Using the term hero is like using the word Jerk. Seriously, like say, you call some guy a jerk because he took the parking place you were about to pull into. You believe that this fellow Is a Jerk because the qualities he possesses and achievements he has done have been negative and do nothing positive. Maybe others believe he Is a Jerk too, maybe some don’t. Now let’s look at a hero. This is someone who possesses the opposite qualities of the aforementioned character.
Someone who achieves something for the greater good of himself or his surroundings. Joseph Campbell says that a hero is “someone who has mound something or done something beyond the normal range of achievement and .. Someone who has given his or her self to something bigger than experience. ” ” oneself. ” You could say this character realizes that by doing something extravagant, he can help benefit himself and can show others that obstacles can be overcome. Campbell follows by telling us about deeds that heroes perform. One Is a physical deed … The other kind Is the spiritual deed. ” He explains that the hero’s Journey “begins with someone from whom something has been taken, or who feels there Is something lacking In the normal experiences available . Absolutely! I really liked Old Man and the Sea. It totally spoke to me. Here’s this guy who is not really mad that he can’t catch fish. He just seems to feel kind of defeated. Fishing was his life, he went out everyday and sort of became one with the sea.
He knew how it worked, how it flowed, how the fish bit, where they were, the best way to catch them, what kind of bait to use basically all a man could need to know. But, for some reason, they stopped biting. Did he think it was his fault? It was as if the ocean itself decided not to let him get his fulfillment from it. It Just said, “no, take your business elsewhere. And that’s what It’s all about, isn’t it? Enlightenment and fulfillment. We all Just want to be happy doing things that we like to do.
And so Santiago was like, “No, you can’t take this away from me, this Is what I do to stay alive, this Is where I find happiness and knowledge. ” Santiago sets sail knowing that this next Journey is going to make or break him. But if he was going to go down, he was going to go down with a fight. That was a great thing to do. He was telling the ocean, “you think you can make a fool out of me? ” He showed us that if you believe in yourself, you’ll succeed. If you doubt yourself, you will fail. You are your own worst enemy.
Santiago became a hero during that trip. He went beyond what was normally expected and he overcame the sea, and himself. During his journey, he faced hardships until a near-breaking point and he risked his life to become stronger. When he returns home, his message Is clear to everyone. He proved to them that there was life In him yet. We all need heroes to look up to. We need something to show us that we are able to stories about heroes make us realize that there is a reason for us to live and be remembered.
