Washington Irving and the Underdog

       Ichabod Crane is the ultimate underdog. He is a skinny, lanky, day-dreaming man hoping to win the heart of a woman that most would consider to be his superior because of her wealth and beauty. (http://www.voanews.com/learningenglish/home/a-23-2006-04-23-voa4-83129372.html) This is a plot that everyone is familiar with: the boy who doesn't seem to have much hope is fighting a stronger male for the affections of a lovely lady, which neither really seems to deserve. The majority of films and books today use this same storyline because audiences love to root for the underdog, and usually the underdogs are successful (with the exception of Ichabod Crane). I started to think of some present-day books and movies that had audiences rooting for the least likely character.

       The most recent movie like this that I could think of was "The Vow" with Rachel McAdams and Channing Tatum. Channing Tatum's character must make his wife, Rachel McAdams, fall back in love with him after she loses her memory. The last thing she remembers is being engaged to someone else, a man who is more successful and wealthier than Channing Tatum. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1606389/) No one seems to like the strong, assertive characters in those type of films except for the girl, but in the end the underdog wins.

Another example that is a little different is the Movie "Bridesmaids". In this case, two of the characters are fighting to be the best friend of Lillian, played by Maya Rudolph. Kristen Wiig plays the underdog character Annie, a seemingly hopeless and eternally single 30-something working a job that barely plays her rent. The antagonist, Helen, poses a wealthy, beautiful, successful threat to Annie's friendship with Helen. (http://www.bridesmaidsmovie.com/index.php) After seeing Helen's schemes to ruin that friendship, audiences sided with Annie and rooted for her throughout the movie.

       Usually, audiences are furious and frustrated when the underdogs do not come out on top, and they hate to see when those strong, usually mean, characters are victorious. Washington Irving ended his writing a little differently than most would have wanted, with the alpha character Brom Bones getting the girl, thus shattering the hopes of the poor dreamer Ichabod Crane.

Sources:
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=armKM1-kYY8
Picture 1: http://cdn2.teen.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/rachel-mcadams-channing-tatum-the-vow-movie-cast-pic-2.jpg
Picture 2: http://www.onlinemovieshut.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/bridesmaids-movie-poster.jpg