“Unhappy the land that needs heroes.”

– Bertolt Brecht

All of the works mentioned have several aspects in common. They all follow the commonly used Hero’s journey. First, the characters are going about their lives normally, but then are called to some greater purpose or some series of events is set in motion. On this journey, they are tested, meet different varieties of people, then face a final ordeal. Ultimately, in the end they complete their journey and then return to their starting point in one form or another, yet things will have distinctly changed. The protagonists of these stories are considered by many to be heroes; people of outstanding achievements, or noble qualities, and who deserves respect. But I do not believe this definition is a healthy one to have. These “heroes” all have their own flaws, and what would be considered an achievement or a noble quality is not objectively consistent throughout all lines of logic or all cultures. Since a definition can vary depending on perspective, I think the term “hero” should be defined as “a person who according to the values of their society, are considered to have noble qualities or outstanding achievements.” We cannot look at the hero without looking at the world in which they exist. In all these stories, the heroes are demonstrated to have changed the world in which they exist through their journey, and yet their journey and their becoming a hero cannot happen without the world being the way it is. Women can be heroines, but in the listed stories there are none that would be considered to be the heroic protagonist of their story, despite their presence within the stories. This could be interpreted as a reflection of the more common values throughout the different times at which these stories were written. They typically depict the hero as a man (although not always), and women are mostly supporting characters who serve various purposes within the story. Due to the relevance of what is culturally considered noble and an achievement, heroes serve a purpose as a guide. They are stories used by people to show what would be considered the ideal in their society. Heroes also oftentimes face great adversity. Bertolt Brecht’s saying “Unhappy the land that needs heroes.” reflects the purpose of a hero. A story to shine a light in the dark, a beacon of hope in a time of struggle. That is the purpose a hero serves. Why would we need a light in the dark if we were not lost? This is the line of reasoning that would draw the conclusion that for a society to need a hero, there must be a struggle.