Do you have what it takes to be a hero?

Throughout the whole month of October we have been discussing heroes, and especially focusing on what the defining characteristics of a hero are. In the novel Beowulf, which originated in Europe hundreds of years ago, heroes are characterized as people who have inhuman strength and have no fears, seeking after dragons and monsters to slay. The most prominent motive for a Beowulf-type hero is glory. They seek glory and reputation whenever they go on a quest, and boast about all of their past deeds to everyone they meet. Furthermore, their human characteristics like emotions, love, and weaknesses are virtually nonexistent. To be a hero, one had to be more god-like than human.

In the play Oedipus, however, a different kind of hero was portrayed. Oedipus was the hero of the play, but he was a tragic hero, and consequently had a tragic flaw. Overall, he was depicted as a wise king, strong, and brave, but his tragic flaw was believing that he could change his fate. By running away from his fate, he caused it to happen. A tragic hero is a little bit easier for our society to relate to, but still typically defines a hero with superhuman strength, and only one weakness that causes their downfall. In many cases, as with Oedipus, the character does not even have the ability to control their tragic flaw, reinforcing the near-perfection that these characters portray.

Many of those characteristics are not at all parallel to society’s current definition of a hero! The other day on Yahoo news I saw an article about a little boy being hailed as a hero for finding and returning a small sum of money he found lying under a bush. His generosity was enough to get him into the headlines. The funny thing is, his dad was with him and had to coach him before the boy came up with the decision not to keep the money for himself. These days, it seems we use the word hero very loosely. Even the qualities of a hero have changed drastically, now leaning more towards someone who is selfless and is brave in a sense of sacrifice. A hero by today’s standards acts in order to save others, but never for his own glory. This is such a direct contrast with Beowulf, who made a point to boast about all of his past deeds when travelling to another kingdom. Our society also makes a point of rooting for the underdog, a person with physical weaknesses or character flaws who works hard to overcome them. The idea that anyone can be a hero is a hugely popular theme in movies and books right now. While I certainly feel that many people hailed as heroes do not exemplify the qualities I consider a hero to have, I like the idea that by today’s standards one does not have to have huge muscles or lift a bus off of someone to be a hero to someone else. Often times it is the little things that we do that makes us heroic, and as cliché as it seems, even our parents can be considered heroes, for putting up with us day after day, giving advice and never ending support. It is encouraging to think that even I could be a hero in someone’s life, without ever slaying a single dragon.