Many critics have lauded Taylor Swift’s 2013 album, “Red.” However, some of the song lyrics have raised eyebrows. In particular, “I knew you were anti-social, but I thought you liked dogs.” This line from “22” shows that the protagonist in the song is an anti-hero. Essentially, she’s a villain who has done wrong things but has redeemed herself through her actions and through her character. Her actions can be interpreted as heroic or villainous; it all depends on the reader.
The protagonist in “I Knew You Were Anti-Social” is an anti-hero because she lures her audience into a false sense of security by pretending to be a kind person. For example, she says she knows her audience likes dogs so she pretends to like them too. At first glance, this seems like a friendly gesture; however, it’s actually a trap for anyone who wants to befriend her. By saying she likes dogs, she implies that her audience needs to like her in order to become her friend. This essentially makes her audience her responsibility so she can take them for granted and act superior without risk of reprisal.
The protagonist's violent past also makes her an unappealing character to many readers. To understand why, it's necessary to examine the character's history. She's been in prison for some time and has served time for a crime she committed as a child. Because of this, most people label her as a villain and stay away from her as much as they can. In this way, she lures people into a false sense of security through the reputation she acquired while in prison— only to betray them when they become too close to her.
Throughout the song, Swift uses contradictions to show that her protagonist is both good and bad. For example, at one point, she pretends to like dogs while telling people not to trust her. However, she later says that people should judge people based on their actions and not on their appearances— which contradicts the earlier suggestion that appearances matter more than your conduct. People who want to befriend her first see how kindhearted she is before seeing any signs of villainy in her past or present behavior.
Although the protagonist in “I Knew You Were Anti-Social” is an anti-hero, many people see him as one because of his violent past and his false appearance as a good person. Her actions can be interpreted as heroic or villainous; it all depends on the reader. It’s important for readers to consider what information they receive from characters before forming opinions about them— especially when the character in question is famous and written by an author with a lot of influence over modern literature.
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