Thinking About the Hero

What is a hero? One may say a hero is a man who is strong and tough; another may say someone who is brave and passionate. Is either wrong? It is hard to say, each person has his own vision of a hero. A finite definition is hard to come across. In usual circumstances a hero is someone whom one can look up to. Heroes’ posses the qualities we wish we had. They are able to endure things we feel we could not, and for that we revere them. In works such as The Odyssey and Star Wars the protagonists are considered heroes; however that does not mean that all heroes are villain fighting men. A hero does for others, selflessly for the common good. Odysseus is as much a hero as my mother. Although she does not battle live demons or face overwhelming obstacles of climate or travel, she does give of herself willingly and selflessly each and every day. A hero behaves in a positive and helpful manner.

Typically a hero goes through a cycle of hardships and triumphs. It begins with the departure towards adventure and ends with the return home. As this cycle used in literature and media works with heroes it has shaped our personal views of heroes also. This has much to do with the lack of recognition of heroines, since such a cycle of events was rarely fit for a woman. It is common for one to stereotype a hero. As mentioned before, each person has his own view of a hero. Usually when heroes are portrayed in stories, movies, or even the news, they are men. This does not mean that a woman cannot be considered a hero. A woman can posses the characteristics of a hero, the selflessness and will to do good, just as well as a man. Heroism is about how one acts, not ones sex. Heroes stand for what they believe, not allowing the influence of others to sway them. Due to the fact that our culture has been slow in embracing equality for women, the heroine is often overlooked. We learn from the past. In our history the woman’s job was to care for the house and children. No one saw these ‘unimportant’ tasks as heroic, thus the heroes of history are mainly the men who fought for our country. To break away from this pattern has taken many years, and still we are far from truly recognizing the heroines of our time.

Heroes are viewed as a cut above the rest. Many people have qualities of a hero, perseverance, confidence, or responsibility, but not all people but those qualities to work for the good of others. Heroes are willing to risk going against the common opinion, doing what they think is right for the common good.

To understand what purpose heroes serve to humans, think first about a world without heroes. If no person went beyond the call of duty, fought for others, putting himself at risk, what would we have to strive for? Reaching goals is an important part of life. Many people need inspiration to do so and a hero is someone he can look up to for guidance and hope. For some people, heroes make the impossible, possible. For others it is a source of strength to know there is someone out there doing good for others.
Bertold Brecht said, "Unhappy the land that needs heroes." Although having a source of inspiration in a hero is good, relying on them is not. People who cannot learn to act for themselves do not get to experience a full and ‘happy’ life. An important aspect of growing as a person and being a prosperous nation is learning and growing from mistakes. We learn nothing if we walk solely in the footprints of someone else.