The Hero

The titles listed in the blog above are from different time periods, howver they share many similar qualities. One in particular is the protagonist that is present in each storyline. I think that in addition to being called a protagonist, the character can also be refereed to as a hero. For example, in The Sorcerer’s Stone, (a Harry Potter novel) Harry Potter who is seen as the protagonist, can also be seem as the hero. Harry has a special power accidentally given to him at birth and therefore has a responsibility to take control of the wizarding world to ensure that Voldemort does not return. By placing this responsibility on Harry, J,K Rowling makes him the hero. In every book Harry is able to “save the day” in the end, even if it did not go exactly as planned. Harry can also be portrayed a hero when his guilt overwhelms him. Harry feels guilt especially in the later books as his friends die and he cannot save them. I think this shows a true sense of moral responsibility that Harry feels he must fulfill. When the name hero is mentioned I always think of someone who tries to save the day, and also have an extremely positive moral compass. As I reflect on my own true meaning of a “hero” I believe that Harry Potter is a hero because he has a strong moral sense and understands his role in the wizarding world, even if Harry despises the task most times.

I define a heroic act as one that is selfless and has a sense of self sacrifice. A hero will extend their realm of comfort and go beyond their breaking point. A hero is someone who does things for the greater of society and not necessarily for their immediate individualistic goal. When I think of a heroic deed I think of Huck Finn. Although conflicted and influenced by society. Huck Finn still decided to travel with Jim down the Mississippi River. Huckleberry Finn is a hero because he put aside his conflicting ideas and decided to help a man in need. Instead of focusing on the individual detriment of not turning in a runaway slave, Huck Finn knows that Jim is in need and helps him. This is especially heroic because he is a young boy, and societies morals were ingrained into him for many years. Being able to stand up to society and to follow his sense of moral responsibility is truly heroic.

I think that women can be heroines and often are portrayed as such thing in modern literature. Heroines are much less prevalent in the earlier periods of time because society was completely different. The role of women in literature has changed for the better since the early ages. Primarily in this time male dominance was asserted and women took on a secondary role. In the past decade or so, there has been a new surge in feminism, and stories depicting women as the main heroine. I do not think that there is any reason that heroism should be based on the gender of an individual; it is silly to explicitly say that males are more likely to be a heroic figure than women based on may of the books chosen from the blog prompt. Although a majority of books we read in school are geared towards male heroism I do not believe that there is a specific reason for women’s absence in heroism.

When I think of heroism I do immediately think of a code of ethics of some sort. I think a hero should conduct himself in a particular fashion because he is seen as an authority and is held on such a high pedestal. For example, I think that Harry Potter is held to a moral code that he does not stray from. Although people around him may criticize the way his plan of action is put forth, Harry has an obligation to society to uphold a sense of morality. I think that this topic of upholding internal as well as external morality also relates to the theme of temptation. This theme comes into play when morals are threatened and the hero’s own beliefs are questioned.

I think that society needs heroic figures because it gives people something to believe in. Heroes are held above the average person most times, and reaching the heroic level is something many humans strive for. With heroes being people who uphold morals, it gives people a sense that there is good in the world. Without heroism, their would be no greater people and also no way to distinguish between humans. Heroes represent the greater good in the world, and often are seen on a godlike platform instead of associating with common people. Without classification of different people there would be no higher place for humans to reach.
A land that needs a hero is one that does not have a strong moral code, and also probably needs “saving.” To be more specific, the wizarding world in the Harry Potter books needed Harry because an evil force was trying to take over the Ministry of Magic, and chaos was breaking out all over the place. If this was not occurring, there wouldn’t necessarily be a need for Harry to accept his heroic role, and save all of society. This society couldn’t be happy because they lived in fear, not knowing when or where Voldemort would strike next. With this sense of fear and uncertainty, automatically came the call to action of Harry Potter. This particular society needed a solution so they found one; starting in the hands of a thirteen year old boy.