Tropes

[holdouttrout]

Okay, you know the trope about the war-hardened soldier who just wants to grow peas/smuggle/drink and get old and definitely doesn't want to go save the world, right? Think Han Solo, or even the Wizard in the new, not-great Oz movie. Or Madmartigan.

That's the trope. Where are the women? I can think of one example (kinda) in a Patricia C. Wrede book (Caught in Crystal, where the main character is sought out because she went on a pretty interesting trip when she was young that seems to have some ramifications in the present.). I'm actually pretty sure there are more, but I'm drawing a blank.

I also looked on TV Tropes, but I don't think I have the right name for the trope--and I'm definitely NOT talking about the Lovable Rogue or The Lancer, although those could be combined with this one.

Halp.

Comments

[princessofgeeks]

Would Shrek I be like this? Just wanting to get back to his swamp?

[geneeste.livejournal.com]

Zoe from Firefly, maybe? She's a pretty close example, I think.

[sholio]

Retired Badass?

ETA: But you're right that female examples are really hard to think of. The TV Tropes page suggests Cordelia Vorkosigan, but I don't know ... she's not THAT retired. Need to think about this ...

[pepper-field.livejournal.com]

I... hmm...

I remember one in an Elizabeth Moon novel (after checking: Heris Serrano in Hunting Party), and you could say that Katniss Everdeen becomes this. I feel sure there should be more. I'm having difficulty coming up with any non-book ones aside from Zoe from Firefly, as mentioned above.

I think it's a victim of the 'women aren't allowed to be old' syndrome.

(ETA: Madmartigan!)

[lyssie.livejournal.com]

The lead from Hunting Party doesn't entirely fit the trope, I think. She loses her command iirc, and ends up doing something else.

(Though, I think Moon and McCaffrey's Generation Warriors has some older ladies who snark, they're still employed)

hrm. The Helen Mirren character from Red?

Kinda/sorta

[jaelte.livejournal.com]

This may not quite be right for what you're thinking, but the trope does sort of remind me of Beatrix Kiddo from the Kill Bill films. Not so much with the world saving as with the revenge seeking, but still. She wants out of the assassin business and to go on to live a normal life and, well, it doesn't work out as planned.