To be a Hero

The word “hero” can be defined in several different ways. Some people define a hero as someone they look up to or someone that has played a significant role in one’s life. One of the more common definitions for a hero is “A person, typically a man, who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities” (www.google.com). Some types of heroes include Homeric heroes, superheroes, and antiheroes. In John Ford’s The Searchers Ethan Edwards fits the qualities of classic Homeric hero. Ethan Edwards fits these specific elements of a Homeric hero: “…wins what he fights for; he is united or reunited with what he cares about”, “the hero’s [continuous] call to adventure”, and comes in contact with the typical “…damsel in distress” (Literary Archetypes). Just like Ethan Edwards of The Searchers, Sam Raimi’s Spider-Man 2 Peter Parker shares identical traits of the classic Homeric hero.

A Homeric hero differs from an ordinary hero. A Homeric hero can be defined as:

The code which governs the conduct of the Homeric heroes is a simple one. The aim of every hero is to achieve honor, that is, the esteem received from one's peers. Honor is essential to the Homeric heroes, so much so that life would be meaningless without it. Thus, honor is more important than life itself. (ablemedia.com)

Homeric heroes are willing to lose life for the people they truly care about. They fight for what they believe is right, their loved ones, and do whatever it takes to achieve their goal. A hero’s life is always on the line. For a hero there is no time for rest. I, myself, would not be able to hold up to the life style that a hero lives. Where a hero does not have time to rest or be lazy, I would need time for sleep and periods of time for laziness.

A superhero like Spiderman has many qualities of a Homeric hero. In the film Spider-Man 2:

… Peter Parker is torn between desires for his own happiness with Mary Jane and his responsibility to society as a hero. Experience has proven that he cannot have both. He quits, but after his aunt gives a speech he decides to resume life as Spiderman. (Janddplus4) 

Spiderman, throughout the film, fights for his family and the love of his life Mary Jane (Raimi). Spiderman truly cares for the ones he love and does whatever he needs to do to protect them. Spiderman re-unites with his family and Mary Jane. Spiderman also does not stay home long; he is continually out fighting crime for the protection of the town, family, and Mary Jane. Mary Jane makes the comment to Spiderman as he leaves to fight another crime, “Go get ‘em tiger” (Raimi) as if she was saying go to your call to fight/venture. Mary Jane plays the archetypal damsel in distress. Doc Ock, the villain, captures her and Spiderman rescues her from Doc Ock’s clutches (Raimi). I could not imagine being in Peter Parker’s position. Peter Parker continually deals with the stress of protecting the city and his loved ones. In many cases he is away from his own family.  Being a Homeric hero would be a difficult job.

Spiderman fits all the traits that classify him as a Homeric hero. Peter Parker when compared to Ethan Edwards portrays similar qualities. Although Spiderman is considered a superhero, he still fits the elements of the classic Homeric hero. To be a Homeric hero one has to fit these qualities and Spiderman fits these qualities.

Works Cited

Classics Technology Center: Iliad. 1998-2005. Web. 5 May 2012. <http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/netshots/homer.htm>

“Hero.” Def 1. Google. 2012. 7 May 2012. <http://www.google.com/search?client=safari&rls=en&q=hero+definition&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8#hl=en&client=safari&rls=en&q=hero&tbs=dfn:1&tbo=u&sa=X&ei=eT2oT6euIaal2AWJlaymAg&ved=0CGoQkQ4&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&fp=b3ad82d2cc338573&biw=1221&bih=667>

Janddplus4. “The Ideal Form of a Hero 85”. Hubpages. 2012. Web. 5 May 2012. < http://janddplus4.hubpages.com/hub/The-Ideal-Form-of-a-Hero>

“Literary Archetypes”. Class Handout. Tarrant County College, TX. 18 Feb 2012. Print.

Mary Jane Will Feature In 'Spider-Man 4' & No Vampire Storyline. Photograph. Blogger. Web. 5 May 2012. JPEG. < https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTlQhlY7dq7gGDjAnRkndc7407zyJjLoAEzMGO5DLCSbqf6nUyACjIS_2PvQDZ6d6mWLC9V1zqyFov7srAjIICExkfUppXCY78PcMaGiKWHdLP6m1iAmoxLJL3V4WCqyonG6PujWalUg/s400/tobey_maguire6.jpg>

The Searchers. Dir. John Ford. Perf. John Wayne, Jeffrey Hunter, Vera Miles. 1956. Warner Bros. Pictures and C.V. Whitney Pictures, 1956. DVD.

The Searchers. 2000. Photograph. Google Images. Web. 15 Apr 2012. JPEG file. <http://www.google.com/imgres?q=the searchers movie poster&um=1&hl=en&client=safari&sa=X&rls=en&biw=847&bih=463&tbs=isz:m&tbm=isch&tbnid=zZoNXIvcD2xFdM:&imgrefurl=http://www.moviegoods.com/movie_poster/the_searchers_1956.htm&docid=ukUYiOVS7B-qgM&imgurl=http://www.moviegoods.com/Assets/product_images/1020/189500.1020.A.jpg&w=580&h=836&ei=RUiLT97CGeie2AXZm_TECQ&zoom=1&iact=hc&vpx=84&vpy=79&dur=1952&hovh=270&hovw=187&tx=119&ty=169&sig=108634776039428013476&page=1&tbnh=106&tbnw=76&start=0&ndsp=14&ved=1t:429,r:0,s:0,i:70>.

Spider-Man 2. Dir. Sam Raimi. Perf. Tobey Maguire, Kirsten Dunst, Alfred Molina. 2004. Columbia Pictures, 2004. DVD.