Broadsword? Katana? Dagger? Knife? Shuriken? What you choose for your character will be influenced by their background, fighting style, and also supply. Are you practical, or sentimental? Is it 'Vera, my very favourite gun', or 'this here's my boomstick'? Do you have the same glock you were assigned when you signed on to the force (for cops) or are you Neo (the Matrix) and have a whole duffle of machine guns that you toss as soon as they're empty? Answering these questions will give you some insight into your character's way of thinking, style of dealing with problems and enemies, and even hint at their backstory - so next time you get the chance, take your muse to a shooting range and see what you can learn.

zombies, geeklet, education, bastards, literature, firefly, rpg, doctor who, bruce campbell, philosophy, storm hawks, blogging, science, harry potter

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