As generally good-natured people, the majority of us appreciate the heartfelt narrative about the rise of an Underdog. We feel good when the socially-awkward nerd archetype finally wins the heart of the beautiful and elusive prom queen, or the broke and struggling artist finally makes their big break and receives the recognition they deserve. In addition to enjoying these stories because they simply make us feel good (by offering us hope that perhaps our own lives will also have the happy ending), these character tropes and narratives in fact offer us valuable social information as well.
Relevant to the dynamic of what Vermeule refers to as “wheel-of-fortune stories”, the tale of the Underdog is one of perseverance and struggle, in which the protagonist overcomes the obstacles restricting them through their own determination and will – the rising of the wheel, yet not at the hands of fortune, but through one’s individual agency. In this way, the tale of the Underdog offers the audience social information of the methods and means in which we may improve our own social standing, despite the efforts of those who may resist us. Vermeule acknowledges that “The human intellect is extremely well-suited to thinking about other people, their problems, and the situations they get themselves into” (23) which thereby allows us to learn from the unfortunate situations of others – how we may prevent ourselves from ever becoming the underdog, and how we may overcome that status if we ever find ourselves as the downtrodden character of our own lives. Additionally, Vermeule discusses the notion that human intelligence developed from our necessity to have the upper-hand over one another; the tale of the Underdog offers us information on how to accomplish this rising state. Vermeule argues: “Indeed, researchers now think that human intelligence evolved to handle the social complexity of living in groups – to outwit fellow primates, to think several moves ahead of them on a giant social chessboard…” (30). The Underdog tale offers the audience exactly this information, showing us the ways in which we may navigate the world in order to improve our social agency, standing, and power.
Unlike a narrative about luck and fortune, the tale of the Underdog stresses the importance of individual agency and determination – you must become an apt social navigator and a hard worker, and only then may you achieve your goals and persevere. Success only comes to those who work for it, and at achieving this well-deserved success, we rise in social standing: “…good things also never happen to cowardly people…[the] long struggle will wipe clean [their] moral slate” (5). The feel-good narrative of the Underdog tale assures us that with enough hard work, perseverance, and grit, we may accomplish any personal goals that we set our minds to – as well as overcome the other human beings who aim to bring us down; essentially, our social competitors.
Rocky Balboa from Rocky (1976)
This film is a classic tribute to the Underdog – a tale of perseverance, grit, and the rise from rags to riches through the dedication of the protagonist. We would be remiss not to include perhaps one of the most recognizable scenes in all of film history, in our tribute to the most-celebrated Underdog:
Chris Gardner from The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
Eminem (Marshall Mathers III) from 8 Mile (2002)
*LANGUAGE WARNING: The progression of the Underdog from downtrodden to successful comes in the explicit form of a battle (a rap battle, that is):
From this:
To this:
Jamal Malik from Slumdog Millionaire (2009)
The entire Hoover family from Little Miss Sunshine (2006)
TELEVISION:
Jimmy McGill/Saul Goodman from Better Call Saul (2015- )
(While all other scenes contained in this entry portray the final success of the Underdog, Better Call Saul is a series that is currently still in progress, so this scene is of McGill’s preliminary loser-status so as not to spoil any later episodes)
Jon Snow from Game of Thrones (2011- )
*VIOLENT CONTENT WARNING: