AIO Article: Whit vs. Tom vs. Jack 4/9/13

     I'm sorry I haven't been posting regularly, but I had company last week and I was really sick this weekend, so I kept forgetting about this thing.  But, I'm back, at least for the moment, with an interesting AIO Article...

     Elderly people are fascinating.  There's something mysterious about them, as if they know some massive secret that no one else knows, or they have generations of wisdom locked inside their minds that they won't show anyone.  Each elderly person has many quirks and oddities, but, at heart, they all have the same basic traits: a constant devotion to the past, occasional irritability, (this is for a variety of reasons) and a love for their own children and grandchildren (if they have any).  They also don't have any fondness for 21st Century appliances.  If the entire world were populated by old people, smartphone companies would go out of business.  And yet, elderly people are more experienced than us in many, many ways.  The same goes in Odyssey.

     And so, that brings me to the point of this article.  I simply put in that introduction in order to give a complex definition of old people, so you might understand the article better.  The real purpose of the article is to debate the three main elderly people of Odyssey: Whit Tom, and Jack.  I could add Bernard to the list, but he's never come across as an old man to me.  Maybe he hangs around Wooton too much...  Anyway, unlike what many other bloggers would do, I'm not, at the end of this article, simply going to say: "Well, all of these characters are good in their own special ways, so I just can't decide who's the best."  Oh, no no no no no no.  I'm going to decide a winner.  I will rate them all in several different categories and add up all their points.  Here goes...

     Elderlyness -- This is basically whether or not the characters follow the traits I laid out earlier for elderly people.  Old characters should either be really out of character (like Whit, who's basically a ninja in a space suit) or in character without being too stereotyped (like Tom).  In the case of Whit, he's not really supposed to in general act like an old man, so, in this category, he's out.  Tom is a stubborn farmer who's always saying his back hurts.  Very elderly.  Jack is a wise, for the most part unadventurous man who loves antiques.  So overall, it's a race between Jack and Tom.  But in my book, Tom wins.  Why?  He's just more of an old man!

     Wisdom: -- This is pretty obvious.  Advice-giving skills, quick desicion-making, ability to remain calm.  Once again, one of these characters seems to be lacking in a couple of these things: Tom.  I don't believe I need an explanation, if you've heard even 5 episodes with Tom.  Whit and Jack are both superior when it comes to wisdom.  Whit has been giving advice since the early days, and Jack has proved himself useful as a beacon of wisdom as well.  Ultimately, though Whit doesn't really fall short in his advice-giving, Jack's is slightly superior.  He also can be cool under fire, and demonstrate many other wise desicions.  There are those who disagree with me, but I give the Wisdom category to Jack by a thin margin.

     Warmth: -- Old men must be warm and friendly as well.  The characterestic of a grandfather is something the kids of Odyssey look to in Whit, Jack, and Tom.  All of them deliver, but I think it's obvious Whit has a clear edge in this category because of his unfailing friendly nature.  I will give it to him.

     Complexity: -- Now the score is tied up, and this last category will produce a clear winner.  All characters must be complex, and the elderly are no exception.  All 3 of these characters are good in this category, so it's difficult to tell who excels the most.  Whit is an ice cream shop owner, an inventor, an adventurer, a spy, a grandfather, and a strong Christian at the same time.  Jack can be willing or unwilling to accept adventure depending on his mood, and he and his wife somehow maintain a happy marriage despite the fact that they have vastly different personalities.  He also is involved in many Odyssey sagas, despite his contemplative nature.  Tom is a cowboy and a farmer, as well as a former mayor and business owner.  He's stubborn yet sensitive, and, despite all this, he loves kids.  Any of these could take home the prize of "Best Old Man" just because of this category, but I suppose, for Complexity, it should be given to... (I am having a horse race in my head between Whit and Tom now... yes, I should have decided who would win before I started writing.) Tom.

     Are you surprised?  Well, you'll get over it.
     Thanks for reading!