Christopher Moore and the Creation of the Beta Male
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And that imagination is what makes all the difference. In the animal
kingdom, as opposed to civilized culture, it is that strongest, fastest critter that
will set the tone for the species, but in human tribes, because of the ability to
outthink the enemy, the Beta Male is, as Moore points out, “the reigning king of
the beasts.”
So in effect, Moore is allowing those minor characters Buechner is
advocating to come to the forefront even before they’ve been relegated to the
role of minor characters. He is pushing them, whether they want to be or not,
into major roles without allowing them the luxury of being Alphas. In the
literary world, the Alphas, while pretty to look at, are boring. As an author,
Moore has more fun playing with the imagination inherent in the Beta. It gives
more raw material to work with.
Of course, that imagination is also responsible for the Beta getting into
trouble in a more modem society. Things have changed drastically for both the
Alpha and Beta since the early days of living in a cave and fighting off sabertoothed tigers. In those days, everything was needed and needed in abundance.
The Alpha needed all the testosterone he coul