"Now hope that sees for itself is not hope. For who hopes for what one sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait with endurance."
In one sense the most omnipresent of tropes, since all motives turn on the hope that the actions will achieve something.
Compare Idealism Tropes. Contrast Cynicism Tropes and Despair Tropes.
- As Long as There Is One Man: The belief that if there is just one person who opposes tyranny, then the villain can never truly win; often inspires others to rise up as well.
- Big Damn Heroes: The heroes dramatically save the day at the last moment.
- Bring Help Back: A character is tasked with bringing back help for the others in a dire situation.
- The Cavalry: The heroes' allies arrive in the nick of time to save them.
- Fling a Light into the Future: The characters know they're doomed, but manage to do something that could save or help others avoid the same fate.
- Heal the Cutie: An emotionally broken character gets positive Character Development to become (or rebecome) The Cutie.
- "Hell, Yes!" Moment
- Hope Bringer: A usually heroic character who inspires hope in others.
- Hope Mongering
- Hope Springs Eternal: Even if things look seriously bad, there is still hope it can get better.
- Hope Sprouts Eternal
- Just in Time: Just when all hope seems lost, something happens at the last possible minute that saves the day.
- Life-Affirming Aesop: An Aesop about accepting life especially the hard parts of it.
- Life-Saving Encouragement
- Light Equals Hope: Light being used as a visual symbol of hope.
- Living Ark: There is still one living person/entity that contains the remnants of a past way of life to ensure the that way of life still lives into the future.
- Mentor's New Hope: The apprentice/student of a mentor character that inspires them to have hope again.
- Moving Beyond Bereavement: A character comes to accept the loss of a loved one and usually gets a new lease on life.
- Raised Hand of Survival: A sign that someone has survived their seeming death.
- "Ray of Hope" Ending: An otherwise Downer Ending includes some hope that things will get better.
- Rousing Speech: A character gives a big speech to inspire hope and confidence in others.
- Safe Zone Hope Spot
- A World Half Full: A Crapsack World becomes a better place by the end of the story.
