Heroes

At a very young age, children are taught to identify who the hero of the story is.  He is the one who carries the sword into battle, the one who outsmarts the villain, or who saves an animal from a cruel death. He is the one who sacrifices himself to save others, the one who is smart or brave or courageous, who is able to win against all odds.  They can identify living heroes, heroes who have done something for our country, such as our soldiers, Martin Luther King Jr., or Abraham Lincoln. They can also list figures important to them as heroes. Many will list sports figures as their heroes, super heroes, or relatives.

This being said, the concept of the Greek hero falls very naturally into the minds of middle school students. They grew up on the Disney story of Hercules, and generally have some knowledge of the Greek gods. It is easy enough to present the idea of the Greek hero without much confusion. A Greek hero is one who often has divine ancestry, one who endowed with strength and courage, and who is generally seeking immortality through success and fame.  The idea is an easy one to grasp, and when presented with the novels such as the Iliad and the Odyssey, the heroes are easy to identify.  They are strong and brave, and they almost always win.  

As they move into high school they learn to stretch their views a bit (if they already haven’t). Novels, such as To Kill A Mockingbird, present them with the idea that maybe a hero isn’t necessarily the one who is strong or victorious, but is the one who is trying to do what is right. (Thank you Harper Lee for the creation of Atticus Finch). 

Then suddenly, at some point in their high school career, they are thrown a book with a completely different type of hero, the romantic hero.  They read a book such as Wuthering Heights, and suddenly are told that Heathcliff is a romantic hero. And this is where we reach roadblock. The romantic hero is unlike any hero they have seen. He is moody, self-centered, believes himself to be outside the pettiness of laws and society. He is not normally dashing or brave, nor is he victorious. In fact, nearly all romantic heroes are plagued with quite miserable or controversial lives. Frankenstein, Mr. Darcy, Rhett Butler – all these romantic heroes are nothing like any hero they have encountered. Even in my head, it seems weird to label these characters as a hero. I think in order for students to fully appreciate a romantic hero, they have to have a very clear idea of what one is, and why during the 18^th and 19^th era the idea of one became popular. Otherwise, they simply see them as tragically flawed men, given an ironic title.