Vladimir Propp’s Character Theory

Edward Scissorhands(1990)

The Characters

Vladimir Propp’s theory states that every story will feature the same type of characters.

There are 8 different possible characters in his theory.

Firstly…

The Hero – Edward ScissorhandsPortrayed by Johnny Depp

The hero’s objective is to find something in the story.

He’s trying to find acceptance from the society that adopts him, and the love of Kim Boggs, the daughter of the family that take him in.

Edward is clearly our hero from the beginning, albeit a non-stereotypical one, as he is kind and sweet yet gothic and confined in a scary mansion with no one else around.

The Hero - Edward Eventually he does earn the acceptance of the neighbour

hood by using his unique hands and skills to start gardening and hairdressing.

However this is short lived as he is involved with a crime and gets arrested. This starts the downward spiral in which he loses all he gained in his time away from the Inventor’s Mansion.

The Villain – JimPortrayed by Anthony Michael Hall

The purpose of the villain is to oppose the hero.

Jim can be seen as a potential villain from early on in the story as he is Kim’s boyfriend.

He constantly makes jokes and laughs about Edward’s condition, labelling his gardening creations as ‘creepy’ and laughing hysterically as Edward gets electrocuted on live TV.

The Villain - Jim

Jim is the reason behind Edward’s downfall. It was his plan to rob his own father and he is the one who leaves Edward to get caught.

His final act in opposing Edward is to get him chased from town after causing Edward to cut Kim’s hand by accident. This accident causes the community to think Edward is dangerous so he runs back to the mansion to live by himself and out of harms way

The Princess – Kim BoggsPortrayed by Winona Ryder

The Princess is the reward for the hero but also needs to be protected from the villain.

Kim is the girl Edward falls for but can’t have due to Jim.

Although she is dating Jim at the beginning of the story she comes to realise that he is the villain and that Edward, who is kind, gentle and truly loves her. Jim realises this and turns on Kim and Edward

The Donor – The InventorPortrayed by Vincent Price

The Donor helps the hero by providing a magic object

We don’t see the inventor very much in the story, however he is the Donor as he created Edward but died before completion, therefore leaving him as a man with scissors for hands.

The Dispatcher - Peg BoggsPortrayed by Dianne Wiest

The Dispatcher helps the hero by giving them a purpose.

Peg is the Dispatcher as she is the one who finds Edward all alone in the Inventor’s Mansion and takes him to her house.

She helps Edward firstly by getting him away from the mansion and secondly she helps him to start applying his skills and earning the trust and appreciation of the Boggs’ neighbours.

The False Hero – EsmeraldaPortrayed by O-Lan Jones

The False Hero is the character in a story that falsely assumes the role of the ‘hero’

Esmeralda, the religious woman who plays the organ, is the false hero as she tries to convince everyone that Edward is from hell and that he is evil.

She thinks she is doing the neighbourhood a favour as she condemns him and tries drive him away from the town.

The Helper – Kevin BoggsPortrayed by Robert Oliveri

The Helper simply supports the Hero. In this case Kevin, the youngest of the

Boggs, is the helper as he helps Edward adjust by telling him how cool his hands are and by teaching him how to play ‘Rock, Paper, Scissors’.

Kevin also brings Edward to a ‘Show and Tell’ in his class which helps Edward adjust to being around other people.

Princesses Father – Bill Boggs

The final role is the princesses father.

This isn’t always a major role (and in this case it isn’t) however the father can give the hero guidance but can also be villainous.