The Hero Essay, Research Paper

The hero is something more than out conscious ideal. He is also our sometimes conscious, sometimes unconscious dream. He represents not only what we value in the external world, the world beyonf ourselves, but what we value in ourselves, in that inner world of our minds or psyches. For in our dream and in our daydreams all of us are heroes at lest some of the time.On the other hand, as the hero represents what we desire, the forces arrayed against him represent what we consciously or unconsciously fear. This fear- of various kinds of limitation imposed upon us, of pain, or even death- is projected onto the human, superhuman, or animalistic figures which we identify by such terms as “the enemy” or “the Monster”. In his struggles against such figures the hero acts upon our behalf. His victory is our victory, as individuals or as members of the group. Even the “tragic hero”, who goes down to defeat before his antagonists, provides us with a form of gratification. he demonstrates that through our anxieties or fears are indeed real (and likely beyond our remedy), our wishes and values are also real are are capable of surviving mere physical defeat. In one way or another then, the hero transforms nightmare into daydream, negative thoughts and feelings into positive ones. Life- affirming, he combats whatever seems to be life-deneying. Creative-even though he is often, patadoxically, a killer- he opposes himself to destruction. it is no wonder then that we value our heroes, that we may need them.