Basic Trope: A character's possession is given significance by having it given to them.
- Straight: The Reasonable Authority Figure honors Jack for volunteering by giving him a sword, which he cherishes.
- Exaggerated:
- Every possession Jack cares about was a gift.
- Jack gets a novelty item or another worthless gag gift, like a pair of Groucho glasses
or a whoopee cushion, from a stranger. For the rest of his life, he considers it his most prized possession just because it was given to him.
- Downplayed: Jack owns seven swords, and the one that was a gift is slightly more important to him.
- Justified:
- The sword is magically bound to Jack.
- The item is a marker of some special relationship (like a wedding ring).
- It is an item of great personal significance which Jack would be hesitant to discard.
- Inverted:
- Jack regards those things he bought or made himself, or won in battle, as superior to gifts, and replaces the gifts as soon as he can.
- Jack's sword is important to him because it's the only thing he owns that wasn't a gift.
- Subverted:
- The sword was actually cursed, and the Reasonable Authority Figure knew it.
- The sword is no better than any other sword he could have gotten from a swordsmith.
- The sword lets him be tracked.
- Double Subverted:
- Except that it has good powers too, and he can manage with the curse.
- Except that the knowledge the king gave it to him means that he gets more support from the people.
- Which ensures that The Cavalry find him.
- Parodied: The sword is visibly horrible, yet Jack still accepts it.
- Zig Zagged: The sword was actually cursed, and the Reasonable Authority Figure knew it. Except that it has good powers too, and he can manage with the curse. The sword is no better than any other sword he could have gotten from a swordsmith...but the knowledge the king gave it to him means that he gets more support from the people. But it can be tracked, and hoofbeats come along to find them while deep in enemy territory, oh no! Wait! The Cavalry has arrrived!
- Averted:
- No one considers gifts to be particularly important.
- All objects are bought or won.
- Enforced: "We've got a merchandise deal to produce those emerald swords, so Jack needs to keep his at all times."
- Lampshaded: "I am the champion of the kingdom! I received my sword from the hand of the king, my armor from the hand of the queen, and my horse from the greatest wizard of the land!"
- Invoked: Jack appreciates the sword because it was a royal gift.
- Exploited: The Chancellor knows Jack won't throw away a gift, so he presents Jack with "a gift from the King" that's actually a piece of junk or even an Evil Weapon.
- Defied:
- Jack, still annoyed with the king, refuses to accept the stupid sword.
- Jack regifts the sword.
- Discussed:
- "No, Jack, you want to keep that sword; these are just random swords, and that's a gift"
- "Why does he keep that thing around?" "You're asking me? Probably because it was a gift or something."
- Conversed: "Why does Jack use a sword when everyone else has got pistols?" "It was a gift."
- Implied: Jack mentions that his sword was given to him, but he doesn't elaborate on the giver.
- Deconstructed: The villains take advantage of Jack's gullibility by going into disguise and gifting him an utterly useless weapon. Naturally he can't resist using it, and is quickly whipped by foes with superior weapons.
- Reconstructed: ...Except that he isn't. He wanted to make the giver happy, so he spent so much time training with the "useless weapon" that he ends up using it quite effectively.
- Played For Laughs: Jack knows it sucks and uses it so he can rub the villain's nose in it.
- Played For Drama:
- The king was his father, and he gave it to Jack before he was assassinated.
- The sword that was given to Jack gets destroyed, sending him into (A) a Heroic BSoD, or (B) a Roaring Rampage of Revenge.
Back to It Was a Gift.
