If you’ve read “Western Warrior Epic Character Archetypes: Introduction”, then you know that there are only a handful of Character Archetypes out there when it comes to specifically writing the Western Warrior Epic. 

They’ve all got their own unique Goals, and that leads them into Conflict with each other! 

It’s what makes the genre work. 

Let’s take a look at the first of the Hero Group Archetype…the Confrontational Hero himself!

CONFRONTATIONAL HERO

First, let’s take a look at the main Hero of the story, what we at Mind at War.org refer to as the “Confrontational Hero.” 

What Goal is the Confrontational Hero seeking?

The Confrontational Hero Loves to fight. He loves to test his strength against a worthy opponent, and finds great joy and fulfillment in the battle. But he does it in a special way that is “Confrontational”.

Just what is “Confrontational”, you ask?

Think back to the old Black-and-White Westerns like Gunsmoke you watched with your grandparents. 

Marshall Matt Dillon goes out into the street to face the bad guy in a fast draw show-down and blasts the bad guy away. Up front, clean, noble, and honorable. Like a man.

To see what we mean, click HERE. 

In fact, the word “Noble”, translated into English from the Greek word “Kalon”, translates literally into a “Warrior who fights Confrontationally”. 

Now the Confrontational style of Conflict is the exact opposite of stab-in-the-back, shooting fish in a barrel style of fighting. 

The Confrontational Hero doesn’t seek out the weakest, most pathetic, helpless victim he can find that he’s got a sure chance of beating.

No, he seeks out the roughest, toughest Predator on the entire frontier to beat.

Because in the Confrontational Code of Combat, he who is strongest can beat the best! That’s why the Confrontational Hero doesn’t shoot fish in a barrel! They’re just fish who can’t shoot back!

So the first goal of the Confrontational Hero is to seek out a worthy opponent to test his strength against, and experience the joy of fighting hard and winning…or die honorably trying! 

But that is not the Confrontational Hero’s only goal. 

GOD GIVE US MIGHT TO FIGHT FOR RIGHT

It is this literally Noble code of conduct keeps the Confrontational Hero away from massacres and atrocities of innocents, and keeps him fighting honorably against worthy foes that are too tough for anybody else to beat!  

This leads the Confrontational Hero to his Second Goal. His Second Goal is to selflessly protect others weaker than himself through his skill and strength in Confrontational Battle. 

But to achieve both of these Goals, he has to do three things.

FIND! FIGHT! FINISH!

To achieve his two goals listed above, the Confrontational Hero has to achieve three smaller sub-goals that move the story along to its final conclusion. 

These three-sub goals are:

• Find the Enemy!
• Fight the Enemy!
• Finish the Enemy!

In the Goal of Finding the Enemy, the Conflict that the Confrontational Hero has to overcome is a lack of information. The Enemy’s whereabouts are unknown, so the Confrontational Hero’s got to make them known.

Once the Confrontational Hero does, then he can Fight the Enemy, in which the Conflict is the literal Enemy itself! This is the meat and potatoes of the story.

And once the Confrontational Hero has Finished the Enemy, he has achieved both of his Two Goals. He has tested his strength against a worthy opponent, and experienced the joy of fighting hard and winning. 

And in doing so, he has selflessly protected others weaker than himself through his skill and strength in Confrontational Battle–beating the foe and ensuring the security of all the people under his care. 

THE HEART AND SOUL

This is the entirety of the Western Warrior Epic, at its simplest. 

The Confrontational Hero is the heart and soul of the entire genre, it’s entire reason for being. 

His Goals and his Conflicts are the very essence of all the genre’s collected stories.

Without him, there would be none! But he is not the only one…

To find out more about the Confrontational Hero’s friends and foes on his journey, who help and hinder him to fight and win his Conflicts and achieve his Goals, then read our next installment, coming soon!