The Common Trope In Gillian Wench's Wrecking Ball

Relatability Within the Common Trope

All creative ideas have a foundation to base itself off of. These foundations are typically seen as themes, and cumulatively compose a narrative to be presented in some form of media. While themes can range, some themes appear much more frequently than others, and are labeled as a “trope”. A trope is defined by the Merriam-Webster dictionary as: “a common or overused theme or device” (Merriam-Webster). One particular song to utilize tropes is Gillian Wench’s Wrecking Ball, due to its nature of utilizing tropes that are seen in teenage and young adult culture. The tropes found within Wrecking Ball depict the nature of teenage insurgence, which are accompanied by elements such as drugs and alcohol. All these factors combined become an embodiment of the exploration, breaking prohibition, rebellion, and consequence; elements that hold a presence in my own life. Wrecking Ball begins with the song’s depiction of a character’s initial act of rebellion. Lines such as calling themselves a “rolling stone”, and “when they first left home”, depict the initial act

Immediately, this is followed up with the character growing tired of this particular lifestyle, and referencing that their own grades have slipped, eventually taking preference to marijuana. This eventually escalates to the usage of LSD, and references drinking “the bottom of her canteen”. At this point, it can be deduced that like the canteen, the character reached the low point of their experience. By the end of the song, the character depicts their struggle of addiction, referencing withdrawal and references the 1989 earthquake and the Santa Cruz Mall immediately after. Through referencing the mall and earthquake, it can be concluded that the character collapses and