Age Stereotypes: Carl Grimes, Elizabeth Keen, Alan Harper, Violet, The Dowager Countess of Grantham

Youth

Carl Grimes (Walking Dead)

Carl Grimes

Carl is a young boy surviving in a world wide pandemic, his numerous fluctuations in mood represents the age stereotype of a child. He is son of Rick and Lori Grimes. During the initial outbreak, Carl believed his father to be dead,  which could be the reason for his lack of compassion and friendliness towards his dad in seasons to come; maybe being unconnected for so many years has persuaded Carl to think that he doesn’t need a father therefore going against taboo laws inside the group and disobeying his father. Carl is a typical child, always curious and is going through a hard stage in his life despite the situation he is in. As time goes on, he slowly becomes hardened, due to the severe loss of life and the environment around him; this transforms Carl from a child into a young man. Typically, before he grew up, Carl wore a childish almost western type ‘costume’ which displayed his innocence but also his unadolescent thoughts and feelings. An addition was made to the costume where Rick his father gave Carl his sheriffs hat; adding to the cowboy theme. You rarely see Carl without this hat; maybe it comforts him knowing the hat is metaphorical for his dad’s presence. Carl is not to far away from the action as he is always seen to be in danger for example in the second series when he is shot. He is a protagonist in the tv drama and is a secretive sub plot in the relationship between his father and him. He does break his stereotype once he grows up and leans how to respect the people around him, which makes the viewers more relatable towards him; before this adolescent stage he seemed to ‘winey’ and ‘needy.’

Young Professional

Agent Elizabeth Keen (The Blacklist)

Agent Keen

Agent Keen works for the Federal Bureau of Investigation task force, she works in a terrorist unit. Like many young professionals she cant control her love life and work life, she never had a problem with this until the mid season finale of the first season; this is where her husband was being accused of being a terrorist. Keen suffers from emotional depression throughout the first and second season, which affects her acute abilities to work as a government agent. Moreover the fact that she has lost all of her family and only has Raymond Redington (James Spader) to connect to a father figure mentally takes a toll on her behavior as she lacks compassion and care in some cases however seems to put her job and life at risk to save children in her situation. She like most young professionals has prevailed in all of her work and education having a degree in forensic science and was leading commander of an emergency psych unit in New York. Being a young professional she stereotypically wears smart clothing, and tends to relax with a glass of wine after work. Before she splits with Tom Keen her husband who is convicted of terrorism she has a very active sexual life and feels as if she has go everything she wanted in life a stereotype of most young professionals: job, house, husband, money. Like Carl and due to her job, she is always in the thick of the action either working and cracking codes in the task force hangar or in the field usually underground or in streets where a montage is typical of the show. She is a protagonist and infact is the lead in the show, her story line is covered the most but yet is the most secretive, the viewers find out a lot about her relationship with Tom and Redington throughout the show, these are the two greatest and most covered sub-plots throughout.

Middle Aged 

Alan Harper (Two And A Half Men)

Alan is middle aged man who has struggled in his life to work, not because he cant find work; it is because he is lazy. He is a chiropractor by trade however he is never seen at work; he is always in the Malibu beach house, which he has successfully and luckily managed to maintain in for over ten years. Alan struggles to provide for his son as he is a divorced parent, which is uncommon and unstereotypical of middle-aged men for example ‘Jeff’ from ‘Rules of Engagement’. Alan typically wears shorts or suede coloured trousers and a colourful or patterned t-shirt mainly because of the climate and due to the fact that it is seen as stereotypical of middle aged men not to be stylish. Alan is incredibly cheap which is one of the main sub-plots in the comedy drama. He always manages to find a cheaper option to his problems and is very privileged to live in the beach house, which he would never be able to afford. Like most middle aged people he seems to be planning for the future, he is unstereotypical as he hasn’t settled down with a woman yet and this is the reason for the numerous girls he ‘tries’ to ask out. Again, unstereotypical of a man, he lacks confidence and this is due to the fact that both his brother and Walden always ‘get the girl,’ it is a moral victory for Alan when he manages to ask a girl out successfully. Alan is a protagonist and main character throughout all the series. He has a healthy relationship with his son who is in the army but unlike most middle aged dads he is not worried or doesn’t display a notion of care towards Jake.

Dependants

Violet, The Dowager Countess of Grantham (Downton Abby)

Probably the most prominent and quick witted of all the Countess of Grantham (Maggie Smith) is an essential and pinnacle cast member of the successful tv drama ‘Downton Abbey.’  Violet symbolizes the "old world" and order of the pre-war days and sometimes has difficulty accepting change. When Robert has electricity and telephones installed, she complains to him about the amount of light in the house and the "loud noises" the phone makes; she is even confused by a swivel chair! Violet being of an older generation stereotypically disagrees with any talk of future and recently when Lady Mary is updated into the modern fashion of hair, Violet crushes the idea with her acid tongue.

Initially she is opposed to Matthew's position as heir as he is from the upper middle/professional class and not the aristocracy. She is also shocked at their more modern attitudes but comes to accept Matthew and later his mother, Isobel, into the family. Violet talks down to everyone and is seen to give criticism a new meaning. She is seen as a witty and wise figure for her three granddaughters to go too in need of advice. She is the equivalent of the wise and advisable Mrs Hughes downstairs.  She forms a sisterly bond with Isobel who she once despised but truly loved. She enjoyed her company and they shared a lot of banter and jokes. They originally clashed as characters coming from very different backgrounds however in season 5 episode 7 the bond of sisters they once had seems to be destroyed as Isobel maries leaving Violet alone and surprisingly to her upset. Violet being of the “Old world” typically wears long extravagant dresses which are never revealing which is much unlike Lady Mary. Her personal and iconic staff represents her elderly age as she finds it difficult to walk. Violet is a protagonist and main character in the series and has a say in everything that occurs in the Abbey.