Line #56 Main/StockMonsterSymbolism


1	->''"Hey...aren't zombies great? I mean, all they do is eat and eat and eat, growing in number, just like you red-white-and-blue Americans."''
2	-->-- '''Carlito Keyes''', ''VideoGame/DeadRising''
3
4	You wanna make a serious minded monster movie? Well, the result is going to be taken as symbolism, [[EveryoneIsJesusInPurgatory regardless of what you intended]].
5
6	Here, then, are some of the standard Monsters from OurMonstersAreDifferent, with notable examples of said symbolism as interpreted.
7	----
8	[[foldercontrol]]
9
10	[[folder:Aliens and other non-human creatures]]
11	!!{{Alien\|Tropes}}s (in general)
12	* Foreign people and [[HumansThroughAlienEyes other cultures]].
13	* SufficientlyAdvancedAliens and other "[[ClarkesThirdLaw Gods]]" -- great power, interfering with humanity according to mysterious rules.
14	* A strange disorder or "oddness"
15	* Often [[OtherworldlyAndSexuallyAmbiguous sexually othered]], allowing for such tropes as DiscountLesbians and NonHumanNonBinary.
16	* Capitalism/Consumerism, if the work in question is Japanese.
17
18	!!{{Alien inva\|sion}}ders
19	* Human imperialism and war.
20	** The original ''Literature/TheWarOfTheWorlds'' novel was largely meant as a critique of the British Empire and imperialism in general.
21	* Human reaction to disaster, similar to zombie films in that the people are more of a problem than the invaders. Also an element of all ''Franchise/WarOfTheWorlds'' adaptations.
22
23	!!Aliens or monsters who [[HumanDisguise pretend to]] [[TheyLookLikeUsNow be human]]
24	* Conformity and infiltration are the watchwords here.
25	** Paranoia, secrecy, and betrayal — how well do you ''really'' know the people in your life?
26	* Frequently associated with a RedScare.
27	* ''Film/TheyLive'' uses it to represent Reagan-era consumerist capitalism.
28	* Some examples of this trope will draw comparisons to [[GreedyJew anti-Semitic]] [[AncientConspiracy conspiracy theories]], as that particular strain of racist gibberish follows similar tropes as these stories. (Creator/JohnCarpenter's ''Film/TheyLive'' is occasionally interpreted this way by neo-Nazis. Carpenter has colourful words for the MisaimedFandom.)
29
30	!![[OurCryptidsAreMoreMysterious Cryptids]]
31	* Human interaction with nature and RomanticismVersusEnlightenment -- cryptids are usually described as living in areas of untouched wilderness and hunted by humans with fancy technological gizmos. Heroes often have to help them escape and be left alone in the wild, without human interference.
32	** ''Tintin in Tibet'' ends with the hero saying he hopes humans never catch the Yeti, because they'd only put it in a zoo.
33	** The {{Unicorn}} has an very similar status, even though it doesn't have exactly the same history or reputation as the modern cryptids. Unicorns may be mysterious even in settings where [[ArbitrarySkepticism other fantasy creatures are an ordinary fact of life]].
34	* If bought from an exotic country to the modern world (as in ''Film/KingKong''), it can be anti-colonialism on top of environmentalist.
35
36	!![[OurDragonsAreDifferent Dragons]]
37	* Destructive {{Greed}} -- Western dragons hoard treasure and are usually portrayed negatively.
38	* Wrath -- Western Dragons are known to fly into an UnstoppableRage if their hoards are tampered with, and have fire as a BreathWeapon.
39	* Power and overwhelming force -- Both Eastern and Western dragons are known to be among the most powerful beings in their respective stories, [[Literature/TheHobbit one Dragon in particular]] being known as the "chiefest and greatest of calamities".
40	* Volcanoes and volcanic eruptions. Dragons are sometimes associated with mountains, and are almost always associated with fire. A stirring dragon might cause earthquakes before going down and destroying any surrounding towns. Sometimes Dragons will even explicitly live in volcanoes.
41	* While largely a ForgottenTrope in the secular world, older Western stories, particularly Medieval ones, tended to use them [[DragonsAreDemonic as a metaphor for]] {{Satan}} or paganism (or Mohammed or Islam, [[ArtisticLicenseReligion which tended to be lumped together by storytellers of the time]]). See the story of ''Myth/SaintGeorge and the Dragon''.
42	* On [[OurHydrasAreDifferent Hydras]] as a subcategory: Hydras often represent ''any'' problem that keeps coming back even when it is fought (see HydraProblem).
43	* Asian dragons (only really named dragons due to western conventions) have a different set of associations:
44	** Divinity and power. They are emblematic of the emperor, and they are gods unto themselves. They embody yang, the light energy of the sun.
45	** The deep. Dragons rule the four seas and and maintain great palaces underwater.
46	** Life. They are its givers through rain and its takers through the monsoon.
47
48	!![[AttackOfThe50FootWhatever Giant]] [[{{Kaiju}} monsters]]
49	* Disasters. Either man-made (Hedorah, giant robots, mutants) or natural (Rodan), a sort of divine retribution tied to various religious beliefs (including Shinto) can also be read into it (Mothra).
50	** Franchise/{{Godzilla}} has basically been all of the above at some point. He started out as a metaphor for the devastation of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. ''Film/GodzillaMothraKingGhidorahGiantMonstersAllOutAttack'' has him being the collective manifestation of the souls of those who lost their lives during Japan's Pacific campaign in UsefulNotes/WorldWarII. ''Film/{{Godzilla 2014}}'' gives him a GaiasVengeance characterization on top of being a radioactive mutation.
51	* Abuse of military power. Almost always military might will fail miserably and just waste everyone's time, and often it's the fault of the military that the Kaiju are there in the first place.
52	* The threat of [[AtomicHate Nuclear Weapons]] and other [[WeaponOfMassDestruction weapons of mass destruction]]. Nuclear Fallout.
53	* [[GiantWoman Giant women]] are often used to symbolize the allure and temptation of lust, or the power of feminine beauty. They tower over the male characters in a work, and are often [[CasuallyPowerfulGiant casually powerful giants]] who overpower them with ease of manipulating a toy. Because giant women also have a penchant for [[LiteralManeater eating these men alive]], they also represent things like anxieties about intimacy and/or sex, abusive female romantic partners, especially ones that are a [[FetishizedAbuser fetishized abusers]], or embody fears of emasculation. Additionally, man-eating giant women can also represent a woman (or women) who have power over men in general via their sex appeal.
54
55	!![[TropesaurusIndex Dinosaurs]]
56	* The duality of whimsical and terrifying in the imagination, [[KidsLoveDinosaurs which is why they are so popular with children]].
57	* Nature as an ancient and powerful force, that cannot be easily constrained.
58	* [[TheWorldIsJustAwesome The wonder and awe that nature can inspire]].
59	* Things that are unpredictable. ''Literature/JurassicPark'' uses a zoo full of Dinosaurs as an example of Chaos Theory in action.
60	[[/folder]]
61
62	[[folder:Former humans and the undead]]
63	!![[WasOnceAMan Former humans]] in general (that keep their intelligence/personality)
64	* The FiveStagesOfGrief. See StagesOfMonsterGrief and TragicMonster for more.
65	* Loss of identity and place in society
66
67	!![[WasOnceAMan Former humans]] in general ([[DeathOfPersonality that lose their intelligence/personality]])
68	* The inner dark side of mankind
69	* A descent into madness or obsession
70
71	!![[OurGhostsAreDifferent Ghosts]]
72	* Being unable to "move on" from some wrong -- usually consumed by anger or sadness
73	** A ghost may be so fixated on this wrong that they forget everything else about themselves -- hence, the dangers of dwelling too much on something in the past
74	* Being so attached to the physical world that they've ruined their own spiritual health
75	* The way that the injustices of history influence the present. These events can range from the scale of horrific colonial crimes and entire socioeconomic systems (such as in the IndianBurialGround trope) all the way down to interpersonal family conflicts that haunt the minds of their descendants (such as the ghost in ''Theatre/{{Hamlet}}'').
76
77	!![[{{Mummy}} Mummies]]
78	* Mummies are often Pharaohs — kings of once-great civilisations now lost to the march of time.
79	* Since mummies tend to cause their chaos in response to their tombs getting desecrated, they represent disrespect for the dead and the sacred.
80	* Since mummies are usually kings or court magicians, they were usually outrageously evil before they died as well — because [[DrunkWithPower power corrupts]].
81	* Mummies are usually woken by white colonialists, representing discomfort over the way that the Western world has exploited Africa.
82	* Since mummies are covered in bandages, there's a visual association with injury, pain and even MedicalHorror (the intense embalming processes overlap with operation scenes, a bit). Mummies also have literally no brain (it was pulled out through their nose), so there's an association with intense stupidity as well. (Both of these taken together are probably why, early in his career, Music/{{Eminem}} liked to imagine his wrist-slitting, [[InsufferableImbecile brainless]] Slim Shady character as a mummy.)
83	* It's a ForgottenTrope now, but in Victorian pulp aimed at young women, [[SeductiveMummy mummies were the sexy monster]] (similar to VampiresAreSexGods) — mummies were used as curios and even medicine in the 19th Century, and the British middle-class was very familiar with them. Mummy romances tended to present the mummy as being an outrageously wealthy and well-educated prince more exotic than the humdrum men of England.
84
85	!![[OurVampiresAreDifferent Vampires]]
86	* Anything to do with parasitism or disease, including:
87	** AristocratsAreEvil: {{Dracula}} and many other famous vampires tend to be [[VampiresAreRich wealthy nobles]], which represents how the upper-class exploit and oppress poor people. In more recent post-feudalism works, this will sometimes be repurposed as CapitalismIsBad.
88	* WhoWantsToLiveForever
89	** Too many VampireDetectiveSeries to mention
90	* VampiresAreSexGods -- don't judge by appearances, because the people who seem the slickest, the wealthiest, and the coolest are in fact the most heartless, and [[AllGirlsWantBadBoys trying to]] [[DracoInLeatherPants love them anyways]] is likely to end in disaster, despair, and death.
91	* Bloodthirst as a metaphor for drug addiction
92	* The need to kill to survive
93	* [[MisunderstoodLonerWithAHeartOfGold Strangers who seem scary at first but are actually harmless]], in the case of the FriendlyNeighborhoodVampire who needs protecting from VanHelsingHateCrimes. This tends to show up in more light-hearted works, naturally.
94	* Originally, vampire tropes were associated with xenophobia.Vampires were originally creatures of Eastern European folklore, so descriptions of such monsters in English-speaking countries highlight their foreign aspect and behavior.The association between the blood-sucking bats of South America and vampires also highlight their "foreigness".
95
96	!![[OurWerewolvesAreDifferent Werewolves]]
97	* [[SuperpoweredEvilSide The Beast Within]]
98	** ''Film/TheWolfman1941''
99	** Just about every other werewolf using the whole amnesia shtick, and even a few that don't, like ''Film/TheHowling''
100	** [[HulkingOut Anger]] and Rage.
101	** SplitPersonality
102	* Metaphor for [=STDs=]
103	** ''Literature/HarryPotter'' (according to {{Word of God}}, although the evil werewolf Fenrir Greyback gives off hints of pedophilia as well).
104	* Metaphor for PTSD.
105	** Both Lycanthropy and PTSD can be transmitted by violent attack, and both can result in violent episodes that the sufferer has no memory of.
106	** PTSD is a heavy subtext in ''Series/WolfLikeMe'', and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i_5-DqhUAHY at least]] [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d69fyve_wPk two analyses]] of ''Film/AnAmericanWerewolfInLondon'' tie in Lycanthropy with the movie's depictions of trauma and survivor's guilt.
107	* Metaphor for [[PubertySuperpower Puberty]]
108	* Related to the above, a Metaphor for menstruation
109	** First appeared in the Creator/PeterSBeagle short story, "Lila the Werewolf". Later used by Creator/AlanMoore in ''ComicBook/SwampThing'' and Creator/JossWhedon in ''Series/BuffyTheVampireSlayer'', as well as a direct connection in ''Film/GingerSnaps''.
110	* Metaphor for addiction, since the classic werewolf loses control during transformation.
111	* In UrbanFantasy, Werewolves are likely to fall into the NatureHero archetype and represent GaiasVengeance.
112
113	!![[OurZombiesAreDifferent Zombies]] ([[ZombieApocalypse apocalypse]] / {{plague\|Zombie}} type)
114	* Post-apocalyptic works in general are about how humans react to the fall of civilisation, so over the course of the story, the focus may move from the ravages of the zombies to how the survivors are harming each other.
115	* [[InYourNatureToDestroyYourselves Mindless, ravenous consumption]]
116	* Survival of the Fittest
117	* Faceless conformity and loss of identity
118	* Epidemics, especially when zombieism is TheVirus.
119	* Metaphor for mindless consumerism.
120	* For {{Parasite Zombie}}s in particular: slavery, control.
121
122	!![[OurZombiesAreDifferent Zombies]] ({{necromancy}} / {{voodoo\|Zombie}} type)
123	* Slavery
124	* Again, faceless conformity and loss of identity
125	* Fear of being BuriedAlive
126	[[/folder]]
127
128	[[folder:Machines and other artificial entities]]
129	!![[ArtificialIntelligence Artificially intelligent machines]] and {{robot}}s (in general)
130	* Slavery -- the word 'robot' is derived from the Czech word for 'slave' -- or workers in general, which also makes them useful for talking about Communism. 'Robot revolution' stories -- whether the story was on the revolution's side or not -- were especially common in the early half of the 20th century, but fell out of fashion once revolutions stopped seeming likely and the UsefulNotes/ColdWar began. RedScare stories featuring robots in this era will often suggest they are disguised perfectly as humans, hiding amongst humans and spreading evil robot ideas. Even fairly apolitical robot stories tend to depict them as 'lowly' characters compared to the humans due to their life of drudgery, which sometimes allows them to be {{Servile Snarker}}s or even [[TheButlerDidIt so beneath notice as to be able to commit murder...]]
131	* Dependence on technology and possessions — the idea that a possession, in some way, owns its owner. Or, less frighteningly, the idea that a possession might have a 'soul'.
132	* The meaning of human consciousness, humanity or the soul. In stories like this, robots are often depicted as being essentially 'human' and with consciousness but condemned to be treated as a 'thing' due to their artificial minds. They may be fighting to gain the rights of being recognised as human, which can be read as a metaphor for civil rights movements. Alternatively, the robots and artificial intelligences might have BlueAndOrangeMorality, demonstrating that a being doesn't have to be human to be intelligent.
133	* RomanticismVersusEnlightenment, when a highly intelligent but emotionless robot is pitted against less intelligent but loving human beings.
134	* The failings of rules and law compared to intuitive thinking — in stories like this, robots will be incapable of disobeying seemingly harmless rules, resulting in awful consequences in messy real world situations.
135	* Destiny — a robot is usually made for a specific purpose, with abilities to allow it to do its job, and often with the inability to choose ''not'' to fulfil that purpose.
136	* Anxiety about death — robots can't be killed due to not really being alive and tend to invoke the UncannyValley (the lowest point on which is an animated corpse). See the skeleton imagery in ''Film/TheTerminator'', or how this is spelled out as a reason for instinctual human hatred of robots in ''Series/DoctorWho'''s "The Robots of Death".
137
138	!![[HumongousMecha Giant mecha and fighting robots]]
139	* Much like with the kaiju above, giant robot imagery is often connected with nuclear weapons, being obscenely powerful weapons that should never be used. Far and away more common in RealRobot works and more horror-inflected fantasy fare, though optimistic SuperRobot works are certainly not unknown to touch on this (i.e. ''WesternAnimation/TheIronGiant''). In some stories, the robots may literally be armed with nukes, as in ''VideoGame/MetalGear''.
140	* Teamwork, unity and ThePowerOfFriendship, if the robot requires multiple pilots that work together, or a synchronisation with the spirit of the machine. In more consciously political works, this can be turned to more down-to-earth feelings of community spirit or civic responsibility (as in ''Franchise/{{Patlabor}}'', which is mostly focused on the robot pilots getting stuck in traffic jams or complaining about paperwork).
141	* In [[SuperRobot more fantastical robot stories]], a kind of mind-body-spirit relationship - the robot is the body, the pilot is the mind, and the more fantastical elements of the robot (e.g. becoming strengthened by force of will or emotion) represent spirit.
142	* Works influenced by ''Anime/NeonGenesisEvangelion'' (of which there are many) will often incorporate Freudian concepts into the robots. In ''Evangelion'' itself, the focus is on motherhood (and the pain of an extended childhood), with the bodies of the robots keeping their pilots safely in biomechanical, fluid-filled womb-like cockpits; other works may interrogate other pieces of Freudian imagery such as phallic cockpits or weaponry.
143
144	!!GreyGoo and {{nanomachines}}
145	* The potential for [[LuddWasRight new technology to make people obsolete]]
146	* {{Green Aesop}}s about the impact of industry on the environment
147	* [[GoneHorriblyWrong Unforeseen Consequences of Human Industry/Technology]]
148	* The dangers of [[JustThinkOfThePotential being blinded to risk by the potential benefits]] of a new technology
149
150	!![[FrankensteinsMonster Monsters]] created by {{mad scientist}}s
151	* ScienceIsBad / MyGodWhatHaveIDone
152	* TurnedAgainstTheirMasters
153	* [[CuriosityIsACrapshoot The risks inherent in groundbreaking research.]]
154	* [[AGodAmI Excessive Hubris]] on the part of their creator.
155	* ParentalAbandonment, if the scientist rejects the monster as a "failure" from the get-go, or a parent's resentment and fear towards a [[KidsAreCruel violent child]].
156	[[/folder]]

Context Main / StockMonsterSymbolism