Predator

I was thinking about the movie ‘Predator’.  Not sure why.  Just came to me and I wondered if there was a post in there.  Well, here we are . . . Sorry if you expected a catchier intro, but it’s been a long school year.

The ‘Predator/Prey’ dynamic has existed for millennia.  Going back to cave paintings, we have seen the story play out time and again.  Predator is hunting and prey is struggling to survive.  The former is typically stronger than the latter, but there is always some advantage that can give them a chance.  No matter the genre, the story doesn’t really change much either.  ‘The Most Dangerous Game’, ‘Roadrunner/Wile E. Coyote’, ‘Hunger Games’, and millions (if not billions) of stories have used this conflict as a core concept.  It simply works.

Not hard to figure out why it works.

First, this is a story that all humans can connect to on some level.  It isn’t that we’ve all been hunted or gone hunting.  The connection is more of a primal understanding of both roles.  From the prey side, we can understand the struggle to survive even if we haven’t gone through such trauma.  Fear, determination, hope, despair, and all of the emotions that can be seen in the prey character are relatable.  From the predator side, we can get a sense of power, relentlessness, and another struggle to survive.  It is harder to do this one, which is why you typically see stories from the prey’s perspective.

That being said, we do see predators as main characters when a human is trying to survive after a disaster.  Being abandoned in the wilderness or wandering a post-apocalyptic landscape tends to turn protagonists into predators for survival.  The killing done by these characters are accepted due to a ‘kill or be killed’ world.  Many times, the ‘prey’ are equally aggressive and typically evil enemies, so we aren’t made to feel sorry for them.  Once a predator protagonist goes after the innocent, readers will start to recoil and lose sympathy for them.

Another reason the ‘predator/prey’ stories work is because it’s something we’ve all seen play out at some point.  Growing up, a person has either seen nature shows or witnessed such dynamics in person.  By late elementary school, nearly every child is aware that some animals eat and kill others to survive.  They’ve been introduced to this in various stories as well even if the predator fails.  I mean, even if the shows and movies didn’t depict the actual act of hunting, a kid will notice when characters are eating meat.  So, there’s an immediate understanding and acceptance of the ‘predator/prey’ dynamic.

Of course, this gets slightly skewed when the hunting isn’t being done for food.  Once you go beyond that, the conflict brings up ethical issues.  Take these ‘predator/prey’ reasons:

• Revenge– Character is killing others because they were wronged.  ‘Kill Bill’ is a good example.  Yes, we can cheer for the vengeful predator, but this still makes one question how far a person should go.  Seems to always be fine in fiction.
• Pride/Thrill– Finally getting to ‘Predator’ himself.  Being an alien who hunts for sport and the challenge, one would see these guys as villains.  Yet, it is a cultural thing and humans have had similar traditions.  Taking down a powerful, dangerous beast would be a coming-of-age rite.  The Predators do that as well.  So, is it evil for them to do it while humans have done the same?  What about when they don’t go for defenseless prey or reduce their weaponry to match their opponents?  Can a predator have honor?

Personally, I really love writing this conflict.  Even if it’s not for a full story, I like the tension it can create.  I’ve had chapters where a character is trying to evade others or find a hidden target.  You can’t have much talking because silence is important.  So, it’s a few pages of tense, almost there moments with the predator and prey almost dancing with each other until the finale.  There is a raw nature to it, which might be why I find it appealing.  Not sure I can pull off an entire book with this atmosphere because I enjoy writing high action and some humor.  That second thing really doesn’t work unless it’s a full on comedy.