Character Stereotype

1. Character Stereotype “The Old Guy”

2. The Shades of Age • There are 3 main types: • The Angry Old Man • The Wise Old Man • The Crazy Old Guy

3. The Angry Old Man Hate the “young whippersnappers” or “newfangled technology” Often live very close to the protagonist, usually next-door May actually assume the role of an antagonist, but usually in a limited context Most have a heart of gold under their gruff exterior

4. Angry Old Man -One Example is Mr. Wilson from Dennis the Menace. He hates Dennis for all of the trouble he causes and often works against him. But in the end, he comes to love Dennis. -In The Sandlot, a group of boys play Baseball in an old sandlot. One day they Hit a priceless baseball over the fence and Onto the property of Mr. Mertle, a local Legend of evil. After exhausting all other options, the boys grudgingly ask Mr. Mertle For the ball, and discover he isn’t a bad man After all.

5. The Wise Old Man Kind, caring, and considerate to all; almost never resorts to violence Wise and knowledgeable from a lifetime of experience Often acts as a mentor to the protagonist, training him/her for some important event later on If acting as a mentor, usually leaves the protagonist after training him/her

6. Wise Old Man -In The Karate Kid, a bullied boy named Daniel seeks to learn karate to defend himself, and Mr. Miyagi teaches him. But he also shows Daniel that there is more than just fighting in life, that violence isn’t always the answer. -Perhaps the most famous wise man can be found in Star Wars. Obi-Wan Kenobi teaches Luke not only proper lightsaber technique, but also about the force, and how it flows through all life, a lesson Luke keeps close to his heart.

7. The Crazy Old Guy Often very extravagant and strange due to mannerisms and phrases from the past; relics of times gone by Almost always used merely as comic relief in the form of a supporting character A subtype of this is the oxymoron old man: an older person doing very athletic actions that are not normally possible Very popular on sitcoms and cartoons

8. Crazy Old Guy -On The King of Queens, the Heffernan family, Doug and Carrie, live with Carrie’s crazy father, Arthur. On most episodes Arthur can be seen causing chaos in the Heffernan family with his oddball antics and strange stories. On Hey Arnold, Arnold lives in a boarding house With his grandparents, who are more than a bit Odd. Arnold regularly asks Grandpa for advice, But this usually backfires in some sort of story About the old days with a humorous and irrelevant moral such as: “Never eat raspberries.”

9. Craziest Old Guy And who could forget the Six Flags Man! If you don’t understand why he’s crazy, I suggest you see a doctor.

10. In Conclusion… Whether acting as the despised neighborhood villain, the wise pillar of justice, or that kooky old guy who shouts at garden gnomes, the “old man” will persist, as an example of why to not become bitter with age, to teach the wisdom of the past, and make us all laugh at when knee-high socks were in fashion.