The Perfect Hero?

Recently, someone commented that he wasn’t a big fan of THE SURVIVALIST series because John Rourke’s character was too perfect; he was too smart, too good in a fight, and well, just too…  I wonder if this person realized that this was an intentional character flaw that we gave Rourke.  Most writers tend to make their main characters, especially action heroes, good at what they do such as shooting, driving and, getting all the girls.  Our thoughts were that too much of a good thing could turn out badly.

Here you’ve got a guy who wants nothing more than to live life with his family and protect them from danger.  Unfortunately, he knows too much about potential disasters-both causes and effects- and spends way too much time away from his family pursuing money to buy stuff to fill up a fancy cave where he intends for them all to happily live for however long the situation deems it necessary.  Can you just picture the conversation when Rourke decides the pizza is about to hit the fan?  “Hey, honey, it’s time for us to leave our home and trek up into the mountains where I’ve got this retreat.  We can stay there for years!  Sorry, no cable but plenty of VHS tapes to watch.  No, the kids can’t bring a friend. Oh, did I mention that there’s a waterfall in the living room?  Wait until you see the new microwave I got you!”

Rourke just can’t win.  He has made himself an expert on just about everything from flying planes, outdoor survival skills, to weaponry.  He speaks Russian, is a doctor who can perform life-saving surgical techniques, and he is a published author.  He sounds like a walking encyclopedia!  The one thing he could never get a grip on was the technique involved in understanding and communicating with women.

He loves his wife, Sarah, but continues a platonic relationship with another woman who is equally skilled in his areas of expertise and is, of course, beautiful.  He further destroys their marriage when he allows the children to grow into adulthood without Sarah’s involvement.  While he was searching for her, Sarah had been forced into becoming a survivor, doing whatever necessary to keep her children safe, including killing bad guys. Rourke continues to see her as a person needing his protection.

Adding to the tension, Rourke invites this other woman, along with his new found friend, a nerdy guy that he picked up along the way, to stay and live with them in this rocky retreat for however long it takes for civilization to stagger back.  So there goes any chance of having a good loud argument/hissy-fit.  Now she’s expected to cook for a crowd!  Oh yeah, and then they’re all going to sleep together!  In this cave! For how long???

Rourke and Sarah never stop loving each other but nor can they live together.  They part company.  She falls in love and marries someone who understands her.  He continues to become involved in saving the world, one person at a time. Many, many years down the road, Rourke falls in love with another woman, Emma, a self-confident woman accustomed to taking charge.  Of course, the one time comes when Emma and the family really need him and he has gone AWOL during a mission, leaving them to straighten things out.  It seems like everyone can count on John Rourke, except his family.

Actually, Rourke may be the main character in The Survivalist but really, the series has and still relies on the other characters to show their growth and resilience. None of us are born with the knowledge necessary to survive life’s pitfalls but we learn, one upset to the next.  If we don’t learn, we don’t survive.

Yes, JTR is boring.  You pretty much know what he’s wearing each day.  His basic weapons tend to be the same except for some additions over the years.  His preference in alcohol and smokes never change.  He sees the world in black and white, right and wrong.  You are either with him or against him.  Yes, he is strong; he is self-confident, but every once and a while the facade cracks and we see a glimpse of who he really is. The Ubermensch is still just a mortal man.

Sharon