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Supporting Character Analysis James, Three-Dog, and President Eden, Fallout 3 In Fallout 3 the player takes on the role of the Wastelander. Raised in a nuclear fallout shelter and then thrown out into the post-apocalyptic Capital Wasteland the player gets to know many of the world's denizens throughout the course of the epic adventure. The Lone Wanderer's father, James, is one key supporting character. Shortly after the player's 18th birthday, James disappears from the vault and as a result the player must flee his home. James's actions initiate the "Call to Adventure" aspect of the monomyth and ultimately provide a motivation for the player throughout the lion's share of the primary quest line. Another key character from Fallout 3 is Three-Dog. Three Dog acts as a mentor to the Lone Wanderer by frequently informing him of possible points of interest, giving out quests, and giving him survival tips while out in the Wasteland. He also acts as a sort of cheerleader/motivator by praising the player's accomplishments throughout the game. President John Henry Eden is the leader of the Enclave faction. He is an AI construct housed in the ZAX Supercomputer at the Raven Rock base. He represents "the temptress" archetype commonly found in the monomyth as he tries to convert the Wastelander to his cause of "purifying by fire" which, of course, means killing everything in the area with the FEV virus and starting over with only non-tainted humans left alive. These three characters in particular were crucial to the story of Fallout 3 in that they perfectly represent three essential roles in any narrative form: the lost love/friend, the mentor, and the temptress/antagonist. By effectively defining these three archetypes in the game the player is presented with a clear motivation, a clear ally, and a clear enemy with which to interact. |
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