The Stoic: Difference between revisions

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[[File:NoSmiles.jpg|link=Three Panel Soul|frame| Matt of ''[http://threepanelsoul.com/2008/04/07/on-growth/ 3 Panel Soul]'' knows how to stay young.]]

{{quote|''"...How wasteful... Such emotions are but mere illusions. And, like all illusions, they fade over time until death banishes them forever. That is why I have abandoned all emotions as useless sentimentality."''~~|'''Cyrus''', ''[[Pokémon Diamond and Pearl]]''}}~~

{{quote|''"...How wasteful... Such emotions are but mere illusions. And, like all illusions, they fade over time until death banishes them forever. That is why I have abandoned all emotions as useless sentimentality."''

|'''Cyrus'''|''[[Pokémon Diamond and Pearl]]''}}

He can be in the middle of a gunfight, his best friend's bachelor party, or a helpless witness to the death of everyone and everything he holds dear... and he'll show all the emotional reaction of a victim of a Botox overdose. Though the silent warrior has roots stretching back to [[The Drifter]] in Westerns and farther back, '''The Stoic''' differentiates himself in that he's not quiet out of contemplation or introversion, but because he's so tough that he doesn't ''need'' to emote (or so the writer would like you to [[Ineffectual Loner|think]]).

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'''The Stoic''' is not necessarily [[The Quiet One]]. While '''The Stoic''' may be low key and quiet, more often than not he's just as talkative as anyone else. Another difference is that while [[The Quiet One]] does feel and display emotion (albeit less vocally and regularly, but makes up for it with deeper pathos), '''The Stoic''' is so utterly devoid of any semblance of human emotion that he borders on being a true [[Tin Man]] or [[The Spock]]. Whether he has emotion or not varies, but he will invariably refuse to ever show it.

They can be [[Heroes]], antagonists or [[Anti-Hero~~|anti-heroes~~]]. In a [[Five-Man Band]] he might be [[The Lancer]] or [[The Big Guy]]. His quiet demeanor tends towards the brusque or outright rudeness, though there are a few [[Nice Guy|polite]] Stoics. Mostly writers (ab)use it to give the impression of a lot going on inside and cultivate an air of mystery and to confuse other characters with cryptic one-liners.

They can be [[Heroes]], antagonists or [[Anti-Hero]]es. In a [[Five-Man Band]] he might be [[The Lancer]] or [[The Big Guy]]. His quiet demeanor tends towards the brusque or outright rudeness, though there are a few [[Nice Guy|polite]] Stoics. Mostly writers (ab)use it to give the impression of a lot going on inside and cultivate an air of mystery and to confuse other characters with cryptic one-liners.

Masculine pronouns are used throughout this trope because quiet women tend to be the creepy [[Emotionless Girl]]. Notice, however, that although Emotionless Girls can seem to be easily confused with Stoic Girls, it's actually very easy to tell the difference: an Emotionless Girl usually seems to give a creepy, otherworldly feel, while a Stoic Girl radiates a massive aura of badassness. In either case, female stoics often wind up being [[Stoic Woobie|woobies]].

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* From ''[[Tortall Universe|Trickster's Choice]]'' and ''Trickster's Queen'' by [[Tamora Pierce]], Junai makes a total of three facial expressions. Each time, ''everyone'' is shocked.

* Mildmay from Sarah Monette's series ''[[Doctrine of Labyrinths]]''. Even in an underground {{spoiler|labyrinth made by ancient worshippers of an evil goddess, he stays completely calm}}.

* Perhaps the greatest example of this trope is Hans from [[Journey to ~~The~~ ~~Centre~~ of ~~The~~ Earth]]. He not only agrees on the spot to go with the main characters down a giant lava tube to hell, but isn't even fazed by it. {{spoiler|He saves the two other explorers several times, and manages to remain deadly calm even when almost dying of thirst.}}

* Perhaps the greatest example of this trope is Hans from ''[[Journey to the Center of the Earth]]''. He not only agrees on the spot to go with the main characters down a giant lava tube to hell, but isn't even fazed by it. {{spoiler|He saves the two other explorers several times, and manages to remain deadly calm even when almost dying of thirst.}}

* Cato from Colleen Mccullough's [[Masters of Rome]] ''wants'' to be this. [[wikipedia:Cato the Younger|The real Cato]] was a stoic philosopher who was/is famous for being [[Incorruptible Pure Pureness|incorruptible]] and [[Your Mileage May Vary|an ardent defender of Republican ideals]] during Rome's transition into an Empire. In contrast Mccullough's portrayal of him is extremely negative. He is portrayed as a fanatical stoic who single handedly leads Italy into Civil War due to his irrational hatred of Caesar and [[Status Quo Is God|rabid obsession with the mos maiorum]]. In his private life he is a deeply unhappy alcoholic who suppresses his emotions out of fear of being hurt.

* Phileas Fogg in ''[[Around the World in Eighty Days]]''.