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The '''boy next door''' is an archetype of [[storytelling]]. He is often invoked in Western contexts to indicate wholesome, unassuming, or "average" [[masculinity]]. He is a young man with a sweet, shy demeanor who is just discovering his physical and spiritual strengths. The '''boy next door''' maintains his innocent wonder due to his charm, sincerity and preservation of virginity. He is never arrogant and mostly reserved. He is the male counterpart of the "[[girl next door]]." An example of each is found in [[Thornton Wilder]]'s ''[[Our Town]]'', in the characters of George Gibbs and Emily Webb. |
The '''boy next door''' is an archetype of [[storytelling]]. He is often invoked in Western contexts to indicate wholesome, unassuming, or "average" [[masculinity]]. He is a young man with a sweet, shy demeanor who is just discovering his physical and spiritual strengths. The '''boy next door''' maintains his innocent wonder due to his charm, sincerity and preservation of virginity. He is never arrogant and mostly reserved. He is the male counterpart of the "[[girl next door]]." An example of each is found in [[Thornton Wilder]]'s ''[[Our Town]]'', in the characters of George Gibbs and Emily Webb. |
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There is a set of typical relations he may maintain in the story. The boy next door is often, but not always, the [[protagonist]] of a story. As such, his innocence, sincerity, and common origin will often be contrasted with the cleverness, hypocrisy, and privilege of the [[antagonist]]. The boy next door may have a [[sidekick]], who shows somewhat less promise than the boy next door; this will serve to heighten his appeal by contrast. When the boy next door is a sidekick himself, he is often employed to contrast his fresh-faced innocence against the more world wise view of the protagonist. In this scenario, he will often do something well-intentioned but daring which puts him at risk, forcing the protagonist into a course of action to save him. |
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Often a [[femme fatale]] or a [[girl next door]] will be pulled between love for the boy next door and her desire for a luxurious life offered by the villain. A boy next door may serve as a [[love interest]] for a female protagonist. In this case, he is most likely someone the protagonist has known for most of her life, but, in the past, couldn't appreciate because of her age. As a love interest, the boy next door is always physically close, yet at the same time detached from, the protagonist. He is the sweet boy the protagonist sees everyday, a really great friend, or the perfect boy to bring home to her parents. He is very innocent when it comes to romance and is almost always a virgin. Because of his innocent manner, many erotic fantasies use the boy next door purely as a pretense behind which a real man is secretly very sexual. |
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==See also== |
==See also== |
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Revision as of 20:48, 16 February 2012
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The boy next door is an archetype of storytelling. He is often invoked in Western contexts to indicate wholesome, unassuming, or "average" masculinity. He is a young man with a sweet, shy demeanor who is just discovering his physical and spiritual strengths. The boy next door maintains his innocent wonder due to his charm, sincerity and preservation of virginity. He is never arrogant and mostly reserved. He is the male counterpart of the "girl next door." An example of each is found in Thornton Wilder's Our Town, in the characters of George Gibbs and Emily Webb.
See also
Look up boy next door (stock character) in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.